$3M grant expected to boost allied health

By Mark Muckenfuss

A recent $3 million grant will allow Cal State Monterey Bay to offer more services and support to Latine and other underrepresented graduate students over the next five years. 

School Psychology Program director Cathi Draper Rodriguez said the grant from the U.S. Department of Education is directed toward graduate students working on an educational specialist degree in school psychology, a master’s degree in speech-language pathology or a master’s degree in social work.

Over the five-year period, Draper Rodriguez said, “Our goal is to help 610 allied health students.”

The primary thrust of the Supporting Access for Latinx and other Underrepresented Demographics program, will be to establish a SALUD Graduate Center, an inter-college initiative that will provide peer tutoring, mentorship, workshops, study space, programs in financial literacy and assistance in applying for scholarship funding and conference travel awards.

“It’s really going to allow grad students to have more of a sense of belonging to the community at CSUMB,” Draper Rodriguez said, noting that many of those students often only spend time in the classroom while on campus. “It will be a place for them where they can think about being grad students and work together.”

Under the leadership of Draper Rodriguez, speech-language pathology director Kerrie Chitwood and project director Margaret Dominguez, initial plans are to establish the graduate center and improve the Clinic for Educational Supports offerings. Eventually, Draper Rodriguez said, those elements will be part of a larger health science presence, which will include clinical space for the graduate programs. 

With the support of this $3 million grant, CSUMB is taking a proactive approach to addressing the needs of underserved students in allied health programs, ensuring that Latine and other underrepresented students have the resources and support necessary to thrive in their academic and professional pursuits, Draper Rodriguez said.

That expanded capacity will allow the three graduate programs to accommodate more students. By Fall 2029, the goal is to increase the annual number of applications from Latine, first-generation and students from rural areas by 30. Organizers also seek to increase retention and completion rates, and provide an internship program and career fair. And there is a target for 75% of graduates to find employment in a related field once they graduate. 

Draper Rodriguez said the program and its expanded capacity for training will have a positive impact on healthcare in the surrounding region. 

“Clinical experiences not only benefit our students but the community as well,” she said. “We’re going to be able to have more space for those clinics to happen. It will help get the spotlight on allied health not only here but in the community.”