USF College of Public Health (COPH) graduate student YaMaya Barley received the newly established Russell S. Kirby Scholarship in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) this past August.

To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must be graduate students enrolled full-time. Moreover, Dr. Russell Kirby, USF Distinguished Professor and Marrell Endowed Chair, created the scholarship to support those working in the field of maternal and child health.

“I am honored to be a recipient of this award because of Dr. Kirby’s dedication to maternal and child health,” Barley said. “This award will support my professional development.”

When asked how the scholarship committee chose Barley, Kirby said, “We were really looking for a student who, based on their personal statement, embodies the spirit of where the field of maternal and child health is going presently.”

Though the initial award is $500, Kirby hopes to accumulate more donations so that the University of South Florida can endow the award.

Pursuing her MPH with a concentration in maternal and child health at the COPH, Barley earned her associate of arts in medical sciences from Hillsborough Community College and her bachelor of science in public health from the COPH.

Upon graduating in the spring of 2023, Barley said that she wants to work to reduce maternal mortality, particularly among African-American women.

“As a Black woman, I am alarmed by the disparities that marginalized communities are burdened by, and I feel compelled to achieve health equity,” she said. “I hope to find a career that will allow me to address the disparity.”

Story by Parker Guevarra, USF College of Public Health