KC STEM Alliance, UMKC earn $2.5M grant
September 29, 2015 | Bobby Burch
A multi-million dollar grant will aim to boost diversity in Kansas City’s healthcare workforce.
KC STEM Alliance and the UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies recently received a $2.5 million grant. The funds will create KC HealthTracks to introduce more low-income and minority students to healthcare careers. KC STEM Alliance works to bolster area science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.
“This is an incredible opportunity to help students think beyond traditional entry-level jobs in healthcare and develop a pipeline of academically ready students who can diversify our healthcare workforce,” Laura Loyacono, executive director of KC STEM Alliance, said in a release.
The grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, assists students in 11 high schools from seven Kansas City-area school districts preparing for college and careers in biomedical sciences. Students in the KC HealthTracks program will have access to improved STEM curriculum, mentors, college campus visits, extensive lab experiences, tutoring and ACT preparation.
Featured Business

2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Area gamemaker Shoutz partners with Pitbull for mobile arcade
Area tech firm Shoutz Inc. has launched a mobile gaming subsidiary that’s working with celebrity recording artist Pitbull. Overland Park-based Shoutz Inc. recently announced the founding of GameRail, which partnered with Pitbull to offer a variety of casino-style games in both English and Spanish. The PitBull Arcade — which features the artist’s image — offers…
Regional Roundup: Chicago’s megamall turned innovation hub
In this week’s roundup of watercooler talk from the region’s startup hubs, we have the dish on Chicago’s booming startup density, Uber and Lyft’s Austin tantrum, and Denver’s No. 3 rank for digital economy readiness. Check out more in this series here. ChicagoInno: How the Merchandise Mart became the epicenter of Chicago tech How…
Futuristic transportation vision for Kansas City includes self-driving buses
Kansas City hopes a pioneering vision for public transportation will help it emerge as the top contender for a $50 million award. Kansas City is one of seven finalists for the “Beyond Traffic Smart City Challenge,” which will dish $50 million to a mid-sized city dealing with rapidly-changing transportation needs. With stiff competition from tech…
Events Preview: Startup Waffles, NKC Showcase
There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter or curious Kansas Citian, we’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW Startup Waffles When: May 27 @ 8:00 am – 10:00 am Where: Think Big Coworking Are you a founder, hacker or investor…
