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Stead Scholar Application

The Arkansas Department of Health, in collaboration with the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health (COPH) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), is now accepting applications for the Stead Scholars Program for Summer 2026.

Who is eligible: All Arkansas undergraduates enrolled in accredited four-year colleges and universities in Arkansas are eligible to apply.

Location of program:

Arkansas Department of Health (ADH); 4815 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR, 72205
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health (COPH); 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR, 72205

Details about the program: This is a full-time program. Each awardee will be expected to spend 8 weeks (June 1 to July 24) at the Department's main office and at COPH in Little Rock.

Each awardee will receive a stipend of $4,000 for the summer's experience. Limited subsidized housing may also be available for those living more than 50 miles from Little Rock.

This experience will provide students with an introduction to public health, with exposure to applied and basic public health science, and practice and health policy development.

Each awardee will be assigned to a senior staff or faculty member as a mentor and will complete a project under the mentor's supervision.

Deadline to apply: All applications and supporting documents should be received by February 28, 2026 and uploaded through the online application portal. The selected applicants will be notified by the end of March 2026.

Questions: Lezli Smith

Executive Assistant to the Chief Science Officer

Arkansas Department of Health

4815 W. Markham Street

Little Rock, AR 72205

Email: Lezli.Smith@arkansas.gov

Office: 501-661-2882

Date

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M-D-Y

First name

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Last name

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Cell phone

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Email (personal)

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Email (school)

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Name of school

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Major

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Cumulative GPA

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Classification

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Please upload your official college transcript

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Upload file

Please upload your resume

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Please upload a statement detailing why and what you would like to learn about the science and practice of public health. Letters are expected to be original and written by the student, and will be checked for AI-generation.

The statement should be at least 1 page--double spaced.

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Upload file

To assist with matching Stead Scholars to projects/mentees, please indicate your skills and/or interests. These skills are not required of students who are interested in the Stead Scholars program

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Database software (SAS, R, SPSS, etc.)

Health Behavior/Health Education

Statistics

Environmental Health Science

Epidemiology

Health Communication

Health Policy

Rural Health

Health Disparities Elimination

Maternal and Child Health

Laboratory Sciences

Other

Other, please specify

Please provide the name, email address, and phone number of your professor/advisor whom you have asked to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Letters of recommendation should be addressed to:
Dr. Austin Porter, Chief Science Officer, Arkansas Department of Health
Letter of recommendation should be emailed by professor/advisor directly to Lezli Smith: lezli.smith@arkansas.gov

Applications will not be considered complete until the letter of recommendation has been received.
Deadline: February 27, 2026

Professor's name

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Professor's email address

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Professor's phone number

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The Stead Scholars program requires participants to be onsite located in Little Rock for the duration of the program. Will you need housing assistance?

(NOTE: Housing assistance is for those living more than 50 miles from Little Rock, is not guaranteed, and depends on available funding.)

Yes No

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UAMS housing is provided at a subsidized cost of about $600-700 per person for the 8-week period, based on double occupancy, plus a $35 application fee and a refundable $100 security deposit. If housing is provided, the housing cost will be deducted from the stipend provided by the Stead Scholar program. Due to the limited availability of dorm rooms, we cannot guarantee housing for all those who may indicate need.

Please sign in the space below acknowledging the costs and conditions for housing.

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