City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor named USF Health’s Ellen Kent, MPH, CPH, as Tampa’s 2021 Outstanding Community Service/Volunteer.
Kent is coordinator for the USF Health Service Corps, which serves as a USF Health-wide interprofessional program that enables students in nursing, public health, physical therapy, pharmacy, physician assistant and medical (MD and MS/PhD) programs to participate in meaningful, rewarding and enjoyable health-related community service activities.
Kent, who is also Academic Services administrator for USF Area Health Education Center (AHEC), coordinator of the Sunshine Education and Research Center (ERC), and coordinator of Student Research Grants for College of Public Health Research, was presented with the award in November.
The USF Health Service Corps and Kent were nominated by Christine Rover and Denise Barnes, both in the Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD-USF). In the nomination, they noted that “The USF Health Service Corps pivoted and began offering virtual service opportunities that reached Tampa residents for the past year and a half since the onset of the pandemic. The USF student volunteers engaged in hundreds of service hours this past year serving a variety of audiences including individuals with disabilities.”
In an email congratulating Kent on the award, Joe Ford, associate vice president for USF Health Shared Student Services, wrote “Congratulations on winning Tampa’s Outstanding Community Service Award – we are all so proud of you and the good work that you do every day in leading our Service Corps and student volunteers. You are truly “Making Life Better” for the citizens of Tampa Bay through your commitment to service.”