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Ellen M. Buchart Scholarship Recipients

The Ellen M. Buchart Scholarship was named in memory and honor of Ellen Buchart who served Kentucky Public Health Association (KPHA) in many capacities, including as a past President. This scholarship will be administered by KPHA in the amount of $2,000 and is payable at the rate of $1,000 per semester paid directly to the student's school to provide general academic assistance for one year.

Eligibility requires an awardee to be enrolled as a junior, senior, or graduate student with a health or science related major. Preference will be given to students in the public health programs at their respective college or university. Applicants must be a member of KPHA to be awarded the scholarship.

2025 Recipient: Chris Smith

Chris Smith, RN, BSN
Overdose Prevention Liaison, Vital Strategies
Kentucky Department for Public Health

Chris Smith is the Overdose Prevention Liaison at the Kentucky Department for Public Health, seconded to the Department by Vital Strategies. He manages the statewide naloxone access portal FindNaloxoneNowKY.org, while working strategically with government partners and community-based organizations to develop and coordinate Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution across the commonwealth. Before his career transition to public health Chris worked as an EMT and Registered Nurse in rural and urban Kentucky. Chris is a first-year graduate student at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions pursuing his Master of Public Health degree.

2024 Recipient: Linde Eaton

Linde Eaton
Clinic RN & Community Outreach
Three Rivers District Health Department

Ms. Linde Eaton is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Western Governors University. She is employed at Three Rivers District Health Department where she has worked in many programs….home health, environmental, clinic, WIC and now the community setting. In her current role, she provides community education, including harm reduction, and home visits for lactation support for new moms. Linde says that obtaining her bachelors' degree puts her in the right direction to become an advanced practice nurse, which would benefit her health department’s clinic programs.

2023 Recipient: Alexis Kelly

Alexis Kelly

Ms. Alexis Kelly is a rising senior studying Public Health and statistics at Eastern Kentucky University. In the future, Alexis would like to attend graduate school for biostatistics or epidemiology. She desires to focus on assessment of health disparities to help create better programs and policies to improve the health of others. She is particularly interested in grief and addiction research and aims to help others who have been impacted by both.

2022 Recipient: Alyssa Hargis

Alyssa Hargis

Alyssa Hargis is a Junior at the University of Kentucky studying Public Health and Environmental and Sustainability. She is actively involved in many service activities that benefit the health of the campus and greater community. Her goal is to become a health department leader that continues to advance meaningful research and transformative health programs.

2021 Recipient: Tiff Haub

Tiff Haub

Tiff Haub is pursuing her Masters of Science in Healthcare Administration at the University of Louisville with the goal of becoming a director of sports medicine. She is employed by Norton health care as the sports medicine coordinator.