HBCU Wellness Project

Abbreviated for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), the HBCU Wellness Project is an intervention designed to utilize the human and social capital at Tennessee Historically Black Colleges and Universities to promote health and modify risks for chronic diseases among individuals living in the surrounding communities. The primary goal of the HBCU Wellness Project is to leverage educational and service-oriented resources at HBCUs to positively impact the health and well-being of Tennessee residents.

• Conduct needs assessments for local communities and campuses

• Enhance the capacity of faculty to integrate service learning into the curricula

• Recruit, train, and guide Student Health Ambassadors to develop health and wellness projects to promote readiness for change

• Assess short and long term outcomes of service-learning activities in communities of color

• Develop and maintain a pipeline of students of color interested in entering health professions workforce

Our Current Participating HBCUs

• Fisk University

• Lane College

• LeMoyne-Owen College

Previous Partnerships have included

• Knoxville College

• Meharry Medical College

• Tennessee State University

Student Health Ambassadors (SHAs) are full time students who attend one of the participating Historically Black Colleges or Universities associated with the HBCU Wellness Project. SHAs are exposed to service learning that enables them to work with local health and social service agencies in addition to serving as community change agents. In this role, SHAs positively impact the health and well being of underserved community residents in culturally sensitive an culturally relevant ways.