Funding Opportunity

$10,000 seed funding to teach Public Health Law

Deadline: Friday, March 26, 2026 5pmET

We are pleased to announce that $10,000 seed funding awards are available for up to two US schools or programs of public health (SPPH) who will designate/hire and commit one full-time, part-time, or adjunct faculty member to teach Public Health Law in the 2026-2027 academic year. This award supports the course development and teaching costs of a course in Public Health Law. In addition to the funding award, awardees will receive extensive curriculum support and cohort-based mentorship from seasoned faculty who have deep expertise in teaching Public Health Law to both public health and law students.

This unique opportunity is part of a CDC-funded initiative designed to increase knowledge of public health law among the next cadre of public health graduates to improve capacity for local health departments.

The project is led by Magda Schaler-Haynes, JD, MPH and Heather Krasna, PhD at the Center for Public Health Systems at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. It aims to make law more accessible to the field, to mentor emerging leaders, and to support the work of local health departments. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to apply?

• CEPH-accredited US schools or programs of public health (SPPH) that do not currently offer a course in public health law, and who have the capacity to offer a course to public health graduate students.
• Current faculty within US SPPH who would like to teach a graduate course in public health law and have approval from their SPPH to submit this application.
• The application may be submitted by:
  • (1) a faculty member who has support from the relevant Dean or Dean's designee; or
  • (2) a SPPH that commits to securing a faculty member and approving via curriculum committee (or equivalent as applicable) to teach the public health law course in the 2026-2027 academic year.

How can the funding be used?

• The funding may be used for compensation for development and/or teaching the new public health law course by a new or existing adjunct, part-time, or full-time faculty member.

What in-kind technical support is available beyond the project funding?

• Faculty funded through the award will receive support in the form of curriculum implementation planning, syllabus templates for the public health law course and membership in a cohort with other awardees for scheduled check-in sessions with public health law faculty mentors.

When must the new public health law course be taught?

• Within the 2026-2027 academic year (inclusive of summer and intersession terms).

How many credits will the course be?

• Course credit allocation is SPPH-specific and may vary, although courses are often 3 credits. Faculty/SPPH seeking to use the award to develop or teach an expanded course are also eligible and may independently expand upon the resources provided through this award.

Is any future commitment required beyond the 2026-2027 academic year?

• The project goal is to improve long term capacity for law training within SPPH. Award recipients capable of continuing to offer the public health law course in future years beyond the award term will be prioritized.

Are there any other criteria being used to determine which SPPH will receive the award?

• Applications will be evaluated based on the overall responses to achieve a strong mix of qualified schools and programs of public health.
• The project aims to increase the knowledge of law for SPPH graduates who are likely to enter the local or state governmental public health workforce. Therefore SPPHs with graduates working in local or state health departments will be given priority. 
• Previous experience teaching Public Health Law is not required.
• Successful applications must include either attestation from the applicant or a letter from the dean, chair, or school/program's designee indicating:
  • (1) the school or program's awareness and support of the application and
  • (2) the institutional commitment that, if awarded, a Public Health Law course will be held at your institution in the 2026-27 academic year.

Will additional funding be available to support this effort in future academic years (i.e., beyond the 2026-27 academic year)?

• Current funding is secure. Information regarding future funding is forthcoming. 

APPLY HERE The application must be completed by either the faculty member or the school/program and submitted by Friday, March 27, 2026, 5pm ET.  Awards will be announced by June 2026. 

Additional questions? Please contact:

Magda Schaler-Haynes, JD, MPH

mes67@cumc.columbia.edu

This project is supported by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) under award NU38PW000025, “Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation’s Health.” Information, content, and conclusions contained within this document are those of the author(s) and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by, CDC, Health and Human Services (HHS) or the US Government.

Prime Sponsor name : Centers for Disease Control

Pass through entity: Regents of the University of Minnesota; Columbia University, as subrecipient will issue a Service Provider Agreement to the SPPH

Project Period: Current 08/01/25-07/31/26

Funding amount: not to exceed $10,000