Application for 2025-26 Horseshoe Farm Fellowship Class Now Open
*There are three application deadlines for the 2025-26 Horsesehoe Farm Fellowship Class: September 15, 2024 October 27, 2024 March 2, 2025
For more information, please go here or you may email questions to apply@projecthsf.org
What drives community health and how can aspiring future leaders act individually and collectively to help our vulnerable neighbors and strengthen community health?
Since our founding in 2007, Horseshoe Farm has taken action on these pivotal questions.
In 2009 we created a pioneering educational grant supported Community Health Gap Year Fellowship for top recent college graduates from across the country. We subsequently added Internships for top undergraduate, masters, post-baccalaureate, and health professions students.
Working as teams and with ongoing teaching and mentorship, Fellows and Interns participate in and learn from Horseshoe Farm’s innovative 6 pillar approach to helping our vulnerable neighbors, strengthening community health, and preparing tomorrow’s community health and citizen service leaders. Fellows and Interns:
Volunteer in our signature “health partners” program, working with health providers and other community organizations to extend relational and community support to seniors, adults living with mental illness, and other vulnerable or isolated individuals.
Volunteer in youth programs, including with top-notch after school programs and in local schools to help small groups of students.
Help develop and lead programs at local community centers for seniors, adults living with mental illness, or other vulnerable or isolated adults.
Volunteer with local supportive housing programs and nursing homes.
Live and learn in one of our three wonderful partner communities (Greensboro, AL, Perry County, AL, and Pomona, CA) while participating in and learning from Horseshoe Farm’s integrative three level approach to community engagement.
Develop and grow as community health and citizen service leaders through real world experiences, experiential learning, and ongoing teaching, mentoring, coaching, readings, discussions, and reflection.
These efforts all contribute to Horseshoe Farm’s steadfast mission to work with and build on the strengths of local communities, improve the health and quality of life of our vulnerable neighbors, and prepare community health and citizen service leaders for tomorrow’s communities. Please join us.
Horseshoe Farm Biopsychosocial Community Health Model
Horseshoe Farm’s unique multidimensional integrative approach to community health - Our approach centers around individualized volunteer service in support of our vulnerable neighbors (adults living with mental illness, the elderly, other isolated or vulnerable adults, and children). We provide consistent caring relationships and help with psychosocial factors that impact the health and quality of life of these individuals. More broadly, by acting as citizen volunteers and as caring, consistent neighbors, we help reinforce the social fabric that is so critical to the healthy function of local communities (1). Finally, by building broad relationships and connections and helping to support and connect multiple local partner organizations, we help strengthen the institutional infrastructure and the interconnection between institutions in local communities. This is all done while giving hands on experience, mentorship, and teaching to top students working to become tomorrow’s community health and citizen service leaders.
1. WEAVE, The Social Fabric Project, Aspen Institute (Click Here for Link)
3. Horseshoe Farm’s Three Level Approach to Community Engagement (Click Here for Link)
Fellow Outcomes:
Geared to our nation’s most promising aspiring leaders in medicine and healthcare, public and community health, and a broad range of other spheres, Horseshoe Farm graduates go on to some of the top programs in the nation including:
Sampling of Medical Schools: Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Columbia, Yale, Vanderbilt, University of North Carolina, Stanford, UCLA, UCSF, UC Davis, Kaiser, Case Western Reserve, Tulane, University of Washington, Rush, Georgetown, University of Alabama Birmingham, Tufts, Jefferson, and many others.
Sampling of Public Health, Nursing, Social Work, and Psychology Programs: Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Emory School of Public Health, University of North Carolina School of Public Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Public Health, Case Western Reserve School of Public Health, Columbia University School of Public Health, University of Alabama Birmingham School of Public Health, Emory University School Nursing, Case Western Reserve School of Social Work, University of Alabama School of Psychology.
Horseshoe Farm graduates have received some of the most competitive awards and scholarships at their respective institutions and numerous Horseshoe Farm graduates have received full merit based academic scholarships to the graduate or medical schools they have chosen to attend. Multiple Fulbright Fellows, two Rhodes Scholar finalists, and a a recipient of the Truman Scholarship have participated as Fellows and Interns with Horseshoe Farm.
Fellows are taking leadership roles in Healthcare, Academic Medicine, Community Health, Public Health, Public Policy, Health Administration, Education and Teaching, and many other fields, while embracing their roles as citizen service leaders in their local communities.
Selected Awards/Recognition for Project Horseshoe Farm:
Project Horseshoe Farm awarded the “Lou Wooster Public Health Hero Award” by the University of Alabama, Birmingham School of Public Health
Project Horseshoe Farm selected as “Exemplary Community Partnership” by Auburn University Carnegie Community Engagement Initiative
Project Horseshoe Farm selected as “Outstanding Community Partner Initiated Engagement Effort,” by the University of Alabama Center for Community Based Partnerships
Project Horseshoe Farm spotlighted in Appalachian Regional Commission/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report, “Creating a Culture of Health in Appalachia.”