2025 HEI Professional Scholarship Information

The Ohio Society for Public Health Education (OSOPHE) invites you to attend its annual conference on October 15-17, 2025, at Deer Creek State Park and Conference Center, 22300 State Park Road 20, Mt. Sterling, OH, 43143.

Application Information

The application period is open from June 1-30, 2025.  Applicants will be notified of a decision on or before July 31, 2025, prior to the close of the conference early bird registration period. 

Preference will be given to current Ohio SOPHE members; however non-members are permitted to apply.  Applicants can confirm their membership status by logging into the Member Area of the website. If a non-member receives a scholarship, they will receive a 1-year Ohio SOPHE membership as part of the award. 

Eligibility Requirements for Applicants

• Live and/or work in Ohio; and
• Have financial need for the scholarship (i.e. insufficient funds available through any other source to support travel for professional development); and
• Identify as a Health Educator. 

Scholarship Awards

Applicants may request the following scholarships: 

• Conference registration and 2 nights of lodging (October 15^th and October 16^th) at the Deer Creek Lodge & Conference Center.
• Conference registration only.
• Lodging only (October 15^th and October 16^th) at the Deer Creek Lodge & Conference Center.
• • Ohio SOPHE will make lodging reservations on behalf of the awardee and provide the awardee with a unique registration code. Scholarships are non-transferable. 

Timeline 

• Application period is from June 1- June 30. The deadline to apply is June 30 at 11:59 p.m. 

• Applicants will be notified of a decision by July 31. 

• If awardees do not respond within 10 calendar days of notification, Ohio SOPHE will consider the award forfeited. 

Expectations for Awardees

• Attend and participate in the full conference, including the awards dinner. 

• Awardees are responsible for travel and incidental expenses. 

• Awardees will be asked to provide a testimonial about HEI/Ohio SOPHE at the close of the conference. 

• Awardees may be asked to volunteer for up to an hour during the conference outside of sessions. Volunteer activities may include staffing the registration table or selling raffle tickets during meal times to support student scholarships. 

• Failure to attend the full conference may result in the applicant agency (or individual if not employed) being billed for all or a portion of the scholarship value. 

 

Application Review Process 

1. All complete applications will be assigned a number and the individual’s name and demographic information will be removed prior to being assigned for review.
2. Each application will be reviewed by multiple people using a standard rubric that aligns with the questions in the application.
3. Reviewers will consist of the Ohio SOPHE Professional Development Committee, the Board of Directors and/or members who wish to assist with the process.
4. Each reviewer will certify they have no conflicts of interest and did not apply for a scholarship.
5. Applicants must have the support of their supervisor, if currently employed. 

 

Scholarship Categories and Criteria 

The strongest applicants will meet one or more of the following criteria, as demonstrated via essay. 

1. First timer – individuals who have never been an Ohio SOPHE member, or have not attended HEI previously.
2. Welcome Back – individuals who have not attended HEI since 2019, or individuals who have renewed their Ohio SOPHE membership after being inactive since 2019.
3. Service to Ohio SOPHE - individuals who are actively serving Ohio SOPHE through a committee, Board work, or another special project.
4. Underserved Population – individuals who are serving a high need community.
5. Young Professional – individuals who have been working for 5 years or less in their professional/post-college career.
6. Presenter - a professional member who has submitted an abstract to present a poster or oral presentation during the conference. 

Application Instructions 

1. Click here to begin the online application, which must be completed in one sitting.
2. It is recommended that applicants download the PDF version of the application form, answer the questions using a Word document and then copy and paste their responses directly into the online form.
3. Closing the form before submission will result in the need to start a new application.
4. Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their application form was successfully submitted. Applicants who are currently employed will be asked to provide their supervisor’s name and email address on the form in order to submit their application.
   • Supervisors will receive an email from Ohio SOPHE (admin@ohiosophe.org) within a few minutes of the applicant submitting the form, requesting them to verify their support for the applicant to attend the conference. (Hint: Remind references to check their spam folder!)
   • Applicants are strongly encouraged to inform their supervisor of the required sign off prior to submitting the application.
   • Supervisors are required to complete the (5 minute) survey received from admin@ohiosophe.org by July 1 at 11:59pm. Applications that do not have documented supervisor approval may not be considered complete or reviewed. 

Please contact Ohio SOPHE's Professional Development Chair, Loressa Gonyer with questions.