February 11, 2025
Shout Out: Grand Challenge for Health Pioneers
This week the Shout Out is from Elaine Johannes, Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Professor in Community Health and State Extension Specialist, and Stephanie Gutierrez, Extension Program Coordinator; and is sent for the Grand Challenge for Health Pioneers. Elaine and Stephanie write:
"K-State Research and Extension is working to support health and wellness close to home, and there are exciting opportunities available to advance this effort. One opportunity is the Grand Challenge for Health (GCfH) initiative, which was launched in 2022 and includes online training, coaching, funding, and internal and external communication. Congratulations to the Extension agent “pioneers” who have completed their community projects in 2024. Those pioneers are: Denise Dias (Wyandotte County), Tara Solomon-Smith (Southwind District), Becky Reid (Cowley County), Monica Walker (Grant County), Teresa Hatfield (Meadowlark District), and Adaven Rohling (Wildcat District). Their success stories are included on the KDHE Healthy Kansas 2030 tracking portal here.
Following these pioneers are other agents who are at different stages of working with local partners on their health and wellness projects. They include: Karen Shepard (Twin Creeks District), Deb Andres (Flint Hills District), Michelle Broxterman (Wildcat District), and Amy Draut and Laurie Carr (Sedgwick County).
Finally, the sixth cohort for the GCfH began this month with four agents beginning the Univ. of Minnesota’s online Systems Approaches for Healthy Communities (SAHC) course: Monique Koerner (Cottonwood District), Jan McMahon, (Wyandotte County), Jamie Rathbun (Post Rock District), and Cindy Snyder (Comanche County). These GCfH pace-setters will be completing their course by mid-March and will then be eligible for funding to implement a community health project with new audiences and expanded partners.
Contact Stephanie Gutierrez or Elaine Johannes if you’d like to know more about KSRE’s Grand Challenge for Health community-level health and wellness initiative."
Grand Challenge for Health Pioneers -- thanks for all you do for the people of Kansas, our colleagues and K-State Research and Extension.
If you know of a colleague or team of colleagues who deserve recognition for a job well done, why not nominate them for a Shout Out. Simply send their name(s) and the reason for the Shout Out to ksreshoutout@ksu.edu.
Shout Out submissions are published in the order they are received.