The Ministry of Health is pleased to announce the awardees of the 2019 Dr. Barbara Ball Public Health Scholarships. This year there were 9 successful new recipients.

The Ministry receives a large number of applications every year. The caliber of applicants is very high, making the award increasingly competitive as there are many deserving candidates.

In making the awards, the committee considers a combination of factors including academic achievement, financial need and public health priority of the professional discipline.

Scholarships are offered for study in a range of health professions that support public health, with priority given to nursing, allied health and social work.

Including past awardees, a total of nineteen students are currently receiving the scholarship.

The Minister of Health, the Hon Kim Wilson, JP, MP, said, “This government is proud to support Bermudians in their pursuit of careers in public health services. These nine new scholarship recipients join a long line of health professionals that have benefited from the Dr. Barbara Ball Public Health Scholarship and gone on to personal and professional success.  There are a great many number of job opportunities in Bermuda for health professionals to enjoy a challenging and rewarding career. I encourage eligible students pursuing a career in public health and in need of financial assistance to apply for the scholarship next year.”

The 2019 new awardees are:

The Ministry of Health would also like to congratulate the 2018 Graduates who benefited from the Dr Barbara Ball Public Health Scholarship to complete their studies –

Zaire M. L. Morris – Social Work

Shuntelle R.C. Paynter – Mental Health Counselling (Clinical)

Michaela K. Bean - Nursing

Dr. Barbara Bertha Ball was born in Bermuda in 1924. Following her graduation from Liverpool University Medical School in 1949 and a short working stint in the United Kingdom, Dr. Ball returned to Bermuda in 1954 and devoted her life to the needs of the downtrodden. She was the first female physician to practice medicine in Bermuda, and a tireless champion for people’s rights.

The Government of Bermuda is pleased to recognise her by awarding scholarships to public health professionals in her honour. The Ministry of Health awards the Dr. Barbara Ball Public Health Scholarship annually to Bermudian students seeking careers or professional development in public health.

Scholarships are awarded for a combination of academic achievement, financial need and choice of healthcare profession that would be most beneficial to public health in Bermuda. Current public health priorities are: nursing, allied health (rehabilitative therapies), social work, environmental health, post-graduate health economics, and post-graduate qualification in public health.

For more information visit https://www.gov.bm/barbara-ball-scholarship.