Peace Corps partners with UTHealth Houston for nursing fellowships

UTHealth Houston is the first university in the nation to offer full scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students through the Coverdell Fellows Program. (Photo by UTHealth Houston)

Returned Peace Corps volunteers may now qualify for full scholarships at Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston as part of the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program.

UTHealth Houston is the first university in the nation to offer full scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students through the Coverdell Fellows Program. Returned Peace Corps volunteers may apply for the fellowships when they are accepted into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice, or Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing programs at Cizik School of Nursing. 

“We are pleased to partner with Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston to support our returned Peace Corps volunteers as they work to continue their academic careers and commitment to lifelong service,” said Jennifer Rigg, director of University Programs for the Peace Corps.

Returned Peace Corps volunteers accepted into the Coverdell Fellows Program will receive a financial award package equal to full-ride in-state tuition and mandatory fees through the Lillian Eriksen Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Global Health. Out-of-state tuition will be waived for recipients who are not Texas residents, although students must live in Texas by the first day of class. 

“By welcoming Returned Peace Corps volunteers into our programs, we are strengthening a pipeline of globally minded nurses who will expand access to quality care,” said Melina R. Kibbe, MD, UTHealth Houston president and Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair. “We are proud to be the first university in the nation to offer these students full scholarships at the undergraduate and graduate level, and honored to support them as they continue their commitment to service.”

As a part of the fellowship, each student will complete a 150- to 300-hour internship supporting a community in the U.S., allowing them to bring home and expand on the skills they learned as Peace Corps volunteers. Internships will closely track each student’s academic program and will overlap with clinical, practicum, or scholarly experiences where possible. 

“We are excited to welcome service-oriented students with a global perspective and grateful to the Peace Corps for their commitment to helping combat the nursing shortage in the U.S. and worldwide by expanding the Coverdell Fellows Program to Cizik School of Nursing,” said Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, ACRN, PHNA-BC, dean of Cizik School of Nursing, as well as its Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair in Nursing Education Leadership and The Jane and Robert Cizik Distinguished Chair. Santa Maria is a Returned Peace Corp volunteer who served in the Dominican Republic after earning her BSN from The Ohio State University College of Nursing.

Learn more about the Coverdell Fellows Program at Cizik School of Nursing.