Funds honor Amy Acton, Ruth Ella Moore and Anna and Calvin Hood.
From left: Dr. Amy Acton, Ruth Ella Moore and Dr. Darryl Hood.
The last academic year saw the launch of a trio of donor-supported scholarships that align with the College of Public Health's effort to support diversity and equitable access to educational opportunity: the Ruth Ella Moore, Dr. Amy Acton Future Leaders of Public Health, and the Multicultural Public Health Hood scholarships.
The Acton fund was established by grateful citizens across Ohio and beyond in honor of Ohio State public health alumna Dr. Amy Acton ’96 MPH to lift up students who have overcome adversity and aspire to follow in the footsteps of the great public health leaders before them.
The College of Public Health announced the Dr. Amy Acton Future Leaders of Public Health Scholarship Fund on Sept. 24, the same day that Acton was honored with the Ohio State Alumni Association’s top award. The scholarship will be awarded annually to one or more students with the intention of championing those who have overcome challenges and are eager to pursue a career in public health.
Acton has had her own experiences overcoming adversity. As a young child, after her parents’ divorce, she lived in 18 different places in 12 years, including a winter when she was homeless. Since then, she’s built a successful career and excelled as a public health leader.
Her career included a faculty position at Ohio State from 2012 to 2016, during which her teaching was praised by many and earned her the college’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
Acton gained public visibility as director of the Ohio Department of Health during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she quickly became known for her clear, concise explanations of the science behind the virus, compassionate tone and sound guidance to Gov. Mike DeWine during his daily press conferences. Acton helped drive decisions around Ohio’s initial stay-at-home orders and physical distancing guidelines.
Her notable actions in this role contributed to her earning the 2020 Alumni Medalist award, the Ohio State Alumni Association’s top commendation.
“I am deeply honored by the creation of this scholarship. My sincerest hope is that together we can lift up the next generation of public health leaders who bring not only their talent but also the authenticity of their life experience to the table,” Acton said.
“As we embark on reimagining our public health system to be more modern and more just, we need young people who will fight heart and soul to ensure that all our citizens have the opportunity to flourish and contribute to their fullest potential.”
The Ruth Ella Moore First Generation Student Scholarship will provide one or more scholarships to students who are first-generation or trailblazing in their educational pursuits. It was created to support those students who have overcome substantial educational or economic obstacles.
Ruth Ella Moore (1903-1994) was the first Black American woman in the United States to earn a PhD in the natural sciences — delivering her doctoral dissertation at Ohio State on the bacteriology of tuberculosis. Though Ohio State didn’t have a College of Public Health in 1933, bacteriology was, from the mid-1910s through World War II, the foundational science of public health research and practice. Moore, a lifelong public health practitioner, was the first woman to head any department at Howard University and also went on to make significant contributions in the study of blood types, immunology, tooth decay, and the reaction of specific pathogens to different classes of antibiotics.
A true leader in her discipline, Moore was the first Black American to join the American Society for Microbiology. In addition to her numerous accomplishments in public health, Moore was also a talented seamstress having received her love of fashion from her mother, a successful artist trained from the Columbus College of Art and Design. Several of Moore’s garments were featured in The Sewer’s Art: Quality, Fashion and Economy.
The Multicultural Public Health Hood Scholarship was established by Darryl Hood, associate professor of environmental health sciences, in honor and memory of his parents, Anna M. and Reverend Dr. Calvin A. Hood. It will provide one or more scholarships to students who are enrolled in the College of Public Health whose missions seek to advance Black Americans.
The scholarship continues a tradition of civil rights advocacy that Hood’s parents instilled in him at an early age. In 1971, Hood was a plaintiff in the landmark civil rights case Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, a case in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the practice of busing students to support integration within public schools. This scholarship is being built in his parents’ honor and memory to champion students who seek to promote multiculturalism and address systemic inequities.
Fundraising efforts are underway to ensure these scholarship funds are replenished year after year. If you’d like to contribute to this effort, please click here.
