During the first full week of April each year, the American Public Health Association brings together communities across the United States to observe National Public Health Week (NPHW). It’s a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation.

To celebrate NPHW, the USF College of Public Health (COPH) hosted an array of events throughout the weeks of March 24- April 10 in conjunction with this year’s theme, “Public Health Is Where You Are.”

Kicking off the celebrations on March 24, the Maternal and Child Health Student Organization hosted their 13th annual symposium virtually. Participants learned how a shared vision for health equity is necessary to address the unique challenges for maternal and child health globally.

Next, the USF Harrell Center hosted its annual Run Family Violence Out of Tampa Bay 5K from March 26-27. Faculty, staff, students and friends of the college ran, walked, jogged and more to raise over $10,000. One hundred percent of the funds raised benefited community-academic projects addressing family violence.

The celebration continued with the Chiles Center Synergy on March 30. In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the center hosted a special event to share the current research and practice initiatives of faculty, staff and students. Participants were able to walk around in groups to see all the amazing research happening at the center.

The COPH Annual Picnic was finally back in person at the USF Riverfront Park on April 1. COPH faculty, staff, students, alumni and their family members gathered together for an afternoon of food and fun.

Give Life Day took place in the COPH lobby on April 5. COPHers were able to make a difference in someone’s life by donating blood with OneBlood. They also learned how to keep themselves and their friends and family healthy and register with the National Marrow Donor Program and Donate Life Florida.

The college then held its annual NPWH Awards Ceremony recognizing the hardworking students, faculty, alumni, staff and other professionals in the field with awards and accolades. View the ceremony here.

Students from every corner of the college were recognized with awards and scholarships from groups as diverse as the Canada Research Grant by the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to Florida West Africa Linkage Institute Tuition Waiver Award.

Dr. Dinorah Martinez Tyson was given an Excellence in Teaching Award (you can read her story here).

“This is something we are always very excited about and look forward to each year,” COPH Dean Donna Petersen said. “This award is incredibly special because it’s given by the students.”

A great honor, as well, is to be recognized by your college for the work you’ve done post-graduation.

“We look for people who are impacting the community and serving in leadership positions,” Petersen said. “And this year we are fortunate to honor two outstanding alumni.” They are Dr. Lynette Menezes and Commander Lane Vause (click on each name to view more).

Lastly, Petersen introduced the 2022 Florida Outstanding Woman in Public Health Award, given to Dr. Cynthia M. Harris (read more of her story here).

“This award was created in 1988 by Dr. Charles Mahan, who was the dean of the COPH. He believed that through his career it was the women around him who actually made things happen,” Petersen said. “We received so many nominations and it’s always heartwarming and inspiring to see how many women are out there working very hard in a variety of areas to support public health and improve the quality of life.”

For World Health Day on April 7, the COPH hosted a “This Is Public Health Student Event and World Health Day.” Students were able to stop by and meet with COPH student organizations and enjoy an ice cream social. Later, students were able to meet and have a virtual conversation with students from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador.

Other events throughout the week included several service events, an internship/career fair and capstone project presentations. View all the events here.

For more photos from NPHW, click here.

Story by Caitlin Keough, USF College of Public Health