Volunteering and Community Service 
An essential component to the success of SHIP and SHIP Affiliated Partnerships is the involvement of a wide variety of individuals, including students, wishing to become involved in public health and community-based health improvement efforts. Students are encouraged to become involved with SHIP by providing input regarding youth and young adult issues and providing in-kind services to the partnerships, such as assisting with needs assessments and participating in partnership initiatives. Students of all ages are encouraged to contact their
local partnership about ways to get involved.
Student Research Paper Competition
***The 2009-2010 Public Health Research Paper Competition has been cancelled. ***
On the state-wide level, the SHIP Public Health Research Paper Competition is held in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Area Health Education Centers and the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health. The Competition recognizes graduate-level student research on community health improvement topics and promotes an awareness of SHIP in Pennsylvania.
Awards for the 2008 SHIP Student Research Paper Competition were presented to the following:
1st Place: Jessica Collins, Amy Cassidy and Elwira Gleba
Gannon University
Development of an Osteoporosis Intervention Program for 5th
Grade Students at a Local Elementary School
2nd Place: Melissa Greene and Christina Higley
Edinboro, Clarion and Slippery Rock Universities
Access to Primary Care in a Northwest Pennsylvania County
3rd Place: Melissa Cekada, Jelena Homberg and Ladine Lipinski
Gannon University
The Effect of Living Skills Groups on the Occupational
Performance of Adolescents with Psychosocial Dysfunction
