First published on October 7, 2019 in observance of the COPH’s 35^th anniversary celebration.

Advocacy is as important in public health as data analyses and needs’ assessments.

But students have traditionally lacked advocacy experience.

In 2018, Dr. Karen Liller, a USF College of Public Health (COPH) professor specializing in injury prevention and health education, decided to remedy that situation by starting the Activist Lab at the COPH.

The group, which is run with the help of two research assistants and a six-student advisory board made up of graduate and undergraduate students, provides interdisciplinary advocacy, education, research and service opportunities for students to develop the skills that will promote their success as effective public health advocates and leaders.

The Activist Lab, directed by Liller, is the second such lab in the country, with the first being at Boston University’s School of Public Health.

Liller says she had been wanting to start a program like the Activist Lab at the COPH for a while, to compliment the Doctoral Student Leadership Institute she began as dean of the USF Graduate School, now known as the Office of Graduate Studies.

“I strongly believed students needed much more preparation in leadership and advocacy skills before they graduated,” Liller commented.

In just one year of its existence, hundreds of students have taken part in the Activist Lab’s educational and service opportunities, which include activism boot camps, seminars, guest speakers, journal clubs, writing groups, research efforts and public health in a minute videos. These videos—only 60 seconds long—have featured faculty and community leaders discussing pertinent public health issues, everything from the importance of voting to refugee health.

According to Liller, some of the Activist Lab’s first-year highlights include:

• work with Dr. Mark Roberts and other University of Pittsburgh researchers on a measles simulator for Florida (called FRED Florida Measles Simulator), which shows how cases of the viral infection can grow in an area with just a 10 percent drop in immunizations
• a gun violence prevention and advocacy seminar, held in partnership with USF Health and led by Parkland shooting survivors David Hogg and Emma González

Things won’t slow down for the Activist Lab anytime soon. In addition to the continuation of seminars, speakers and learning opportunities, the organization has the following things planned for the future:

• a boot camp on the prevention of firearm violence, scheduled for January
• a new program called “More Opportunities to Use Learned Advocacy” (MOULA), where students work with particular agencies, such as Moms Demand Action and the Guardian ad Litem program, on advocacy issues
• the launch of a new podcast series called “Advocation—Change It Up!” The first podcast features Dr. Jill Roberts, a COPH alumna and assistant professor of global health, discussing the importance of immunizations.
• an oral presentation on activism, to be delivered at the 2019 American Public Health Association (APHA) meeting in November

The Activist Lab serves as an exciting hub of learning and action for students to become directly involved in practicing leadership and advocacy skills, says Liller, who sees the lab’s numbers growing and its reach expanding beyond the college and university to the state, nation and world. 

“For example, with our podcast new persons will be reached and advocacy skills can be expanded and practiced,” remarked Liller. “Students can become part of our advisory board and really help shape the direction of the lab. They can participate in all of our events, and as we grow more and more opportunities will become available.”

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post Teaching advocacy via the Activist Lab appeared first on College of Public Health News.

November is International Education Month

How does health care differ in industrial versus nonindustrial countries? In socialist versus capitalist societies? In rural versus urban settings? What health inequities do different populations in different parts of the world face?

USF College of Public Health (COPH) students can get answers to those questions by participating in a study abroad program.

In 2024, the COPH will be offering international study programs to Panama, Canada, London and Japan. These for-credit programs are open to both undergraduate and master’s students and generally last about a week. They give students the opportunity to study public health with a cultural context, examining how different countries handle things such as disaster preparedness, preventative health measures and public health policy. Students are also given time to tour and engage in community service projects and research.

Students who have been on the programs say the experience has been eye-opening.

“Personally, I plan to pursue a career in global health and program management, so gaining experience traveling with a public health mindset and learning about different sites that are conducting public health work, such as the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), was super important for me,” said Nupur Kothari, a BSPH student who traveled to Panama. “Being able to participate in research and data collection in Panama helped translate the education I have gained in the COPH to actual practice.”

Hannah Harburg, an MPH student concentrating in epidemiology, said her experience in Japan was “transformative.”

“Exploring Japan for the first time altered my outlook on life,” Harburg said. “Gujo Hachiman is an area I found so beautiful, I cried. As I explored the quiet river town, I knew this was going to be a moment I would cherish for the rest of my life. The storm drain water was so clean you could feed the carp that swam in it. This trip reaffirmed my commitment to researching public health. I gathered ideas and learned problem-solving skills through active information synthesis, diversified group work and insightful debates.”

Erin Millsapps, a Coverdell Fellow who served in the Peace Corps in South Africa as a community HIV/AIDS outreach coordinator, recently returned from a summer international field experience (IFE) in Gqueberha, South Africa.

The Peace Corps Coverdell Fellowship program at the COPH is a graduate fellowship program awarding financial assistance to selected returning Peace Corps volunteers who are pursuing an MPH or MSPH.

“During my IFE, my peers and I focused on addressing health disparities in ENT [ear, nose and throat] health through community engagement,” said Millsapps, who is an MPH student concentrating in epidemiology and global health. “These endeavors, emphasizing interdisciplinary teams and cultural competency, not only achieved project goals but also strengthened my ability to meet COPH competencies. Grateful for the opportunities provided by the Coverdell Fellowship and USF/COPH, I am empowered to make a meaningful impact in the field of public health.”

For more information about COPH international study programs and Peace Corps requirements, click here.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post Step inside a different world: International programs give COPH students valuable insight, training appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Leandra Olson got her first real introduction to public health when she was a junior in college at the University of Minnesota, taking part in an internship with the Minnesota Vikings Children’s Fund that focused on childhood obesity.

“A mentor at the time noticed that I seemed to have more of an interest in population-level health rather than clinical services,” said Olson, who grew up in North Dakota and graduated from the USF College of Public Health (COPH) in 2015 with an MPH. “She suggested I take some public health courses to explore this interest further. I ended up taking several—epidemiology was my favorite—before deciding to apply to MPH programs.”

Olson enrolled at the COPH in 2013 and quickly found a passion for maternal child health (MCH). She worked with Dr. Jennifer Marshall, a COPH associate professor and alumna, on the Florida Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (FL MIECHV) Program.

Her experiences with the FL MIECHV Program helped her land a public health fellowship with the Federal MIECHV Program at the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), her first post-graduation public health job.

“What interests me most about public health is how it impacts and intersects with so many other areas beyond just the health sector,” said Olson, who concentrated in epidemiology. “It is this intersectoral collaboration that is essential to improving health outcomes, achieving health equity and addressing disparities. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, public health was not as widely known or appreciated, but now there’s a better understanding of the importance of the field and how it can impact many other facets of society, including transportation, housing, education and the economy.

Olson eventually shifted roles within MCHB and began working closely with MCHB leadership to develop policies and strategies to implement more than 50 public health programs dedicated to improving maternal and child health.

“I worked on programs and policy issues focused on the MCH workforce, the Title V program, the MIECHV program and emerging issues in MCH, including the Zika virus, maternal mortality and disaster response. MCHB does such important work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have contributed to it.”

In 2020, Olson began working for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s Office advising on global affairs.

“My office was the primary liaison between the U.S. government and the World Health Organization, which was an interesting place to be at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic!” she said.

Olson supported HHS political officials, including the HHS Secretary, in global health negotiations and policy discussions. She also helped advance U.S. global health priorities at the World Health Organization and United Nations.

During her time at the HHS Office of Global Affairs, she is most proud of her work supporting the development of two White House initiatives aimed at enhancing the global health workforce.

Today, Olson is a policy team lead in the Office of Minority Health at the HHS where she leads policy efforts to improve health outcomes and health equity for racial and ethnic minority populations.

“I love that my current role allows me to be creative and inquisitive in determining approaches to address health disparities,” Olson said. “I’m proud that my office is seen as a leader in making progress toward achieving health equity.”

According to Olson, being open to challenging yourself with new opportunities and focus areas is key to acquiring a diverse skill set and finding your passion.

“It’s important to explore different areas in your career to build a diverse and transferable skillset and expand your knowledge of various topics,” she said. “A mentor once told me to say yes to opportunities that excite you, and I think that is especially true to help you continue to learn and grow professionally.”

Alumni Fast Take

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

 A doctor—until I took organic chemistry in college!

Where would we find you on the weekend?

Hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains with my fiancé and dog or checking out a fun restaurant in Washington D.C. with friends.

What superpower would you like to have?

Being able to communicate with dogs.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post COPH grad builds diverse skill set working with federal government appeared first on College of Public Health News.

The USF College of Public Health (COPH) Activist Lab held its fifth annual boot camp virtually on Jan. 27. Over 200 students, faculty and interested parties took part in the event, which focused on teaching advocacy strategies to promote global health and health equity.

The Activist Lab provides interdisciplinary advocacy, education, research and service opportunities for students to develop the skills that will promote their success as effective public health advocates and leaders. The boot camp is a one-day advocacy education and practice program highlighting successful public health advocacy, policymaking and communication strategies.

“This is technically my last year in the MPH program and I knew I could not let myself graduate without attending an activist lab boot camp,” said Delaenam Akahoho, who’s concentrating in epidemiology and maternal and child health. “The focus of health equity is what caught my eye with this year’s theme. An equity-centered approach to health is important because it ensures that those who have been historically overlooked are no longer cheated out of a safe and quality health experience across the life course.” 

After a welcome from Dr. Karen Liller, a Distinguished University Health Professor and director of the Activist Lab, Dr. Donna Petersen, dean of the COPH, gave the opening remarks, noting that it’s the duty of all public health professionals to work together to encourage and promote health for all.

“We do it because we want to see change in the world so everyone can be healthy, happy and thriving,” Petersen said. “And we know that being able to effectively communicate, build coalitions and work in the policy arena to make these changes is so important.”

U.S. Rep. Cathy Castor echoed those sentiments. While acknowledging that the U.S. has played an important role in tackling worldwide problems like HIV, malaria, Ebola and COVID, she called on students to not ignore the issues facing our own country.

“We have a lot of work to do when it comes to protecting reproductive rights and ensuring that people from disadvantaged communities have access to contraceptives, reproductive care and needed medical services,” Castor said.

Attendees listened to presentations about advocacy 101, policy development and communication from COPH faculty, including Liller and Drs. Zachary Pruitt and Claudia Parvanta.

Dr. Jill Roberts, COPH associate professor, gave the keynote address that focused on vaccine-preventable diseases and global health equity. She used the disease mpox (monkeypox) to highlight the health inequities between high- and low-income countries.

“Despite the fact that there was widespread knowledge of an mpox outbreak going on [in  Nigeria] in 2017, there was no surveillance, no epidemiological investigation and no use of the vaccine that we had sitting in the States, getting stockpiled and going nowhere. There were vaccine dosages that went in the trash because they expired. We never sent them to Nigeria. Had we been at the forefront of this when it was starting, we could have saved. I’m sorry to tell you that the very first vaccines that went to Nigeria to combat this [virus] went out last month. So clearly, we have an equity problem going on here.”

After a Q&A session with a diverse group of COPH faculty and a former Activist Lab Student Advisory Board member, attendees took part in breakout sessions, each one focusing on a different global health topic, including nutrition, violence-related issues, maternal child health and vaccine-preventable diseases. Each breakout session produced a position paper that was later presented and reviewed.

Akahoho said the breakout sessions were her favorite part of the event.

“As a team, we were tasked with advocating for a global maternal and child health issue,” she said. “We all had our own level of expertise and bringing all that to the table allowed for us to create a strong ask. Passion takes us far, yes, but the facts are just as important in getting people on your side. I walked away a lot more confident with the new advocacy skillsets I gained through the boot camp.”

“The biggest takeaway for me was the critical importance of teamwork and the composition of the team itself,” added Catherine Oakes, an MPH student concentrating in public health practice. “There must be diversity in experience and perspectives and disciplines as well as diversity in backgrounds, cultures, lived experiences and education. Without having the ability to see from all angles, it is not possible to properly frame the issue or problem. I loved the learning and engagement opportunity that attending this boot camp gave me, and I would highly recommend it to my fellow students and colleagues.”

Liller expressed thanks for all those who contributed to the success of the boot camp, including the students, faculty, staff, speakers, Dr. Ann Joyce and Silvia Moreno from the Lifelong Learning Academy and Carlos Montoya, who provided technical support. She also thanked the Florida Public Health Association, who paid for members’ boot camp registrations. 

The Activist Lab looks forward to planning boot camp number six, to be held in 2024.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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Growing up, Dr. Dauda Fadeyi’s first love was basketball. He went to college on a full athletic scholarship and dreamed of joining the NBA or playing overseas.

Even though his parents—his father was an epidemiologist and his mother a social worker—supported his basketball aspirations, Fadeyi, who grew up in Tampa as a first-generation Nigerian, said they also encouraged him to pursue an MPH degree after college.

Choosing which direction to take his career in was a tough decision, but Fadeyi ultimately decided to hang up his jersey and head back to the classroom. “I opted to further my education rather than take my chances playing ball overseas,” he commented.

Fadeyi enrolled in Florida A&M University, getting his MPH in 2011. Ten years later, he received his DrPH degree in Advanced Practice Leadership in Public Health from the USF College of Public Health (COPH).

Early Career

Fadeyi’s first job as a newly minted public health professional was working with a nonprofit community-improvement association assessing residents’ perspectives on prostitution in their neighborhood. From there he took a job with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), working as a public health associate with the Southwest Public Health District in Albany, Ga.

“When I began my MPH journey and learned more about public health,” Fadeyi said, “I realized that public health is everything. It encompasses environmental, global, community and behavioral health. It’s policy-making, research, science, innovation and marketing. It has a great impact on our daily lives.”

Going Global

In the nearly 12 years since he’s been with the CDC, Fadeyi’s held a variety of positions with the agency around the world, serving as a grant management specialist, a public health analyst with the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and a deputy team lead with the CDC’s Center for Global Health, Africa Polio Eradication Branch.

Today, Fadeyi is the cooperative agreement manager/acting deputy director in the Division of Global HIV/AIDS and TB in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a position he’s held for about a year. He’s primarily responsible for providing technical assistance and leadership to local and international partners helping with HIV/TB treatment, diagnosis and care.

Fadeyi says what he loves about the work is it’s an opportunity to work boots on the ground with communities and partners around the world.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve as a diplomat/expat on behalf of the U.S. government,” he said. “I love the fast pace, being close to the action, working with local partners, meeting other diplomats and the collaboration among other agencies and missions. I also love that I get to experience this with my family (my wife Chryston, daughter Cyrene and son Dauda III).”

Time at the COPH

When it came time to further his education, Fadeyi said USF’s COPH was a logical choice.

“My dad is a USF alum, Tampa is home for me and the COPH offers a great online program,” he commented. “I met amazing individuals, learned a great deal and conducted a unique, but relevant, mixed-methods study exploring the role of socioeconomic status (SES) and how it affects the relationship between college athletes and psychological health. I think the USF DrPH program is amazing and I always recommend it to others who inquire.”

Not that there weren’t challenges. Fadeyi said that while working on his dissertation, his father unexpectedly passed away.

“This was very tough on me and my entire family,” he said. “I also became a father a few weeks after my dad passed, and later experienced more challenges with my study ambassador who served as the key person of contact in my study, assisting me with recruitment and the data-collection process. This caused major delays in my overall study progression and extended my graduation date one additional semester. But I’m grateful to my entire committee. They really worked hard to help me meet deadlines, overcome challenges and get through the program.”

Future Goals

Fadeyi said he hopes to continue to work for the CDC on an international level, “assisting individuals, communities and countries with general health needs and working toward creating a better world for all, one day at a time.”

And he hasn’t abandoned his love of sports. Since graduating from the DrPH program, Fadeyi’s created a virtual community for college athletes called Sports Knowledge and Life (SKaL).  “SKaL is focused on helping student-athletes learn from the unique journey/stories of former college athletes,” he said. “I’d love to broaden my SKaL passion project to reach as many student-athletes as I can.”

Alumni Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

I dreamed about owning my own business as a car salesman and playing basketball in the NBA or overseas.

Where can we find you on the weekend?

Spending quality time with my wife and two children and doing fun things that are kid-friendly. Also, hanging out with family and friends. 

What is the last book you read?

“The Code of the Extraordinary Mind,” by Vishen Lakhiani

What superpower would you like to have?

I would love the superpower of total recall/photographic memory, where I can recall anything from current or ancient history. I would be able to implement positive change and work to not allow bad times in history to repeat. 

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

“The Jacksons: An American Dream.” So many lessons to be learned from this movie, along with understanding what it takes to be successful.

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post From the basketball courts to the CDC: One DrPH grad’s journey in public health appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Barmak Kusha said he experienced a change of heart while in medical school. While he liked the “fighting disease part” of the field, he wasn’t sure that treating ill people was what he really wanted to do for a career.

After leaving medical school, he immediately began taking courses in epidemiology and biostatistics as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and decided to apply to a public health program while working in his first gig in public health at the Wisconsin Department of Public Health.

His new path led him to earn his MPH from Yale University in epidemiology of microbial diseases.

From there, he would go on to work in international public health for 15 years on issues including malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis, disaster relief, vaccine program implementation and maternal and child health, to name a few.  Most of his work was at private not-for-profits, such as International Medical Corps, RTI, Plan International and JSI, but he also spent two years as an Emerging Leaders Fellow at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including at the NIAID/NIH and the Office of Global Health of the Secretary of HHS.

“The ability to make a difference in the lives of people en masse—hundreds, thousands and millions of people—that’s something really very powerful,” Kusha said of what he enjoyed about working in the field of public health.

But, despite all that, he said that something was still missing for him.

“It became clear that a career track was very difficult in this field,” he said. “Because of the nature of the beast, most international public health/global health work is grant driven or contractor based. I was getting more sidetracked into management types of activities and doing less of what I wanted to do, which was the scientific and technical aspect of the work.”

After consulting with a former professor, Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Public Health at Baylor University, professor of pediatrics and molecular virology & microbiology, and co-director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, he started to consider working in hospital infection prevention and control.

With family in Florida and a new desire to move and change locations away from the competition-saturated Washington, D.C., area, he started to pursue USF College Public Health’s graduate certificate in infection prevention, which he earned in 2019.

“This program is extremely aligned with the knowledge competencies of the Certification Board of Infection Control. So, it doesn’t waste your time,” he said. “Every single objective of every single session of every single of those four classes is aligned with the knowledge competencies of the Certification in Infection Control (CIC). From the very beginning it pushes you toward your CIC and it is a very professionally driven curriculum that leads you somewhere.”

He said this graduate certificate program is “ideal for the adult learner who is looking for a career shift” and because of this program, he said, he was able to start his new path in infection prevention within a short period of time.

Kusha is now director of infection prevention at HCA Florida Trinity Hospital, a 350-bed acute care hospital in west Pasco County, with a catchment area that includes Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

He’s directly responsible for all infection prevention activities of the hospital that are required through hospital policy and regulation, or which are evidenced-based best practices.

“That runs the gamut from essentially preventing hospital acquired infections to preventing the spread of infections patients bring in. We want to make sure that infection doesn’t spread to visitors, staff and other patients. It also includes things that we do to patients here, whether it’s through invasive devices such as central venous lines, indwelling urinary catheters and ventilators and surgical procedures. But it also includes water safety, air quality, construction, protection of dialysis patients, pharmacy, food service, employee health and so on. It touches on every element of a hospital’s operation as it pertains to preventing infection of a patient,” he said.

He said this career shift from international public health to hospital infection prevention has been one of his proudest professional achievements.

“In a very short period, I gained the experience and accomplishments necessary to be promoted to becoming director of infection prevention,” Kusha said.

His future plans include applying to the USF COPH’s DrPH program.

“My public health practice is what I do every day, which is to help the hospital provide health care safe from infection,” he said. “My passion is to be able to be a source of information, resources, tools and expertise to help everyone else drive the practice in infection prevention. Infection prevention ultimately relies on all the primary bedside caregivers, nurses, doctors and ancillary departments such as EVS, food and nutrition and pharmacy. It’s knowing that you’re in a position where you can drive something on a mass community level, that’s my passion.”

Alumni Fast Five:

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

A wildlife biologist.  

Where would we find you on the weekend?

Outside reading and sipping coffee.

What is the last book you read or what are you currently reading?

“Memory of Water,” by Emmi Itäranta.

What superpower would you like to have?

I don’t want any superpower, that is dangerous! I don’t trust myself!

What is your all-time favorite movie?

Denis Villeneuve’s version of “Dune” that came out in 2021.  

Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

The post COPH graduate certificate opens doors to career in infection control appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Dr. Karen Liller, a USF College of Public Health(COPH) professor and director of the college’s Activist Lab (which provides advocacy training, research and opportunities), teamed with Ellen Kent, coordinator of the USF Health Service Corps, and Activist Lab Student Advisory Board members to develop the Adopt-a-School Program for student advocacy.

Never Too Young to Advocate

The Adopt-a-School Program, which is ongoing, invites students from Tampa’s Liberty Middle School and Freedom High School to participate in lab meetings and activities with Liller and her student team. The aim of the program is to introduce students to advocacy and foster within them interest and engagement in topics they would like to become involved with. Students hone writing and speech skills while learning how to implement change at all levels. 

“Young individuals need to find their voice early to become strong advocates and have an outlet for their passion for change. However, advocacy takes skill, and these skills need to be not only learned but practiced so that one is effective in leading change efforts,” Liller said. “I believe you can’t start too young when it comes to learning advocacy.”

Liller and the board brainstormed and came up with the idea of soliciting topics from the students that they were passionate about and having them deliver their advocacy messages via TikTok. 

A total of 21 Freedom High School and three Liberty Middle School students participated in making the TikTok videos. Five COPH Activist Lab members took part in the program.

Teaching Advocacy

“At first, you could tell the students were a little shy to the idea of advocacy and being an advocate,” Michaela McMahon, an Activist Lab board member and second-year MPH student concentrating in global communicable diseases, said. “However, once we got them talking about issues they were passionate about—school dress code, school lunch, increased access to feminine products in schools and gun violence (to see student-made TikTok videos, click on links)—and then validated that one can advocate for those issues, you saw them light up. Our main goal for the students was for them to gain a foundation of what advocacy is and what being an advocate looks like, which I really think they developed. I learned that a lot of the issues presented by the students were identical to those I faced when I was in middle and high school. Granted, I only graduated high school in 2016, but I felt that I could empathize with the students and show that these issues need to be addressed.”

The TikTok video focusing on the need for free feminine hygiene products in school bathrooms. pictured a female student frantically rifling through her school backpack for a hygiene product and coming up empty-handed. To the theme of “Mission Impossible,” she ran through the school hallways and into a bathroom, again finding nothing. The voice-over to the video ended with a call to action that said, “Schools should consider adding free, accessible [feminine hygiene product] dispensers in the women’s restrooms. This would lessen the embarrassment of having to ask for products when in need.”

Erin Millsapps, another Activist Lab board member and second-year MPH student concentrating in epidemiology and global health, said she got involved because she believes “advocacy plays an important role in the health of our communities. The students were extremely creative and passionate about advocacy. They were appreciative of the knowledge we shared and will take the skills with them as they move through their future endeavors.” 

The COPH students who participated in the program also noted that while they were there to teach, they also learned. 

“The students asked me and other board members about life after high school, the university and other job-related questions,” Madison Sanders, an MPH student concentrating in health policy and programs, said. “The opportunity to connect with the community allowed me to immerse myself in the Tampa Bay Area—and it reinforced my belief in the importance of public health.” 

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post A is for advocacy: COPH students train middle/high schoolers in advocacy appeared first on College of Public Health News.

Dr. Lynn “Marty” Martin, a USF College of Public Health professor, has been named a fellow of the American Ornithological Society (AOS). The society is made up of a global network of professionals advancing the scientific understanding and conservation of birds. 

Martin, an expert in vertebrates such as birds and the diseases they carry, was elected as a fellow by the organization’s nomination committee and current members who are fellows. According to the AOS, “fellows are nominated based on their exceptional and sustained contributions to ornithology and/or service to AOS.” They are also “recognized for their experience, commitment and contributions to [their] discipline and our society.”

Since the mid-1950s, more than 500 experts in ornithology have been selected as AOS fellows.

“There are several people on the list of fellows already who were either mentors of mine or had a strong influence on how I think and do research,” Martin said. “Others were inspirational in the papers they wrote and the research they did, which helped me conceive and do my own projects, especially as a PhD student. It’s pretty cool to be tapped as a member of the same group as many of my intellectual heroes. It really is an enormous honor to be listed in such amazing company!”

In his role as a fellow, Martin, who was elected in the summer, will help shape and approve the bylaws of the AOS. 

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

The post COPH professor named fellow of the American Ornithological Society appeared first on College of Public Health News.

“What interests me most about public health is the intersection between health and place. There are many interesting geographic variables that influence health outcomes,” said USF College of Public Health alumna Sam McKeever.

After earning her master of science in public health (MSPH) degree with a concentration in global communicable diseases in 2014, McKeever began her international career tackling health issues related to environmental factors around the world, particularly those caused by mosquitoes.  

Her journey started as a malaria country officer with the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Windhoek, Namibia, in 2015.

“This position afforded me the opportunity to assist in drafting surveillance and control recommendations for the national malaria control program and Ministry of Health,” she said.

From there she came back stateside as an assistant vector ecologist for the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito Vector Control District in West Covina, Calif. where she assisted in conducting West Nile virus surveillance for the San Gabriel Valley.

McKeever says it’s her work as a geographic information science (GIS) and entomology consultant for PAHO/WHO in the Eastern Caribbean Islands, Bahamas and Washington, D.C. that has been most rewarding for her as a public health professional. 

“My proudest professional achievement was assisting the Bahamian government with developing an emergency vector-borne disease surveillance and control plan during my deployment in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian,” she said.

In fact, in 2021 PBS featured her work conducting arbovirus surveillance post Hurricane Dorian in 2019, highlighting McKeever’s vital role in the Bahamas determining the potential for an outbreak of dengue, malaria and other diseases.

McKeever, who was born in Chicago but raised in Tampa, Fla., is currently serving as program manager at TEPHINET, a division within the Task Force for Global Health, an affiliate of Emory University.

She’s managing projects that prepare field epidemiologists to mobilize to national and international public health emergencies.

“This includes increasing their deployment opportunities by connecting them to partners, increasing their training, and documenting their successes,” she said.

McKeever, who also earned her bachelor’s degree from USF in international relations with double minors in political science and geography in 2011, said she loves the energy and diversity of the team she is currently working with.

“The opportunity to work with a program that focuses on growing field epidemiology training programs and their alumni across the world is what attracted most to my current position,” McKeever said.

McKeever said her time as a USF COPH student helped to lay the proper career foundation she needed.

While a COPH student, she completed an intensive thesis on the rise of urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana, and it’s connection to the proliferation of the Anopheles gambiae , a malaria vector mosquito, and its breeding sites.

“The MSPH program at USF introduced me to new and crucial research skills that I went on to utilize in other positions,” she said. “Since graduating from my MSPH program, I have utilized geographic information systems to support various nations in developing effective vector-borne disease surveillance/control in emergency and non-emergency settings.”

McKeever said she’s also thankful for the support and mentorship she received as a student, especially from Dr. Ran Nisbett and Dr. Anna Parsons.

“Dr. Nisbett’s passion for tropical and community health in Liberia deeply inspired me to pursue career opportunities that allow me to work directly with disadvantaged communities,” she said. “Dr. Parsons’ unwavering dedication to women’s health inspired me to develop side projects post-graduation that empower marginalized women.”

McKeever plans to stay on the path of prevention in the future as well.  

“My future aspirations include continuing to work in global health and supporting underserved communities and countries,” she said. “My public health practice is global health. My passion is strengthening the public health workforce internationally.”

Alumni Fast Five:

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

A doctor.

Where would we find you on the weekend?

Hiking in Northern Georgia.

What is the last book you read?

“The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe,” by Peter Godwin.

What superpower would you like to have?

Flight!

What’s your all-time favorite movie? 

My all time favorite movie is “Liars Dice.”

Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

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The USF College of Public Health’s (COPH) Maternal and Child Health Student Organization (MCHSO) will hold its 12th annual symposium over the course of two days in partnership with the Chiles Center and the USF Center of Excellence in MCH Education, Science and Practice. The virtual event will be held on March 4 and March 5 from 1-4 p.m. and will focus on “Creating a Better Tomorrow: Prioritizing the Global Strategy.” 

The college’s MCHSO is a forum for all students interested in maternal and child health issues. The group works to educate students about maternal and child health matters—including those that affect families—and connect them with service and learning opportunities. 

According to Sharonda Lovett, president of the MCHSO, this year’s event will highlight global challenges faced by women and children and focus on the effect globalization has on health. The symposium will bring together a diverse group of speakers with backgrounds in medicine, civil engineering, biocultural anthropology, geography and public health. 

Some of those on tap to speak are the COPH’s Dean Donna Petersen and faculty members Drs. William Sappenfield, Russell Kirby, Abraham Salinas-Miranda, Miguel Reina and Jaime Corvin.

Others from a variety of USF colleges and institutes will also participate, as will experts from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Tulane University and American University in Beirut, Lebanon.

Topics to be discussed include neglected infectious diseases and pregnancy, maternal mortality, adverse sexual and reproductive outcomes in international settings, building sustainable partnerships and COVID-19’s impact on mothers and children.

“Considering the current situation in the world, global health has become increasingly important,” said Tatiana Gerena, MCHSO research and education chair. “Global health is about looking beyond national lines and past a country’s borders to see that we are all facing the same challenges. Nations uniting to address the difficulties they face could go a long way in ensuring that every mother and child truly can be healthy.”

Thanks to its virtual nature, organizers of the symposium hope the event reaches a wider-than-ever audience.

“This is the first time in MCHSO symposium history that the annual event will be facilitated 100 percent online,” noted Lovett. “MCHSO leadership is excited at the prospect of connecting with students, providers, practitioners and advocates who might not have been able to attend prior symposiums due to the in-person format. Concerning students, this year’s symposium has been approved for Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Passport to Professionalism (P2P) opportunities and for the Global Citizens Project (GCP), which focuses on enhancing students’ global knowledge, skills and abilities.”

The deadline to register for the event is March 1. To participate in the live sessions, visit: www.bit.ly/mchsosymposium2021

Story by Donna Campisano, USF College of Public Health

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