Renewed Funding and Rebranding!

Oct 12, 2026 | Workforce Development

Great Lakes Public Health Training Center

Our new logo!

 

University of Michigan School of Public Health Awarded $3.7M to continue the Great Lakes Public Health Training Center

 

We have some exciting news!

  1. We were recently awarded $3.7 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration! This funding will allow us to continue our public health workforce development initiatives from September 30, 2026 to September 29, 2030.
  2. With the new funding cycle, we’re rebranding! Our new name is the Great Lakes Public Health Training Center. We’ll continue serving Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin to increase the supply of a high-quality public health workforce, especially for rural and medically vulnerable communities.

Our center has been housed at the University of Michigan School of Public Health for 26 years. We began as a state-based center, and then became the regional coordinating center in 2018. Dr. Laura Power will continue to serve as Principal Investigator/Director for the Great Lakes Public Health Training Center.

“This renewed funding sustains and strengthens our support for the current and future public health workforce. Together with longstanding and new partners across the Great Lakes region, we’ll expand training, leadership development, and student opportunities to foster a public health workforce that helps communities thrive.” 

 

Contributing partners in this funding cycle include:

  • Michigan Primary Care Association
  • Michigan Center for Rural Health
  • University of Illinois-Chicago School of Public Health
  • Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
  • University of Minnesota School of Public Health
  • The Ohio State University College of Public Health
  • University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

 

What to Expect

By cultivating our community-based partnerships and using training needs assessments to inform our training development, we are committed to advancing the skills of the current and future public health workforce. Things will look similar to the previous grant cycle, but with some new additions. Details and dates will be shared in our newsletter and updated website soon! 

  • Training
    • We’ll continue to offer public health competency training in a variety of modalities, such as live webinars, self-paced modules, microlearnings, podcast episodes, and more. 
    • We’ll also continue to offer an updated version of our Public Health Leadership Institute. 
  • NEW: Technical Assistance
    • We plan on providing resources, tools, and assistance for a variety of public health workforce needs. 
  • Student Development Activities
    • NEW: Traineeships
      • Students enrolled in health professional workforce shortage degree programs in our region, serving rural or medically vulnerable communities, will be able to apply for a tuition stipend. 
    • Field placements and faculty-student collaborative projects
      • Students who have accepted an unpaid or underpaid experience in our region that contributes to enhancing public health in rural or medically vulnerable communities will be able to apply for a stipend. 
    • Student Community of Practice
      • Students receiving a stipend from us will be invited to participate in our Student Community of Practice to foster skills and connect with peers. 
    • NEW: Preceptor Community of Practice
      • Preceptors will also be invited to participate in a community of practice for networking and resource sharing. 

If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on all of the new things happening with the Great Lakes Public Health Training Center! Email [email protected] with any questions.