EOHS Student & Alumni Spotlight
Rao Scholarship Recipients for 2019
Alicia Rao, M.D. and Madu Rao, M.D. have graciously established a scholarship for Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) students at the SUNY Downstate School of Public Health. The scholarships afford opportunities for doctoral students moving forward to their dissertation to be successful in their research and ultimately become contributors to public health science.
Pictured from left: Macceau Medozile, Lori Hoepner DrPH MPH, Madu Rao MD, Laura Geer PhD MPH, Ludmilla Feruzzi
The 2019 Rao Scholarship Recipients
Macceau Medozile - DrPH candidate, EOHS Department - Adviser: Dr. Lori Hoepner - titled "The Cholera Epidemic in Haiti: Contributing Factors to Mortality Rates: 2010-2012"
Ludmila Feruzzi - DrPH student, EOHS Department - Adviser: Dr. Laura Geer - dissertation titled "Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in a University Affiliated Hospital on Hospital Acquired Clostridioides difficile Infection using an Interrupted Time Series Approach
DrPH Student Awarded NIEHS Funding
Our DrPH student, Eric Persaud, received a funding award from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a sub-award through Michael D. Baker, Inc., for project titled “Opioids Continuation Project.” The funding provided to support Eric’s DrPH dissertation research.
Award period: April 21, 2020 through September 19, 2020
Faculty advisor: Dr. Paul Landsbergis, PL
Read the Facebook student spotlight about Eric Persaud.
DrPH Student Conducted Interview with Union Leader
Our DrPH student, Christopher Jimenez, published an interview he conducted with a union leader, Kyle Zimmer, in New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy.
Kyle Zimmer is the health and safety director and Members Assistance Program director of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478, which represents operating engineers in Connecticut. Mr. Zimmer successfully gained support from union leadership and employers in initiating a union-based member assistance program to address mental health, suicide, and substance use among his members and their families. The member assistance program is helping to change the culture of the workplace by decreasing stigma and making it easier for workers to seek out treatment for substance use disorders and mental health issues. The program has been effective in getting workers quick access to treatment while also establishing a peer network for continued sobriety and recovery support. In this interview, Mr. Zimmer explains the operational challenges of creating such a program and how he was able to overcome the challenges to create a successful member assistance program.
Christopher's publication was part of the EOHS field experience supported by faculty advisor, Lori Hoepner, DrPH, MPH, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. The goal of the field experience is to integrate material from practice, research, and academia. Students gain in-depth experience through supervised internships relevant to the student's career plans. The experience allows students to develop competencies at an advanced level under a qualified preceptor’s supervision.
Click here to access the full interview.
MPH Students Published Op-Eds in Newspapers
Our MPH students had successfully placed their compelling Op- Eds in newspapers as a part of an assignment in one of SPH’s newer and dynamic required courses, entitled Public Health Leadership and Interprofessional Practice: PUBH 5201.
Lee Hoff
"At the Very Least, Take This as a Sign to Call Your Grandma"
Read Lee’s article in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Thomas Reid
"A Stronger Way to Connect with Our Elderly"
Read Thomas’ article in Newsday
Camara Perkins'
"Black Elders Deserve Free Therapy"
Read Camara's article in New York Amsterdam News
Sharon Billey
"Addressing Our Elderly—There’s a Hunger Epidemic within the Pandemic"
Read Sharon's article in New York Amsterdam News
Rozanne Caesar
"The Plight of Elderly Caribbean Americans and COVID-19"
Read Rozanne's article in Guyana Chronicle, The Nation's Paper
Jamila Taylor
"Opinion: Older Adults Still Need Food and Support During the Pandemic. We can Help"
Read Jamila's article in The Queen's Daily Eagle
Nicole M. Golbari
"Lessons from Israel's Vaccination Strategy"
Read Nicole's article in The Jerusalem Post
Beatrice Hyppolite
"America's Historical Failure to Prepare for National Emergencies Perpetuate Inequalities"
Read Beatrice's article in Blavity
Brittney Vincent
"Strategic Management Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic"
Read Brittney's article in NOW Grenada
Blessing Aroh
"I am Not Your Hero—Don't Forget to Take Care of Those Who Take Care of You"
Read Brittney's article in MedPage Today
Michelle Smith'
"Opinion: Facing Homelessness in the Age of COVID"
Read Michelle's article in CT Post
Chelsey Moore
"Grandma, Please Reconsider Your Decision Not to Get the COVID Vaccine"
Read Chelsey's article in The Dallas Morning News
Michael Lane
"Learn from Mistakes to Create Better Future"
Read Michael's article in Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dr. Natalya Chernichenko
"Let's Not Forget COVID's Lessons on Health Inequality — Even as the Pandemic Rages On, Other Battles Warrant Attention Too"
Read Dr. Chernichenko's article in MedPage Today
Dr. Osato Ukponmwan
"A Resident's View: Low Nurse Staffing Ratios Lead to Unsafe Outcomes"
Read Dr. Ukponmwan's article in Medscape
Nicole Rashford
"NY’s Air Pollution Could Be Clouding Our Minds, Too"
Read Nicole's article in City Limits
Iriane Narcisse
"First, Let's Try Housing"
Read Iriane's article in City Limits
Stacia Rice
"How Opioid Use Disorder Affects Vermont's Emergency Medicine System"
Read Stacia's article in VTDigger
Christina Guillen
"What the COVID-19 Pandemic Gave our Adolescents- Social Isolation, Anxiety, Depression and a Rise of Mental Illness"
Read Christina's article in Harlem News (Page 10)
Christopher Chino-Marin
"Dr. Rusty Pliers, MD"
Read Christopher's article in Public Health Post
Paula Spann
"Long COVID and How It Will Affect the Caribbean Community"
Read Paula's article in The New York CaribNews (Page 7)
Latasha Mcneil
"Welcome Climate Change, Brooklyn’s New Resident"
Read Latasha's article in BK Reader
Sapana Bastola
"Why does winter feel like summer, Mama?"
Read Sapana's article in Loudoun Times-Mirror
Kareece Ambris
"Climate Change: The New Neighborhood Bully"
Read Kareece's article in BKReader
Dhruti Patel
"Climate Change Poses Severe Risks to Vulnerable Jersey City Residents"
Read Dhruti's article in Jersey City Times
Kyla Kiser
"Fight Climate Change to Fight Food Insecurity"
Read Kyla's article in BK Reader
The course, PUBH 5201: Public Health Leadership and Interprofessional Practice—designed and led by Lori A. Hoepner, DrPH, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences—was introduced in the Fall 2019 Term as an SPH core curriculum course to educate MPH students on the interrelated components between public health practice and health care. The course is delivered using an interprofessional education (IPE) model where faculty and students from each of the schools across our campus, as well as non-SUNY faculty, have been involved in the course.
Picture above: President Riley spoke in the inaugural lecture for PUBH 5201 in Fall 2019.
To learn more about the course, please see the President’s Bulletin and ASPPH Friday Letter.
DrPH Student Published Dissertation Work in Journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Our recent DrPH graduate, Tenya Blackwell, published her dissertation work with study PI Dr. Laura Geer and Dr. Lori Hoepner in the journal JMIR mHealth and uHealth. The study, “Using Text Messaging to Improve Access to Prenatal Health Information in Urban African American and Afro-Caribbean Immigrant Pregnant Women: Mixed Methods Analysis of Text4baby Usage,” aimed to understand the real-life experiences of pregnant urban African American and Afro- Caribbean immigrant women with accessing quality prenatal health care and health information; to assess usage of mHealth for seeking prenatal health information; and to measure changes in participants’ knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intent to use the Text4baby mHealth educational intervention. The study indicated a number of systematic, political, and other microsystem-level factors that perpetuate health inequities in the study population.
Please visit JMIR mHealth and uHealth for the full article. Please click here to view the press release.
DrPH Alumnus Macceau (Max) Medozile Accepted into Drexel’s GATHER Post-Doctoral Program
Our Class of 2020 DrPH graduate, Macceau (Max) Medozile, has been accepted into Drexel University’s prestigious NIH-funded GATHER (Global Alliance for Training in Health Equity) program as a postdoctoral trainee.
GATHER, part of Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health’s Global Health Program, matches trainees with U.S.-based and international co-mentors. Participants receive intensive skills-based research training and also have the opportunity to travel to one of three research sites in Brazil, Kenya, and Mexico. Dr. Medozile is one of only four individuals accepted into the highly competitive program’s Class of 2021–2022 scholars.
While in the SPH, Dr. Medozile wrote his dissertation, “Factors Affecting Cholera Mortality in Haiti: 2010-2012,” under the advisement of Lori A. Hoepner, DrPH, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciencesand; Paul Landsbergis, Ph.D., Ed.D, MPH, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences; as well as Sergios Kolokotronis, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
In 2019, Dr. Medozile received the Rao Scholarship, enabling him to travel to Haiti to collect raw data on cholera vaccination delivery efforts from clinics. Unfortunately, his travel to Haiti coincided with major unrest in the country, but he was able to successfully conduct on-site interviews with cholera treatment facility administrators.
Dr. Medozile plans to build on his doctoral research by studying risk factors and determinants of health associated with HIV and tuberculosis in Kenya. He will be paired with Drexel faculty mentors, as well as the Head of Health and Systems for Health at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Dr. Abdhalah Ziraba. APHRC is a leading pan-African research institution that conducts policy-relevant studies on population, health, education, urbanization, and related development issues across Africa.
Dr. Medozile will use this post-doctoral training to reinforce his analytical skills, expand his public health researcher career, and to collaborate and network with other scholars.
Click here to read the full announcement in the President's Bulletin.
Click here to learn more about the GATHER Program.
*Update (December 2023): Dr. Medozile's manuscript "Excess Mortality in Northern Haiti During the 2010 Cholera Epidemic" was published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. This publication was part of Dr. Medozile's dissertation with refinements made to the analyses during his post-doctoral work at Drexel University under Dr. Gina Lovasi, Interim Dean of Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University. Dr. Lovasi is the second author of this publication. The third author is Sergios Kolokotronis, Ph.D.. Lori A. Hoepner, DrPH, MPH served as Dr. Medozile's dissertation committee chair and is the senior author of this publication.
DrPH Candidate LT Justice B. Lambon Named 2023 Indian Health Service Environmental Health Specialist of the Year
Congratulations to LT Justice B. Lambon, MPH, REHS, CPH, our current EOHS DrPH candidate on being named the 2023 Indian Health Service Environmental Health Specialist of the Year.
LT. Lambon has demonstrated exceptional accomplishments, professionalism and leadership in the areas of Climate Change, Field Coverage and Cross Trainer, Vector Surveillance and Control, Injury Prevention, and Healthcare Facility and Safety Support.
The School of Public Health salutes and congratulates LT Lambon on his amazing accomplishments and richly deserved recognition.
Click here to learn more about his work in specialty areas.
DrPH Student Femi Falade Accepted to Fall 2024 Cohort of Climate & Health CAFE Research Translation Lab
We are thrilled to announce that our DrPH student, Femi Falade, DrPHc CPEA, with a concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health has been accepted to the Fall 2024 cohort of the Climate & Health CAFÉ Research Translation Lab.
Femi is an Environmental Public Health Risk Management professional with strong background in US EPA, OSHA, ISO 14001, and 45001 regulations. Currently pursuing a doctorate in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University School of Public Health. His research focuses on the impact of environmental stressors on public health, especially the impact of climate change hazards on vulnerable populations, workplace, water and food safety. His interests lie in developing comprehensive strategies to mitigate and adapt to the health risks associated with climate change hazards. As he transitions into Climate Change and Health Research, he is eager to leverage his doctoral dissertation on the health effects of urban flooding in disadvantaged communities to promote equitable solutions that prioritize safety, health, and well-being. He is excited to have been accepted into the Fall 2024 cohort of the CAFE Research Translation Lab, where he can further his knowledge and skills and apply them to real-world challenges.
The School of Public Health once again congratulates Femi on his amazing accomplishments.