WINTER 2018
IN THIS ISSUE CPH LEADERSHIP TEAM DEAN
Donna Arnett PhD MSPH ASSOCIATE DEAN
FOR ADMINISTRATION
Paula Arnett DrPH MBA ASSOCIATE DEAN
FOR PRACTICE & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Angela Carman DrPH MBA ASSOCIATE DEAN (INTERIM)
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10
STUDENT PROFILES
HELP AND HOPE FOR COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY OPIOID ABUSE
FOR STUDENT & ACADEMIC LIFE
Corrine Williams ScD ASSISTANT DEAN
06
FOR INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE
Tomi Akinyemiju PhD ASSISTANT DEAN
FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING & ASSESSMENT
Kimberly Tumlin PhD
APHA ANNUAL MEETING
DIRECTOR
OF COMMUNICATION
Allison Elliott-Shannon MA DIRECTOR
OF PHILANTHROPY
Shelley Ward
MAGAZINE WRITER/EDITOR
Allison Elliott-Shannon MA DESIGNER/PHOTOGRAPHER
Justin Sumner PRINTER
Copy Express, Lexington KY To request additional copies or for questions or comments, contact allison.elliott@uky.edu or write to: UK College of Public Health 111 Washington Avenue Suite 212 Lexington, KY 40536 Facebook @ukcph Twitter @ukcph Instagram @ukcph www.uky.edu/publichealth
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12
FOCUS ON FACULTY
MHA GRADUATE GIVES BACK
08 PARTNERING TO SAVE LIVES
Dear Friends and Alumni: Every new year brings with it a desire to make a fresh start, to set bold goals, and to enter new enterprises with enthusiasm. We believe that fresh optimism and determination will see us through to our goals. We plan to run a marathon or lose weight or publish a book, but…somehow these goals fizzle by February as we forget to join the gym, set aside writing time, or buy new running shoes. All too often, we fall short of living up to the grand plans we set before ourselves, not for lack of resolve, but for lack of planning, practice, and accountability. The same wisdom holds true for institutions; to make sustained improvement we must plan. I am pleased to announce that the UK College of Public Health has a new plan for success. Created through a College-wide collaborative process, the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan for CPH is now complete and available on our website. Execution is well underway. Key to the plan is our updated vision “to be the catalyst of positive change for population health,” and our mission “to develop health champions, conduct multidisciplinary and applied research, and collaborate with partners to improve health in Kentucky and beyond.” The Strategic Plan is a detailed document, but its main pillars are six strategic initiatives: 1. Develop and implement a robust infrastructure and support process to strengthen areas of research expertise in the College. 2. Ensure we have the highest quality faculty and staff to meet the current and future needs of the College 3. Re-engineer and strengthen the graduate and professional programs. 4. Position the Bachelor of Public Health for continued success and be one of the most sought-after public health programs in the nation.
5. Increase giving for long-term financial sustainability and success. 6. Collaborate with stakeholders, communities, and the public to solve population health problems. The Strategic Plan is our roadmap to the future. It is both a statement of ideals and a practical guide to how we do our jobs at CPH. It contains measurable objectives and timelines for meeting our goals, and assigns accountability for each objective to specific point people within the College. This is not a plan meant to sit on a shelf, but a living document guiding our decision-making every day. Because accountability is so important to the execution of our Strategic Plan, I have appointed Dr. Kimberly Tumlin as Assistant Dean for Strategic Planning and Assessment. Dr. Tumlin works to keep us on track by constantly evaluating our progress toward plan goals, in addition to her other duties related to assessment of College programs for accreditation and reporting. If you would like to read the entire Strategic Plan, you can find it at http://www.uky.edu/ publichealth/strategic-plan. Please reach out to me or any member of our leadership team with any comments or questions. And as always, thank you for your continuing support of the UK College of Public Health.
Donna K. Arnett, PhD, MSPH Dean, UK College of Public Health
WINTER 2018 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH | [ 1 ]
GRADUATE
UNDERGRADUATE
STUDENT PROFILE
TERRENCE SHARPER II
STUDENT PROFILE
SYDNEY CLARK
MPH December 2017 Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina
BPH December 2017 Hometown: Frankfort, Kentucky
Why CPH?
Why CPH?
As a prior UK grad, I chose UK CPH because of the ease of transition from my undergraduate degree. I wanted to earn my MPH to learn the skills needed to help those who cannot help themselves, including those who don’t know the dramatic impact that health risks can have on their lives. In addition, I hope to spread awareness of what public health is. I also want to be part of a team producing research that can be used to improve lives. Terrence credits part of his success to academic advisor Marilyn Underwood. “I would like to thank Mrs. Underwood for always being a listening ear, and constantly reminding me that there is nothing I can’t do. She has been a great support system here for me in times I felt like giving up.”
What’s next?
In December of 2017 I commissioned in the United States Army as a Public Health Officer, where I can work to ensure the safety and health of my community. I hope to one day be a part of governmental health agencies, constructing policies that will impact health internationally.
Words of advice for future students?
Perseverance and adaptation ensure that quitting is not an option.
I knew that I wanted to do something that could make a difference, but I didn’t think about health care. You think of health care jobs as something medical like a doctor, which I obviously couldn’t do as a person who is blind. I took the intro to public health class, and fell in love with it. As soon as the class was over, I declared public health as my major.
What are the highlights of your experience?
The professors I’ve had and my advisor are not just my teachers, but my friends. It’s really given me a support system that I didn’t think I’d have at such a big university. I serve on a couple of college committees, where I try to give my perspective. I’m also active with the UK Disability Resource Center, and have participated in focus groups to help the university find and address access issues on campus. There are so many things not made with differently-abled people in mind.
What’s next?
I want to go into emergency and disaster preparedness and management. I got involved with this topic when I did an independent study where I went to the Kentucky Department of Public Health and Preparedness. When I started my capstone project with Dr. Nancy Johnson, I started doing research on disaster preparedness and its inclusion of people with disabilities, and realized what a big gap there is in some of the policies.
Words of advice for future students?
Get involved in research. It gives you an area of specialization that makes you stand out. [ 2 ] UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH | WINTER 2018
CHELLGREN SCHOLAR
STUDENT LEADERSHIP
TSAGE DOUGLAS
MARIA D. POLITIS
Tsage Douglas, a sophomore in the BPH program from Georgetown, Ky., has been named a Chellgren Fellow by the University of Kentucky Center for Undergraduate Excellence. The Chellgren Student Fellows Program is designed to provide experiences for outstanding undergraduates that go beyond classroom instruction to help them cultivate extraordinary academic achievement. Tsage is also a student in the UK Lewis Honors College.
In Fall of 2017, Maria Politis, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, was named to a two year-term as a student representative on the executive committee of the Association of Teachers of Child and Maternal Health (ATMCH).
DrPH Candidate, Epidemiology
BPH Class of 2019
Tsage is a leader on campus as vice president of the UK Black Student Union, treasurer of the Economics Society, and service chair of Beyond the Blue. She was a site leader for an Alternative Spring Break service immersion trip to Ghana, focused on combating child exploitation. She is also the developer of an initiative to encourage refugee women to seek professional degrees.
The student representative is elected by ATMCH executive committee vote. As part of the executive committee of ATMCH, Maria provides leadership for child and maternal health initiatives, represents student voices, and works to engage students and early career professionals.
LYMAN T. JOHNSON AWARD
SHEILA PRESSLEY
DrPH Alumna
Dr. Sheila Davidson Pressley received a Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award from the UK Alumni Association. Pressley accepted the award, which honors outstanding African-American Alumni, on Oct. 6, 2017, during UK Homecoming celebrations. Over the course of more than 25 years in public health and higher education, Dr. Pressley has provided leadership in scholarly and administrative roles. She is currently the Interim Dean of the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) College of Health Sciences, where she is also Professor of Environmental Health Science and Medical Laboratory Science. As an alumna, Dr. Pressley remains closely involved with CPH as a faculty mentor for a $5 million NIOSH grant through the Central Appalachian Regional Educational Research Center with Principal Investigator Dr. Wayne Sanderson. The project is a collaborative effort between UK CPH and EKU. Dr. Pressley also serves as a member of the CPH Board of Advisors.
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Homecoming Tailgate October 7, 2017
CPH alumni joined current students, faculty, and staff for a tailgate party during UK Homecoming 2017. Participants of all ages enjoyed food, live music, and dancing in the UK Alumni Association tent. We’re already looking forward to Homecoming 2018!
Spring 2017 Dean’s List Madeline Goodale-Ladd Natalie Collins Arati Annabathula Miranda Gunn Nicholas Conley Megan Arcangel Dakota Halbert Richard Cooper Morgan Avery McKayla Hamlin Daniel Cooper Maci Babbage Riley Hanks Brianna Crawford Lillian Ball Zain Hassan Selina Dabbagh River Banks Megan Helson Megan Damico Kara Barlow Jose Hernandez Vanessa DeAnda Alexander Barnett Lauren Hobson Abigail DeSantis Esias Bedingar Emma Holbrook Patrick Donahue Sydney Beidleman Savana Homiack Tsage Douglas Caitlin Berkemeier Dalton Howard Jerika Durham Joy Birike Savannah Howland Alexander Edlin Christian Boggs Freda Hucek Leovarda Eminoski Nunez Elizabeth Booth Cayla Hurst Jessica Espinoza Rachel Brase Yasmine Jackson Tanayisha Evans Alyssa Bromagen Aprille Johnson Jordan Evers Jalen Brooks Christine Johnson Markayla Favors Kayla Caines Samantha Kennedy Shelby Ferrell Amanda Carroll Miku Kono Miranda Fields Jessica Carson Lily Kraus Heather Fry Hanna Caselton Riley Krieg Melissa Gilbreath Jose Chavez Kimberly Lattimore Casey Gill Sydney Clark Savannah Lee Megan Gilmore Brooke Coccari Courtney Levenson Olivia Goatley Christine Coffman Madison Lichtefeld Emily Goble Cassady Collins
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James Little Anna Lohman Julianna Maita Gabriella Male Nicole Martin Megan McCarthy Honour McDaniel Madelyn McDonald Ansley McElroy Matthew Melton Madison Merzke Nathan Messenger Shannon Miller Mira Mirzaian Kierston Moore Taylor Murray Joshua Musalia Austin Nall Heather Nardone Lory Nigoghossian Sarah Nisbet Amy Nutt Claire O’Daniel Kathryn Olson Cassidy Padgett Megan Parker
Alexa Sturgill Emma Payne Sydney Taylor Alexandra Peeler Jahaan Thomas An Pham Jordan Tingle Olivia Pokoski Gabriella Torres Emily Popham William Torres Michael Regard Sydney Richardson Zachary Tortorello Tenesha Trammell Lauren Roach Minh Tran Sarah Jane Robbins Sheyanne Trent Kathleen Roggemann Kiana Walker Jenna Rose Joseph Waring Michaela Rowe Robert Warren Heather Rueff Elizabeth Watson Lisa Sakamoto Hunter White Zachary Salmons Kayla Wilfong Brooke Schell Keeley Williams Logan Sedoris Whitney Wright Olivia Sehlhorst Danielle Young Julia Seiden Kaelyn Short Kayla Skaggs Jenika Soni Brooke Spillman Carly Stallings Danielle Stephens Kaylee Stickler
Focus on Faculty DR. TOMI AKINYEMIJU
DR. TERESA WATERS
Dr. Tomi Akinyemiju joined CPH in July 2017 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology. She brings with her a research portfolio that includes three broad areas of focus: social determinants of cancer health disparities including race, socioeconomic status, and health care access; metabolic dysregulation and racial disparities in cancer aggressiveness and outcome; and epigenetic mechanism in cancer health disparities.
In December 2017, Dr. Teresa Waters has joined CPH as Chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy. Waters, a health economist, comes to UK from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, where she most recently served as professor and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine.
Assistant Dean for Inclusive Excellence
Chair, Health Management and Policy
She is currently serving as principal investigator of the NIH-funded study “Mechanisms for novel and established risk factors for breast cancer in women of African descent” (MEND), which focuses on understanding the epidemiology of aggressive breast cancer, in particular the hormone-receptor negative subtypes prevalent among women of African descent in relation to metabolic dysregulation.
“I look forward to many opportunities to do cuttingedge health systems and health policy research here in Kentucky, mining the rich stores of data generated by UK HealthCare and partner organizations,” said Waters. “I’m also eager take on my new role as part of the leadership team shaping the bright future of the UK College of Public Health.”
Dr. Akinyemiju also serves as Assistant Dean for Inclusive Excellence, a position created in response to the 2017-2022 CPH Strategic Plan mandate to “promot[e] a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and collegiality.” Through collaboration with partners in CPH and across the university, she works to promote a diverse, inclusive and equitable academic environment. In her first semester of service at CPH Dr. Akinyemiju has produced a draft plan for inclusive excellence, instituted a health and diversity-focused film series, and worked with campus partners to assemble resources available to assist students and employees. Spring 2018 will bring the first installments of a lecture series devoted to issues of diversity and inclusion.
Waters’s predecessor as Chair, Dr. Ty Borders, continues as professor and Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky Endowed Chair in Rural Health Policy. “The appointment of Dr. Waters represents our continued commitment as a college to addressing the issues of health economics, management, access, and policy – major concerns in American public health today,” said Donna Arnett, Dean of the College of Public Health. “Dr. Waters also brings with her the prestige of a nationally recognized figure in her field, whose expertise is much sought after. I am delighted that she is joining our college at this time of growth.”
Learn more about the College’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence at www.uky.edu/publichealth/about/diversityinclusive-excellence. WINTER 2018 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH | [ 5 ]
American Public Health Association Annual Meeting November 4-8, 2017
The American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting is the leading conference for public health scholars, and a highlight of the year for CPH. This year’s meeting took place in Atlanta. CPH participation included leadership trainings for students, paper and poster presentations by faculty and students, and a reception sponsored by the UK Alumni Association. See more at www.uky.edu/PublicHealth/APHA-2017
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CPH Alumni Connect with UK and Each Other at APHA
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Partnering with Lexington-Fayette County Health Department to Save Lives Free naloxone kits to help reverse opioid overdoses are now available to the community through a partnership between the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department and the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC), bona fide agent for the Kentucky Department for Public Health and part of CPH. The kits are made available as part of the health department’s needle-exchange program, which targets opioid users along with family, friends, and concerned community members. Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan®, blocks opiate receptors in the brain, works in 1-3 minute and lasts 30-90 minutes. It can cause withdrawal symptoms such as nausea and disorientation, but there is no risk for abuse or addiction. “The Lexington Fayette-County Health Department and the University of Kentucky College of Public Health have a shared goal in the fight against drug overdose: to save lives in our community,” said Dr. Svetla Slavova, principal investigator for the grant, Associate Professor in or Biostatistics, and a faculty member with KIPRC.
“We hope to turn the tide of overdose fatalities in Kentucky.” The purchase of the pharmaceutical was supported by a grant 2014-PM-BX-0010 (DataDriven Multidisciplinary Approaches to Reducing Prescription Abuse in Kentucky) awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice. “We are thankful that the Bureau of Justice Assistance allowed the redirect of savings on our grant for the purchase of 1,236 Narcan® kits,” said Slavova. “This partnership between government agencies, the university, and KIPRC, bona fide agent of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, is one way we hope to turn the tide of overdose fatalities in Kentucky.” Kacy Allen-Bryant, Chair, Lexington-Fayette Co. Board of Health Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, Lexington-Fayette Co. Commissioner of Health Dr. Svetla Slavova, Associate Professor, UK College of Public Health [ 8 ] UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH | WINTER 2018
Practice & Experiential Education Lab PEEL
Dr. Angela Carman is leading in a new role at CPH, as Associate Dean for Practice and Workforce Development. This change in structure aligns with the CPH Strategic Plan, and brings with it the financial and administrative support needed to fulfill the College’s commitment to serving as a resource for public health practitioners in Kentucky while the next generation of health leaders. In 2016-17, Dr. Carman established the Practice and Experiential Education Lab (PEEL) to provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to learn while providing services to community partners. In the pilot year of the program, students took on projects in survey development and analysis, social media messaging, and group facilitation. The first class of PEEL students worked with the Kentucky Injury Prevention Center to develop social media messaging for high school and college students on the Good Samaritan rule, created data sheets that display the disease burden for each of Kentucky’s 120 counties, and wrote a successful cross-jurisdictional planning grant for three of Kentucky’s single-county health departments. PEEL is now scaling up to provide more experiential and service learning opportunities designed to provide needed services to community partners while giving students valuable real-world experience. For example, the College recently signed an agreement to create an experiential teaching community within Dominion Senior Living in Richmond, Ky. Dr. Carman and PEEL staff also put together a variety of service activities and field trips, including the popular Public Health Bus Tours of regional health sites; the Fall 2017 bus tour took students to Cincinnati to learn about public health in urban settings, while the Spring 2018 tour will focus on rural communities. PEEL opportunities provide needed services to community partners while giving students valuable real-world experience. Learn more about PEEL and experiential learning at CPH at www.uky.edu/publichealth/ peel.
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Help and Hope for Communities Affected by Opioid Abuse By Olivia Ramirez, UK Public Relations & Marketing With a $1.16 million cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, Dr. April Young, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at CPH, along with partnering institutions, will partner with communities in 12 Eastern Kentucky counties to understand and combat the opioid epidemic. Rep. Hal Rogers, who since 1981 has represented Kentucky’s 5th District in the US Congress, contributed a letter of support for the grant application.
“The more we learn about drug abuse and addiction, the more we can thoughtfully and strategically intervene to save lives and change the trajectory for families across Eastern Kentucky,” said Rogers.
“It benefits these communities to have experts from across the country working to address the opioid epidemic,” said Young. The project will also involve extensive collaboration with other agencies, including the Harm Reduction Coalition, the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Boston University, RTI, the Gateway and Kentucky River District Health Departments, AIDS Volunteers, Inc., and other community leaders and organizations. The first two years of the five-year project will focus on better understanding opioid use and its context in
“I applaud the University of Kentucky for utilizing its powerful research resources to pinpoint the challenges we face in combating opioid abuse, in an effort to implement effective, lifesaving programs that can be sustained in our communities for generations to come.” The project, titled Kentucky Communities and Researchers Engaging to Halt the Opioid Epidemic (CARE2HOPE), will be managed by a team including by Dr. Young, co-PI Dr. Hannah Cooper of Emory, and researchers in the UK Center on Drug and Alcohol Research.
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CARE2HOPE By the Numbers:
4 FEDERAL AGENCIES 2 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS 12 KENTUCKY COUNTIES $1.6 M INITIAL FUNDING
the 12-county area. Through interviews and surveys, researchers will collect information on community resources and factors that impact access to treatment for opioid use disorder, as well as risks for related harms such as overdose, hepatitis C, and HIV. The team will also work with communities to identify evidence-based community response projects that meet their needs. The next three years of funding, estimated to total $3.25 million, are contingent on meeting milestones in the first two years. During the three-year intervention phase, the team will work with the community to implement and evaluate evidence-based community response projects.
The primary goal of the project is to give communities the tools necessary to sustain interventions long after the research has been completed. After completing their data collection, the team will work with communities to obtain funding to continue programming. UK researchers were among the first to document the rise in opioid injection in Appalachia and have a history of highly productive collaborations with federal, state, and local stakeholders in Appalachian Kentucky communities. For more information about the CARE2HOPE Project, visit www.care2hope.org.
Using Big Data to Address COPD
Wayne T. Sanderson, PhD
David Mannino, MD
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the third-leading cause of death in the United States, yet few Americans are aware of its toll on the population. Every November, COPD Awareness Month passes without the flurry of media coverage, awareness ribbons, and and fundraising merchandise that attends days dedicated to cancer or heart disease. Yet the data is irrefutable – COPD is a problem with which America must reckon sooner rather than later, contend two University of Kentucky scholars who authored an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), systemic change is needed to address the issue. Dr. David M. Mannino, former chair of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health in CPH (now with GlaxoSmithKline and the UK College of Medicine), and Dr. Wayne T. Sanderson, professor of Epidemiology in CPH, are the authors of an editorial appearing alongside a study by Dywer-Lindgren, et al., study in JAMA. Mannino and Sanderson note that “unlike other leading causes of death, COPD has not seen the improvements in mortality and morbidity that have been a result “Chronic Obstructive of large-scale public health campaigns focused on improving recognition of early symptoms, Pulmonary Disease community screening efforts, and chronic (COPD) is the third-leading disease self-management education. To bring cause of death in the about these improvements, COPD must be embedded in the public health infrastructure of United States.” the nation.” Citing the findings of Dwyer-Lindgren et al., which are drawn from “big data” analyzing 80 million deaths across the US over a period of time from 1980 to 2014, Mannino and Sanderson cite the multifactorial nature of the COPD epidemic. They note the intersections of occupational and environmental exposures, tobacco use, poverty, and health care access issues impacting populations disproportionately affected by COPD and other respiratory diseases. Mannino and Sanderson further outline proposed interventions to identify, treat, and ultimately prevent COPD. The complete editorial appears in the September 26, 2017, issue of JAMA. WINTER 2018 | UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH | [ 11 ]
MHA GRADUATE GIVES BACK George M. Zhang, who graduated from CPH in 2015 with a Master of Health Administration degree, decided to help current students who, like him, will be making their debut into the professional world after graduation. Drawing on his own experiences being mentored by CPH MHA alumni, Zhang worked with program director Dr. Martha Riddell to give students the opportunity to learn and practice professionalism through the annual MHA Etiquette Dinner. Now in its second year, the Etiquette Dinner helps emerging professionals learn how to conduct themselves in professional social situation – from making conversation to choosing the right fork for each course. We caught up with Zhang to talk about why he gives back, his advice for current students, and why the Etiquette Dinner serves spaghetti.
First, why did you choose to earn your MHA degree at UKCPH? After my undergraduate degree, I worked as a physical/ occupational therapy technician at Baptist Health. Originally, I was on a track to apply to physical therapy school. However, making a long story very short, I realized that there was a bigger opportunity to impact patients through administration. In other words, instead of painting with a paintbrush, I could paint with a roller. Through policies, procedures, and serving, one could have the opportunity to affect entire departments, communities, and populations. I connected with UK through a friend in the program and met with Dr. Martha Riddell to learn more. Fast forward to the present, and I work in a critical access hospital with St. Vincent Clay in Brazil, Indiana.
How has the MHA helped you in your career? The MHA program gives you the basic building blocks to help you understand the environment and enables you to really take off when you begin the next stage in your vocation. You’re able to process information more rapidly and apply that to your job.
What were the best parts of the MHA program? The opportunity to do an internship as well as have a part-time job gave me the flexibility I needed to complete the degree. My internship was at Geisinger based in Danville, Pennsylvania; I was hired by UK MHA alumna Caroline Pogge, George Zhang, MHA with whom I worked directly. The opportunity to apply the didactic learning in a practical setting while in the program is invaluable.
What inspired you to support the Annual MHA Etiquette Dinner? I felt compelled to give back, and one of the things I have always been uncomfortable with was etiquette. I don’t know what to do with the different forks, knives, etc…. While doing my internship, I had the opportunity to have a few meals with Caroline where the topic of discussion was etiquette and why that was important. I’ve been able to apply these lessons, as I go to formal meals today. For example, I had the opportunity to go to the American Lung Association Gala in Indianapolis about a year ago with St. Vincent. Meal etiquette is important. I was glad to be prepared for this kind of business situation. I had this deficiency and I want to do this for our students, because a lot of them are probably in the same boat. Dr. Riddell and I discussed adding some challenges to the meal, too, by serving things like spaghetti.
What is your advice to current MHA students? The MHA program at UK is a great opportunity; the opportunities are so diverse from finance to operations to policy, you can and should spend a lot of time figuring your career path. The MHA program gave me the opportunity, through the internship and coursework, to decide what I wanted to do. I spent a lot time with different professionals, and explored different areas of leadership and expertise.
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Dear Friends of CPH, Since joining the UK College of Public Health in 2016, I have had the pleasure to meet many of you. What I have most enjoyed is hearing your stories. You have told me about your student days, your careers, and how you serve as powerful advocates for public health. I have met with health care providers, non-profit leaders, policy experts, local health department leaders, health care organization administrators, academics, and researchers — just to name a few of your occupations. From our newest graduates to our long-standing community partners, each of you has a singular tale to tell about what has drawn you into the CPH fold. Here at CPH, we have entered a new chapter in our story; in November of 2017 we formally launched the UK CPH Building Fund with nearly $50,000 in pledges from our own faculty and staff. In challenging our faculty to join her in giving, Dean Arnett spoke of her vision for “a community under one roof; state-of-the-art classrooms; collaborative learning spaces; conference rooms; undergraduate and graduate student lounges; and an auditorium suitable to host outstanding visiting speakers…. A facility that reflects our excellence, and which stands on campus as a testament to our vision — being the catalyst for positive change in population health.” I believe that our donors support CPH because they want their own story to be one of support for education, research, and health for all. You are the only one who can tell your story, but it’s my job to help. May we count on you to help us ensure the future of the College of Public Health? Gifts of any size are appreciated, but we also want to connect with you and to learn more about how your life story has led you to be a supporter of CPH. If you would like to share your story or to learn more about becoming involved with the College, please contact me at shelley.ward@uky.edu or by telephone at (859) 323-4551. Thank you for your steady encouragement and support as we continue to advance the College of Public Health.
Sincerely,
Shelley Ward Director of Philanthropy
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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 51 LEXINGTON, KY
College of Public Health University of Kentucky 111 Washington Avenue Lexington, KY 40536
www.uky.edu/publichealth An Equal Opportunity University
“Our Vision is to be a Catalyst of Positive Change for Population Health”