SPOKANE, Wash. Karla Nelson, a first-year graduate student in the health policy and administration program at Washington State University Spokane, was among 76 scholars recently awarded a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship. She was one of almost 1,100 applicants competing for the scholarship program, which is said to be among the largest and most competitive in the country.
Nelson said she chose to pursue a career in health services after a life-changing experience advocating for her father’s health care. She spent many long hours working through the maze of the health care industry trying to access the kind of care her father needed. The experience led her to seek a degree that can aid her in working for a change in the design and management of the health care system.
“I was very impressed by the professional background of each of the WSU professors and the level at which they published academic papers and research findings,” Nelson said of the program at WSU. She said it was important to her that her chosen program was one of the top four accredited health administration programs in the Western region.
“I hope to do an administrative fellowship with the Veteran’s Administration or other government agency, and then pursue a Ph.D. in social research and policy,” Nelson said of her career ambitions. “I wish to work within the public or private/non-profit sector where my research efforts may help improve the manner in which social services and service delivery systems are designed, managed and evaluated.”
Nelson graduated Magna Cum Laude from Southern Oregon University in January 2006 with dual degrees in sociology and in human services. The Cook Foundation scholarship has enabled her to pursue her masters in health policy administration at WSU Spokane. The scholarship funds up to $50,000 annually for up to six years, depending on the length and cost of the student’s chosen program of study.
About WSU
WSU Spokane is the urban campus of WSU, a land-grant research university founded in 1890. The campus features advanced studies and research in health sciences and health professions, the design disciplines, education, social and policy sciences, and science and technology. WSU is one of just 95 public and private research universities with very high research activity, according to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications. In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranks WSU as one of the top public research universities in the nation.
Related websites:
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: www.jackkentcookefoundation.org
Nelson’s Scholar Biography: www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/content_printable.aspx?page=ScholarBio&entity=189721
Health Policy and Administration Program: www.hpa.spokane.wsu.edu
WSU Spokane: www.spokane.wsu.edu
