17,283
PHHP alumni
504
Number of donors
172
New donors
1,153
Total number of gifts
5
Giving Day rank among 17 colleges and schools (up from 16 in 2023)
370
UF loyal donors to PHHP (donors who have given for at least two consecutive years, including a FY24 gift)
$4,025,697
Total gifts
Average gift size:
$3,317 (Includes corporations and foundations)
$786 (Alumni and friends only)
New scholarships support students with challenging circumstances
The College of Public Health and Health Professions received generous donations this year to establish scholarships that support students with unique circumstances that may make pursuing a degree while juggling personal and life issues more challenging.
The Dr. Laura Joe Artale ’97, ’99, ’03 Memorial Scholarship awards scholarships to PHHP students who have overcome challenges in pursuing their degree and have persevered. Recipients may have faced unexpected and/or significant adversity, such as health, personal or financial challenges. The scholarship honors the life of Laura Artale who was born with cystic fibrosis, went on to earn bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from UF, received a double lung transplant, and lived a full life for nearly another 20 years before passing away in 2021 at age 45.
“After Laura died, I decided to set up a foundation and do things that would have put a smile on her face,” said her father Joe Artale. “We were both big believers in higher education, health related professions and supporting people who have challenges. She had scholarships when she was a student and I know that every little bit helped.”
The Joanne J. Foss OT Student Scholarship supports students pursuing a career change and first-generation college students in the PHHP Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. Foss, a professor emerita of the department of occupational therapy, established the scholarship to continue to have an impact on students, even in her retirement. The scholarship recognizes the students and faculty who challenged Foss to open her mind by sharing their own perspectives and stories.
“There are a lot of people that contribute to the trajectory of your career, and it’s important to be thankful for that, but also help the next generation to take advantage of it as well,” Foss said. “I think this is one way of keeping occupational therapy strong as a profession — if we all contribute to the next therapist who comes behind us.”
Visit our online giving center to make a difference for PHHP students, or contact Blake Harrison, PHHP director of advancement, at blakeharrison@ufl.edu or 352-294-573 to discuss opportunities.
–Katarina Fiorentino Klatzkow and Jill Pease
