Letter From ACHF Chair Michael Huey, MD
Hello, College Health and Well-being Colleagues:
Happy fall, y’all! We have launched a new school year at our colleges and universities during a time of great uncertainty. If your campus has been significantly impacted by changes to programs, policies, procedures, and finances, please know that your colleagues at ACHA support you and stand with you. We believe, as you do, that students are the future of our nation and need to be both supported and protected as they complete their academic endeavors.
The work done at ACHA has a significant impact on our colleges and universities, and therefore on the collective and individual health of our new and continuing students. Your American College Health Foundation (ACHF) supports that work. Gifts to ACHF make a significant contribution to the ACHA mission and strategic priorities.
I am pleased to tell you that the Foundation’s “Broadening Our Horizons Challenge” at the 2025 ACHA Meeting in New Orleans met and exceeded our goals. We raised well over $20,000 and reached more than 100 individual donors by the end of the Annual Meeting. I promise you that each and every one of these donations will help to further ACHA’s important work in the coming year.
In this Foundation Impact Newsletter, you can learn more about Foundation projects, grant programs and awards.
Wanna learn more? Then read on, my friend!
Yours in Health and Well-being,
Michael Huey, MD, FACHA
Chair, American College Health Foundation Board of Directors
Emory University School of Medicine and Student Health Services (retired)
Consultant, ACHA College Health and Wellness Consulting
mhuey@emory.edu
CMU’s Scottie Sound Bath Project Elevates Campus Well-Being with ACHF Support
In 2024, Monique Mead of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and her team received the College Well-Being Award in the amount of $3,500 to support the Scottie Sound Bath to improve the overall wellness of the community by providing sustainable access to stress-reducing vibroacoustic therapy, or sound baths, at the new CMU Highmark Wellness Center. Read More about the impact the Scottie Sound Bath is having and how ACHF support helped make it possible.
Opening Doors: How an ACHF Scholarship Sparked Connection and Growth
In 2025, Aderinola Omolade-Adunbi, MPH of the University of Michigan School of Public Health received the ACHF Student Travel Award to attend the ACHA Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Aderinola says “This award exposed me to so many wonderful people and so much knowledge about the field of college health.” Read more about the ways she made meaningful connections at the Annual Meeting.
The Legacy Society
When you make a planned gift to the Foundation, you join like-minded supporters in our Legacy Society, helping us create lasting change that will make a difference in college health and well-being for generations to come. Learn more about making a gift in your will here. To join the ACHF Legacy Society, please complete the Declaration of Intent Form.
Hear from members of the Legacy Society about why they’ve chosen to make a lasting gift.
Eight Campuses Awarded Vaccine Coverage Grants from ACHF
The American College Health Foundation (ACHF), with funding from Pfizer, Inc., is pleased to announce the recipients of vaccine coverage grants through the Increasing Campus Vaccine Coverage (ICVC) Grant Program for the 2025–26 academic year.
These grants, ranging from $15,000 to $20,000, will help campuses increase student vaccination rates for meningococcal disease (ACWY and B) and at least one additional vaccine-preventable illness.
The 2025–26 awardees represent a diverse group of institutions—large and small, public and private, from across the country. Learn more about the grant recipients and how they plan to tackle historically low immunization rates and reduce barriers faced by underserved students.
Seven Campuses Selected to Pilot Innovative Strategies for STI Education and Testing
The American College Health Foundation (ACHF), with educational grant funding from Hologic, is excited to announce the recipients of the 2025–2026 STI Prevention and Testing (SPT) Mini Grant Program. This program provides targeted financial support to institutions working to improve access to STI education, prevention, and testing services on campus.
These grants, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, will assist institutions as they develop innovative, sustainable approaches to STI prevention and testing.
Join the Beyond Backpacks Pilot for Online Travel Health Education
Your campus can now enroll for free in the Beyond Backpacks online travel health course for college students! Created by the American College Health Foundation and with support from Valneva, this quick 1–2 hour program is packed with engaging videos and activities on essential travel health topics like mental wellness, vaccinations, and safe travel practices. Perfect for campuses with or without travel health services, it integrates seamlessly into existing systems.
Learn more about Beyond Backpacks and sign up now to receive more information about the program.
ACHF Funding Opportunities
The ACHF Call for Applications for the 2026 awards cycle opens September 15, 2025. Applications are due January 15, 2026.
Funding Eligibility: All ACHF funding opportunities are available exclusively to ACHA Institutional or Individual Members. Exceptions to this are applicants who work or attend an ACHA Member Institution and are sponsored by the Representative Member at that institution (RMIs).
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