Columbia Southern University and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) have chosen Shannon Burdeshaw of Wilmington, Delaware, as the recipient of the 2020 NAEMT Scholarship.
Burdeshaw plans to use the scholarship to pursue a Master of Public Health with a concentration in community health education at CSU. As the chair of the Delaware Midwifery Advisory Council and a member of the Delaware Newborn Screening Advisory Board, Burdeshaw hopes to use her degree to advance her career as a midwifery advocate.
“As an older student, a mother, and a grandmother, I am aware of the exigency of my future contribution to maternal health and to my community,” she said. “It is past time that maternal health disparities are addressed in this country as a public health community issue. If I can complete my degree as a full-time student, instead of part-time, I will have the ability to be the most effective in a critically needed public health capacity.”
CSU, an online university based in Alabama and leader in first-responder education, works with NAEMT to offer an annual scholarship that covers up to 60 credit hours towards one online degree program for an NAEMT member. The scholarships are applied directly to the recipient’s tuition for up to three years or until the completion of the selected online degree program, whichever comes first.
Burdeshaw previously worked with midwives and consumers in Alabama as part of its midwifery advocacy group.
“I came to understand individual community needs and communicate…how the legalization and restoration of competent, trained midwives could fill a glaring need within those communities. These activities led to my founding of the Alabama Midwives Alliance, which sought to preserve the art and practice of midwifery and to act as a self-governing body for those interested in midwifery as a profession in Alabama,” added Burdeshaw.
She carried that same passion to Delaware where she has acted as a professional liaison between midwives, consumers and the Medical Society of Delaware and Delaware Chapter of the American Congress of Obstetricians/Gynecologists.
To learn more about the NAEMT Scholarship, visit ColumbiaSouthern.edu/NAEMT.
Disclaimer: These testimonials may not reflect the experience of all CSU students.
Multiple factors, including prior experience, geography, and degree field, affect career outcomes.
CSU does not guarantee a job, promotion, salary increase, eligibility for a position, or other career growth.
