Dominican College Secures Federal Grants Totalling $6.4 Million

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Dominican College has received two federal grants totaling $6.4 million from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). These grants were secured to establish the STEM Opportunities for Hispanic and Low-Income Students (SOHLIS) Project and a Public Health Informatics & Technology Workforce Development (PHIT Workforce) Program that both aim to increase the diversity of students entering these fields.

“As a Hispanic-serving institution, Dominican College is in a unique position to educate a diverse student body in high-demand fields and help contribute to a more diverse workforce,” said Dominican College President Sr. Mary Eileen O’Brien, O.P, Ph.D. “These federal grants will enable us to establish comprehensive STEM and public health informatics technology programs, which will both go a long way in increasing educational and career opportunities for our students.”

Dominican College was awarded a $4.5 million, five-year grant from ED to develop the SOHLIS Project. This project will establish student services and curricular programs to increase Dominican College’s STEM program enrollment, retention, degree completion, and career entry. As part of this grant, Dominican College will partner with Rockland, Westchester, and Bergen Community Colleges to strengthen articulation agreements.

In addition, ONC awarded Dominican College a $1.9 million grant to develop and establish a PHIT Workforce Program which will include paid internships and career placement for students. The program will offer a PHIT concentration in the Health Sciences major and Information Technology major, as well as a PHIT minor and a PHIT certificate program. The PHIT Workforce Program is funded through the American Rescue Plan and aims to increase the number and diversity of students entering the field of public health informatics technology to improve public health reporting and address systematic health inequities.