September 27, 2023
Dear Spelman College Community,
We’re excited to share Spelman College will be partnering with Johnson & Johnson to support the 2023-2024 Health Equity Innovation Challenge. The goal of the Challenge, created in 2021, is to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and socioeconomic impact by supporting innovative health equity solutions developed by local entrepreneurs, start-ups, innovators, and community-based organizations.
This year, the Challenge welcomes our local community here in Atlanta, as well as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Philadelphia, to submit ideas on how to prevent and treat illnesses disproportionately affecting communities of color, enhance equitable access to healthcare, stimulate diversity in science, advocate for more trusted community-based healthcare, and promote health equity through community
engagement and education.
To identify ideas for funding and mentorship, Johnson & Johnson has enlisted select members of our Spelman College community to evaluate each application to ensure a relevant, localized, and independent assessment. Once our team completes an initial evaluation of applications, Dr. Helene Gayle and an external judging panel with diverse backgrounds and experiences across public health and health equity will
select one Awardee per city.
Johnson & Johnson will grant the selected Awardees up to $75,000 in seed funding to further the impact of their innovations. Awardees will also have the opportunity to be mentored by industry leaders, gain visibility through coordinated communications, and have access to various Johnson & Johnson ecosystems, which provide educational programming and networking opportunities.
As we know, a community-based approach to advancing health equity requires an investment in the people and organizations that are already working to develop solutions that address the unique needs of their communities. We’re so excited to be partnering with the Johnson & Johnson team to help improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities by promoting health equity – starting at the most grassroots
level.
Thank you,
Spelman College
