health research program uconn

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Jumping into Undergraduate Research:  Health Research Program at UConn Health

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Are you interested in doing biomedical research during your summer? Do you want the opportunity to develop both wet and dry lab skills with the potential to continue into the academic year? Then the Health Research Program (HRP) is for you! 

The Health Research Program connects students interested in a large variety of research topics to faculty at UConn Health. Research topics include genetics, microbiology, neurobiology, cancer biology, cell biology, physiology, immunology, bioinformatics, and even psychology. Opportunities for both wet and dry lab research are available. This program is designed to give students with none or limited research experience the opportunity to gain some in a professional setting. First years are encouraged to apply. 

HRP doesn’t only provide research experience: it also gives students the opportunity to work independently in the lab and gain critical project development experience. Further, there are plenty of networking opportunities with the many professors, faculty, and students at UConn Health. The experience sets up students to explore many careers in science, whether that be in the healthcare field or in research. 

The Health Research Program offers a $4,000 stipend to all students accepted for travel and housing accommodations. Additionally, students can apply for stipends both during the semester and during winter break to assist in the continuation of their research. Research credit is also available for work done during the semester. 

To apply, first identify which faculty you are interested in working with here . Then, submit an application to their individual lab through the Quest Portal. Each lab has its own questions and qualifications, so make sure to keep track of everything needed. Finally, submit your application by the deadline stated on the website, this is typically the end of January. After, the Primary Investigator will reach out to you for interviews in early February and you will hear back soon after that.  

If you would like to get any part of your application reviewed by a professional, make either a resume critique appointment or an appointment with a career coach through the Center for Career Development. Additionally, many of the peer mentors at the Office of Undergraduate Research got their start through this program, so they are also a great resource. 

The Health Research Program is a great way to get started in biomedical research. Don’t pass up this opportunity! 

Photo by  National Cancer Institute  on  Unsplash

Office Hours: 8AM – 5PM Career Coaching Hours: 8AM – 5PM * Evening appointments vary by semester. * If you require an accommodation to utilize any resource or to participate in any event, please contact our office.

(860) 486-3013 career@uconn.edu

Center for Career Development Wilbur Cross Building, Rm 202 233 Glenbrook Road U-4051 Storrs, CT 06269

Office of the Vice President for Research

• Service Units
• Research Development
• Internal Funding Opportunities

Research Excellence Program – UConn Health

In partnership with the School of Medicine (SOM) and School of Dental Medicine (SODM), The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is pleased to announce the 2017-2018  Research Excellence Program (REP)  for the Storrs / Regional Campuses and for UConn Health.

The primary goal of the Research Excellence Program is to provide seed funding to fuel innovative research, scholarship, and creative endeavors with strong potential for:

• Significant extramural funding from federal sponsors, corporations, industry partners, and foundations
• Achievements consistent with the highest standards of accomplishment in the discipline.

UConn Health Research Excellence Program (UCH-REP)

• Single-PI projects permitted
• Must include collaborations across at least two different disciplinary areas
• Must include collaborations across at least three different disciplinary areas

REP Submission Deadline – All categories: Full proposals must be received by 12/15/2017 .

Note: Projects with cross-campus Co-PIs must choose to be part of either the Storrs or UCH competitions, not both.  UCH faculty must have an active UConn NetID to submit proposals.

For further information, contact:  [email protected] or call 860-486-6378.

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Program in Applied Public Health Sciences

Fall 2022 course schedule.

PUBH 5497-F06 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental The Exchange, Suite 173 8:30-4:30 and Related Disabilities (LEND) Seminar I (Bruder) UCEDD Conf. Room c

Variable Days

PUBH 5495-F01 Independent Study in Public Health

PUBH 5498-F01 Field Experience in Public Health Systems (Brown) PUBH 5499-F01 Capstone Project in Public Health (Gregorio)

PUBH 6495-F01 Independent Study of Special Topics in Advanced Public Health Sciences

PUBH 5501-F01 Foundations of Public Health and Disability (Lutz) PUBH 5503-F01 Disability Law, Policy, Ethics & Advocacy (Lutz)

Research & Continuous Registration GRAD 5950 Master’s Thesis Research GRAD 5998-F01 Special Readings

GRAD 5999-F01 Thesis Research

a UCONN Health Academic Building

b UCONN Health 195 Farmington Avenue

c UCONN Health 270 Farmington Avenue (The Exchange)

d UCONN Storrs

e DL – Distance Learning

Public Health Course Descriptions

Mondays, 8/29/22 – 12/12/22.

PUBH 5406-F01 Law and Public Health 3 credits

(13054) UConn Health Farmington

An introduction to the American legal system as it relates to health care and public health. Sessions present important applications of law to health including the powers of state governments, public health at the federal level, hospital, physician and HMO liability, emergency care and medical research, mental health law, reproductive health and the right to privacy, the right to refuse treatment and end of life issues, privacy and confidentiality in health care, infectious disease law and disability discrimination, and public health policy and advocacy. Non-degree students may request permission to enroll through the MPH Program Office . Permission number required from MPH Office.

Instructor: Zita Lazzarini, JD, MPH [email protected] Time: 5:30 - 8:30 PM

Mode/Location: In Person/The Rotunda

PUBH 5432-F01 SAS Programming and Data Management 3 credits (13057) UConn Health Farmington

Focuses on SAS programming to introduce the most commonly used features of the language, including data definition, modification and organization; data manipulation and selection; data display and basic data analysis using descriptive statistics. Students also learn to create datasets using data entry or importing from other programs. Examples are based on public health data.

Instructor: Grace Chan, PhD [email protected]

Time: 5:30 - 8:30 PM

Mode/Location: In Person/B9

PUBH 5497-F01 Aging & Mental Health 3 credits

(13060) UCONN Health Farmington

This is an introductory course on aging and mental health using epidemiological, psychosocial, and public health approaches. The course will cover demographics of aging and key clinical features of both physical and mental health (e.g., frailty, dementia, and multimorbidities) in older adults. Psychosocial interventions (e.g., formal and informal care, retirement sources, and end-of-life care) across diverse settings (e.g., community-, assisted living-, and nursing home- levels) will be introduced. Public health topics (e.g., access to care (e.g., Medicare and Medicaid policies and reimbursement), delivery of health services for older adults across diverse settings, and clinical outcomes) will also be discussed. Finally, contemporary topics (e.g., Covid-19 pandemic and global aging) will also be explored.

Instructor: T. Greg Rhee, PhD, MSW [email protected] Time: 5:30 - 8:30 PM

Mode/Location: In Person/U3071 A/B, 195 Farmington Ave.

PUBH 5497-F10 Policy Development & Advocacy 3 credits (14442)

This course provides an introduction to the public health function of policy development. It prepares future public health advocates with substantive knowledge on how policy is crafted and provides practical skills on engaging policymakers, the press, and advocacy organizations to support public health initiatives. The course combines policy development, real- life case studies, lectures by Connecticut legislators and staff as well as community activists, and a series of classroom discussions and exercises.

Tuesdays, 8/30/22 – 12/13/22

PUBH 5407-F01 Practicum in Public Health 3 credits

(13055) UConn Health Farmington

Under faculty guidance, students undertake an organized set of activities that responds to an identified need of a public health agency or health-related organization. The activities may involve the policy development, planning, implementation, administration or evaluation of public health services, or a combination of such activities. Students should be appropriately advanced before initiating the practicum. Instructor consent and permission number required from MPH Office.

Instructor: Stacey Brown, PhD [email protected] Angela Bermudez-Millan, PhD, MPH [email protected]

Time: 3:00-5:00

PUBH 5408-F01 Introduction to Epidemiology & Biostatistics I 3 credits (13056) UConn Health Farmington

PUBH 5408-001 Introduction to Epidemiology & Biostatistics I 3 credits (6438) UConn Storrs

Be sure to register on the campus where you intend to attend classes

This is the first of a two-course required sequence for students pursuing the MPH degree that introduces students to concepts and methods of epidemiology, biostatistics and public health research. Topics include nature of variability, common probability distributions, causal reasoning, control of bias and confounding, descriptive and analytic design of observational and experimental studies, principles of disease screening and clinical efficacy. Non-degree students may request permission to enroll through the MPH Program Office . Permission number required from MPH Office.

Instructor: Scott Wetstone, MD [email protected] Time: 5:30-8:30 PM

Mode/Location: In Person/The Rotunda – UConn Health, Farmington In Person/Rowe 318 – UConn, Storrs

PUBH 5497-F02 Public Health Ethics 3 credits

(13063) UConn Health Farmington

The starting point of public health ethics is promoting the health and well-being of communities rather than a focus on protecting the dignity and autonomy of individuals, which is the goal in bioethics. Protecting the public’s health raises fundamental questions about when to impose restrictions on the freedom of individuals to protect the health of the community and the duties and obligations owed by members to the wider community. A public health perspective assumes background principles of community, justice, and equity but these principles can be difficult to interpret and to apply to specific issues. This course will cover ethical issues related to the normative grounding of public health policy and to ethical dilemmas in how to apply them in formulating health policy on specific issues. The issues will include equitable access to Covid-19 therapies and vaccines, genetics and public health issues, vaccines and vaccine hesitancy, pharmaceutical developments and access to medicines, obesity, responses to climate change and environmental issues, addressing the opioid crisis, and guns and violence. The course will frame these issues within the challenges posed by the Covid-19 epidemic and the impact of structural racism.

Instructor: Audrey Chapman, PhD, MDiv, STM [email protected] Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM

PUBH 5497-F03 Child Health and Safety 3 credits

(13065) UConn Health Farmington

This course will explore the six stages of child development. At each stage, students will examine safety in the built and social environments, and evaluate educational interventions and health policies designed to mitigate childhood morbidity and premature death. Special topics will include nutrition and food safety, brain development, child maltreatment, sports safety, and the role of social media in self-inflicted and interpersonal violence.

Instructor: Amy Hunter, PhD, MPH [email protected] Time: 4:30 – 7:30 PM

Mode/Location: In Person//A1

Wednesdays, 8/31/22 – 12/14/22

PUBH 5201-F01 Essentials of Social Inequality and Health Disparities 3 credits (13075) UCONN Health Farmington

Introduction to (a) the extent of health disparities across the US population, (b) how social inequality contributes to health disparities, and (c) why attention to social inequality is essential to the effective practice of clinical medicine and dental medicine. Examination of how society’s social, economic, political and cultural institutions are structured and why they perpetuate the unequal distribution of opportunities that systematically limit the life chances and experiences of individuals. A range of social determinants (race/ racism, poverty, income inequality, education, environmental conditions, social capital, social cohesion, social mobility, safety/security, criminal justice system) are considered that may influence health, either directly or as pathways for other determinants. Addresses the function of public health assessment, provides students with a conceptual basis for the complementary course, PUBH 5202.

Instructor: Shayna Cunningham, PhD, MHS [email protected] Time: 5:30-8:30 pm

PUBH 5403-F01 Health Administration 3 credits

(13053) UConn Health Farmington

This survey course introduces students to concepts of Public Health administration. It provides a general scope of Public Health systems in the US, with a high focus on current and past evolution of policies and marked milestones in this field. Topics that address the organization and management of public health services, with emphasis on healthcare as part of the population health concept, will be explored. Emerging inequities and health disparities will be examined, in addition to the use of data to inform health decisions and performance measurements. Non-degree students may request permission to enroll through the MPH Program Office. Permission number required from MPH Office.

Instructor: Amir Mohammad, MBBS, MPH, FACPM [email protected] Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM

Mode/Location: In Person/Patterson Auditorium

PUBH 5478-F01 Epidemiology of Substance Use Disorders & Psychiatric Co-Morbidities 3 credits (13061) UConn Health Farmington

This course provides a comprehensive survey of substance use disorders and related psychiatric co-morbidities. The course will incorporate recent advances in social and psychiatric epidemiology as well as health disparities attributable to sex/gender and race/ethnicity. It will review research on the prevalence of the major substance use disorders, including alcohol, nicotine and drug dependence, and discuss what is known about the etiology, treatment and prevention of these disorders. The theme of the course will be how to critically evaluate epidemiological research and how to study the genetic, personality, social and environmental contributions to substance use disorders from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will be expected to meet with instructor in person at least once during the semester at their convenience.

Instructor: Helen Wu, PhD [email protected]

Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM

Mode/Location: In Person/A1

PUBH 5497-F04 Lifestyle Factors in Chronic Disease Epidemiology 3 credits (13070) UConn Health Farmington

This course surveys a variety of lifestyle factors (largely modifiable) and explores their relationship to chronic disease risk and survival. Exposures that will be examined throughout the course include tobacco use, alcohol use, diet and nutrition, obesity, sleep hygiene, and physical activity. We will explore these exposures in relation to a wide spectrum of chronic or noncommunicable diseases. We will use scientific literature to reflect on recent epidemiologic findings in order to gain a better understanding of exposure measurement, study designs focused on modifiable lifestyle factors, and the distribution of lifestyle factors in the population. Examples will focus primarily on observational studies within the United States population.

Instructor: Kristin Guertin, PhD [email protected] Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM

Mode/Location: In Person/A8

Wednesdays, 8/31/22 – 12/14/22 (continued)

PUBH 5497-F05 Work as a Social Determinant of Health 3 credits (13072) UConn Health Farmington

This course provides students with an overview of the health status of working adults, especially in the United States, and the mechanisms underlying work as a social determinant of health. We will examine how working conditions, the work environment, physical and psychosocial job stressors impact worker well-being. We will examine a sample of programs, policies, and laws that impact the protection and promotion of workforce health and well-being. Students will hear from practitioners about their practices to support worker safety, health and well-being and will begin to understand the opportunities and potential obstacles for pursuing these goals through a multi-disciplinary workplace team.

Instructor: Jennifer Cavallari, ScD [email protected] Time: 2:00 – 5:00 PM

Mode/Location: Hybrid/Blended/ U3071 A/B, 195 Farmington Ave.

Thursdays, 9/1/22– 12/15/22

This course, taken near the beginning of a student's matriculation toward the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree, presents theories and models of successful interprofessional public health practice. It draws on a competency-focused, case-based pedagogy to facilitate student engagement as they gain skills needed for effective collaborations with community-based practitioners and other stakeholders in addressing system-level population health concerns. Permission number required from MPH Office.

Instructor: Angela Bermudez-Millan, PhD, MPH [email protected] Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM

Mode/Locations: In Person/Patterson Auditorium – UConn Health, Farmington In Person/Rowe 318 – UConn, Storrs

PUBH 5497-F07 Public Health Research Appraisal 3 credits (13074) UConn Health Farmington

A research seminar examining the uses, strengths and limitations of public health research methodologies. Manuscripts and research proposals on infectious disease, chronic disease, health behavior and health care delivery are critically analyzed with the goal of promoting sound judgment about the scientific validity of public health research and to develop skills in self- and peer review.

Instructor: Helen Swede, PhD [email protected]

Mode/Location: In Person/ U3071 A/B, 195 Farmington Ave.

PUBH 5497-F08 Health Transformation in Maternal and Child Health 3 credits (14440) UCONN Health Farmington

This online course is designed to integrate the theory, research, and evidence-supported practices that promote optimal health outcomes in maternal and child health populations. Course participants will examine and apply new skills in the following areas: quality improvement, systems thinking, change management, and promotion of access to care for women and children.

Instructor: Jordana Frost, DrPH, MPH [email protected] Time: 5:30 - 8:30 PM

Mode/Location: Distance Learning

PUBH 5497-F09 Climate Change and Public Health 3 credits (14441) UConn Health Farmington

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to public health, affecting every nation and individual. Human health is influenced by weather, air and water quality, and food security, which are all sensitive to changes in climate. This course will explore the effects of climate change on food systems, water, air, and disease, through the lens of public health. After completing this course, students will be able to: describe the science of climate change and how climate is predicted to change in the future; explain the connection between climate and public health, ranging from temperature-related mortality, exposure to extreme weather events and wildfires, food and water shortages, waterborne infections, and insect- borne diseases; discuss inequities in the risks associated with climate change; evaluate research related to climate change and health; and discuss adaptation and mitigation strategies to reduce adverse health impacts due to climate change.

Instructor: Misti Levy Zamora, PhD [email protected] Time: 5:30 – 8:30 PM

Fridays, 9/2/22 – 12/16/22

PUBH 5497-F06 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities 3 credits (13073) (LEND) Seminar I

UConn Health Farmington

This is the first of a 2-seminar sequence that is part of an interdisciplinary leadership training program aimed at improving the health of infants, children and adolescents who have, or are at risk for developing, neurodevelopmental and other related disabilities, with an emphasis on autism spectrum disorders. Lecturers include experts from different disciplines from UConn and across the country. Topics include the following: cultural competency, family-centered care, interdisciplinary teamwork, service integration, community-based organization, disability policy and advocacy, etc. This seminar is open to Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) trainees. Instructor consent and permission number required from MPH Office.

Instructor: Mary Beth Bruder, PhD [email protected] Time: 8:30 – 4:30 PM

Mode/Location: In Person/UCEDD Conference Room, Suite 173

The Exchange, 270 Farmington Ave.

Variables Days/Times, 8/29/22 – 12/16/22

PUBH 5495-F01 Independent Study in Public Health 1 – 9 credits (13064)

An individual course for those wishing to pursue special topics in the public health sciences under faculty supervision. May be repeated for credit. Instructor consent required.

Instructor: Staff Time/Location: By arrangement

PUBH 5498-F01 Field Experience in Public Health Systems Variable credits (13058) UConn Health Farmington

Under direction by field preceptors, students will participate in an intensive service-learning experience wherein they will examine a timely public health issue from the perspective of health indicators/disease surveillance; policy development; planning, implementation, or evaluation of public health services; essential public health functions; and operational issues of a large complex public health agency/organization. ( NOTE : Students will be required to minimally dedicate a half- day (at least 3 daytime hours) each week to their onsite fieldwork obligations, consistent with the hours/schedule of the agency/organization and must adjust their schedules accordingly.) Instructor consent and permission number required from MPH Office.

Instructor: Stacey Brown, PhD [email protected] Time/Location: By arrangement

PUBH 5499-F01 Capstone Project in Public Health Variable 3-6 credits (13059) UConn Health Farmington

Under faculty guidance, students pursue independent projects on special topics in the public health sciences. This is the course intended for students pursuing a final project. Permission number required from MPH Office.

Instructor: David Gregorio, PhD, MS [email protected] Time/Location: By arrangement

PUBH 6495-F01 Independent Study of Special Topics in Advanced Public Health Sciences Variable 1-9 credits (13071)

A doctoral-level independent study course for Ph.D. students who wish to pursue special topics in advanced public health sciences under faculty supervision . Instructor consent required.

Online Courses, 8/29/22 – 12/16/22

PUBH 5501-F01 Foundations of Public Health and Disability 3 credits (13051) ONLINE

The course is an introductory survey of the ways in which disability, both developmental and acquired, is affected by, and interacts with, public health policy and practice. The major goal of this course is to provide a foundational understanding of a comprehensive set of issues of both acquired and developmental disability as related to the core elements of public health. Topics include: history of disability, definitional and diagnostic issues of disability, epidemiology, disability law, ethics, research, individual and public health interventions, financing, research and the future of disability. This course will examine underlying social attitudes both toward disability as a construct, and toward people with disabilities and the impact that those attitudes have on public health policy and practices.

Instructor: Tara Lutz, PhD, MPH, CHES [email protected] Dates/Times: By arrangement

PUBH 5503-F01 Disability Law, Policy, Ethics, and Advocacy 3 credits (13052) ONLINE

This course provides a legal, conceptual, and practical understanding of people with disabilities, forms of discrimination that occur on the basis of disability, and the protections against such discrimination that currently exist. The course provides an opportunity to evaluate and understand many aspects of public policy and social issues that affect the lives of persons with disabilities and their families, including state, regional, national and international forces and trends, the principles of self-determination, and participation of persons with disability in planning and implementing. Topics to be discussed include federal and state laws and policies specific to: the health and well-being of people with disabilities; discrimination against people with disabilities; domestic, international, and comparative disability law and policy; the rights of children with disabilities in school, specifically through the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA); and recent developments in U.S. and international human rights and comparative disability law, including recent efforts by the United Nations to draft a treaty on the rights of people with disabilities. Students will explore the role of people with disabilities, who are often vulnerable to human rights violations, within different legal systems.

Research and Continuous Registration

GRAD 5950 Master’s Thesis Research Variable 1 - 9 credits UCONN Health Farmington

This course is to be used by those students who are performing required research for the Master’s Thesis paper. Other courses may be taken concurrently and students may hold a graduate assistantship. Full-time enrollment equals a total of 6 credits. Recommendation of student’s major advisor and MPH program permission required.

Instructor: Student’s Major Advisor Time/Instruction Mode: By arrangement

GRAD 5998-F01 Special Readings 0 credits

(13899) UCONN Health Farmington

To be used by master’s students who are not enrolled in a thesis (Plan A) track. This is a non-credit course for which master’s degree students must register in cases where their regular program of course work for credit has been interrupted and they are not otherwise registered.

GRAD 5999-F01 Thesis Research 0 credits

(13900) UCONN Health Farmington

Open only to graduate students enrolled in a Plan A Master’s Degree Program. This is a non-credit course to be used to maintain registered status by Plan A master’s students who have completed their coursework and who are not registered for any other credit-bearing course.

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April 15, 2024 | Mike Enright '88 (CLAS), University Communications

Spirit Awards Recognize Outstanding UConn Workers

The ceremony recognizes the efforts of employees, especially staff, in building community and promoting civility

The Spirit Award program is open to staff in all job classifications and faculty at the Storrs and regional campuses. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Honorees in the 10th annual UConn Spirit Awards, which celebrate exceptional employees at UConn, were announced at a ceremony for the University community on Thursday, March 11, 2024, in the North Reading Room of the Wilbur Cross Library.

Every year, the ceremony recognizes the efforts of employees, especially staff, in building community and promoting civility at the University. The Spirit Awards program was originally the result of a survey conducted by the Something’s Happening Committee, which found a significant correlation between supportive interactions among colleagues and productivity on the job.

“We have a huge community of people who love and who care and take great pride in UConn,” says President Radenka Maric.

“This is an opportunity to single out some of our outstanding staff members and to learn a little more about what goes on throughout our campuses,” says Lakeesha Brown, interim chief human resources officer. “Despite the diversity of our roles, ultimately have the same single goal in mind, which is securing UConn’s place among the best public universities in the country.”

A total of approximately 275 eligible nominations were received this year for the Spirit Awards.

Their ceremony was also live-streamed and an archived version is available for viewing .

This year’s winners and finalists are:

Unsung Hero Award

Winner: Susan Corbin, School of Pharmacy

Finalist: Meagan Ridder, College of Agriculture, Heath and Natural Resources, Academic Programs

Finalist: Katie Halbruner, Center for Students with Disabilities

Rising Star Award

Winner: Lisa Carrozza, Career Development Center

Finalist: Monica Lattimer, UConn Waterbury

Finalist: Emily Cole, Department of Music

Inclusive Excellence Award

Winner: Mary Anne Roshni Amalaradjou, Department of Animal Science

Finalist: Alexis Monteiro, Department of Residential Life

Finalist: Jonelle Reynolds, Office or Diversity and Inclusion

University Citizen Award

Winner: John Armstrong, Office of Student Care and Concern

Finalist: Bieu Tran, Office of the Vice President for Research

Finalist: Betsy Pittman, University Archivist

Behind the Scenes Award

Winner: Eileen Kapinos, Office of Financial Aid

Finalist: Jeremy Bachand, Facilities Operations Logistics

Finalist: Michael F. Ryan, Facilities Operations Custodial Services

Behind the Scenes Team Award

Winner: Facilities Operations Shop Services (Kadri Ademi, Kevin Bisson, Matthew Burdick, Jordan Burns, Michael Dalpe, David Fontenelle, Kimberly Haley, Roger Lalumiere, Joseph Landry, Matt Lebrocquy, Mark McAvoy, William Miller, Ariel Morales, Sergio Nieto, Alexander Ott, Michael Rossi, Gage Shirghio, Vito Sargis, Robert Wylie).

Finalist: Security Services, UConn Stamford (Matthew Lessard, Alvin Aquino, Josiah Rodriguez).

Winner: Center for Students with Disabilities, Accommodations Team (Lara Smith, Carey Jordan, Hayley Jacobs).

Finalist: Dining Services, Husky Harvest Team (Tracey Roy, Heidi Slater, Michael White).

Finalist: Career Development Center, Career Everywhere Committee (Alexandra Garnelis, Kaitlyn Anderson, Christina Badini, Steve Kligerman, Mary Malerba, Evan McMunn, Lisa Carrozza, Amelinda Rossitto, Nancy Bilmes.

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Public Health Buckeyes: Angela Falconi

BSPH student combines passions for health care, policy

Falconi has been involved in CPH research and is an active member of Ohio State's Pilipino Student Association.

Meet Angela Falconi, a fourth-year student specializing in  environmental public health who aspires to advocate for others through public health policy.

What inspired you to pursue a public health education?

Growing up, I was surrounded by both medicine and public policy because of my parents. Since I was six, my father, a politician and elected official, had me act as his unofficial campaign staff—knocking on doors with him to speak to voters, sitting in on city council meetings and accompanying him to various events. My mother, a pediatric physician, inspired me to pursue a career in medicine by showing me the impact that she’s made on her patients and always encouraging me to learn more about the health care field. When choosing my major, it felt natural to me to combine policy and health into public health.

What public health topics are you passionate about?

“Your zip code determines your health.”

This is one of the most important phrases I have learned in my public health courses, and as a volunteer at Helping Hands Health and Wellness Center, a free clinic which provides health care services for the uninsured and underinsured. I see the realities of this phrase in the patients who I work with. 

As an aspiring elected official, I want to create health care reform which helps individuals the health care system has failed to provide with affordable service.

You spent last summer in Washington, D.C. interning in the U.S. Senate. What was that experience like?

I worked (there) through the IMPACT program, created by the US-Asia Institute in coordination with the Embassy for the Philippines for Filipino students interested in public policy. Working and living in D.C. was one of the best experiences I have had in my undergraduate career because I was able to learn about and research health care policy on the national stage, which is exactly what I hope to do in my future career.

What have you enjoyed most about being involved in research as a student?

I am a research assistant for the Consumer Access Project which utilizes a secret shopper survey of Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplace plan networks to study these barriers and inequities, including disparities related to race. I have loved getting to work with  Wendy Xu as she has helped me learn more about the research process as well as how everyday Americans experience the health care system.

What kind of extracurricular activities are you involved in?

The Pilipino Student Association (PSA) has been my home away from home since the start of my time at Ohio State. It has not only allowed me to learn more about my Filipino culture, but I met my best friend through this organization. I have been involved in PSA in numerous roles: culture night coordinator, vice-president internal, president and now dance leader. 

As dance leader, I lead PSA’s tinikling team. Tinikling is a dance which involves two people beating, sliding, and tapping two bamboo poles on the ground while two people dance above the sticks, trying not to get caught in between them. Our latest performance from PSA’s culture show “Barrio” was in October. I choreographed, taught and performed the modern part of this dance!

What are your goals for the future?

I hope to not only assist individual patients as a physician, but I also hope to help others on the national scale by being an advocate as an elected official. I hope to apply the experiences and lessons that I have learned from my time at Ohio State into my future career in the field of health policy.

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About The Ohio State University College of Public Health

The Ohio State University College of Public Health is a leader in educating students, creating new knowledge through research, and improving the livelihoods and well-being of people in Ohio and beyond. The College's divisions include biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health behavior and health promotion, and health services management and policy. It is ranked 29 th  among all colleges and programs of public health in the nation, and first in Ohio, by  U.S. News and World Report. Its specialty programs are also considered among the best in the country. The MHA program is ranked 8 th , the biostatistics specialty is ranked 22 nd , the epidemiology specialty is ranked 25 th and the health policy and management specialty is ranked 17 th .

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SDSU international women grad students bring diversity to research

Candidates in SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Programs are engaged in complex scientific studies spanning cancer, water quality and immigrant health.

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Maryam Fani analyzes surface water for microbial clues on the source and age of human pollution that could make people sick. 

Nicole Karongo researches strategies for guiding African immigrants around the nutrition pitfalls in the U.S. food landscape, benefitting their long-term health.

After her grandmother’s ovarian cancer diagnosis, Esra Tiftik was surprised by the lack of effective late-stage cancer therapies. Now she crunches big data in computational models on what triggers breast cancer to spread.

These women scientists are international students in joint doctoral programs between SDSU and the University of California San Diego. Their work highlights the depth and diversity of SDSU’s degree-seeking international cohort's academic pursuits, particularly women in male-dominated scientific fields. Here is a snapshot of the science they are advancing.

Tracking Pathogens

A native of Iran, Fani fought to find research projects as a civil engineering undergraduate but initially faced skepticism over her ability to manage the physical demands of fieldwork. She persisted, and eventually a professor gave her a chance to join a short-term project. It was a turning point, resulting in Fani leading her own research projects thereafter.

Fani came to SDSU alone in 2019 and found her footing, in part, by joining the Safe WaTER Lab, run by one of her Ph.D. advisors, Assistant Professor Matthew Verbyla , in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering.

While working at the lab, she propped open maintenance hole covers to collect and analyze wastewater for traces of COVID-19 on campus. She worked on a government water agency project, testing samples from around the county for pathogens.

These experiences hooked her on environmental engineering. “I feel even though it is engineering, our impact is very related to human health,” she said.

Now, she is pursuing next-generation research on fecal pollution source tracking in her doctoral thesis. The crux of the project involves understanding the different decay rates of two target biomarkers in human waste under myriad environmental conditions, such as sun exposure and water temperature. 

That enables researchers to compare decay ratios and calculate how far pollution has traveled and how old it is.

“This is important to know because if the pollution is new, it potentially has more pathogens,” said Fani. “So, we try to identify if the pollution is a small amount of strong, new pollution with a source nearby or a large amount of decayed pollution traveling from a farther location.”

Fani wants to understand further the correlations between these biomarkers and fecal pathogens to better predict health risks from contaminated surface water. 

“It is very time-consuming and very expensive to analyze one sample for many pathogens,” she said. “But if we analyze it for these two targets always, can these two targets tell me if I have (pathogens) there or not?”

Diet and Immigrant Health

Karongo came from Zimbabwe to Minnesota in 2013 for her undergraduate studies. After earning her master’s degree, she came West to begin her public health doctorate with a focus on behavior, nutrition and chronic disease prevention.

Karongo developed strong convictions about the widespread impacts of food after she helped her father with a medically tailored diet during his recovery after cancer treatments. She planned to practice as a dietitian in clinical settings but pivoted to public health because it allows her to be “a little more upstream in prevention” of diet-related health problems. 

Research shows immigrants often come to the U.S. healthy but experience a decrease in their cardiometabolic health after about a decade, said Karongo. Her research is testing whether community-based nutrition interventions to improve diet quality can have a positive influence.

She is working with the East African immigrant population served at the United Women of East Africa Support Team (UWEAST) in San Diego on how they are approaching healthy eating and the food environment since moving to the U.S., and what they would like to see in a nutrition intervention that emphasizes herbs and spices to decrease sodium, fats and sugars in their diet.

Next, she plans to help create a cooking class curriculum focused on both nutrition guidelines and what immigrants requested in a program to foster healthy eating.

“We are thinking about this not only as how people should eat but also what the community wants to learn,” said Karongo. “So, we are prioritizing a community-engaged approach.”

Her doctoral advisors include Cheryl Anderson , dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UCSD; Professor Noe Crespo , division head of the Health Promotion and Behavior Sciences program at SDSU’s School of Public Health; and Distinguished Professor Connie Weaver from SDSU’s School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences.

Karongo said she is privileged to have the support of empowered women in her academic journey. Women lead her primary research lab, the Anderson Lab, and United Women of East Africa, which is an example of a women-driven service for San Diego immigrants and their families.

“I feel honored to have been surrounded by female excellence in research and advocacy,” she said.

Cancer Cell Conundrum

Tiftik earned an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from her native Turkey before pursuing her master's degree at the University of Southern California.

She expected to follow the same academic track but began working in the computational systems biology lab. It brought back memories of her grandmother’s death from cancer, sparking Tiftik’s interest in applying powerful computational models to cancer research.

She entered the bioengineering joint doctoral program at SDSU and UCSD in 2019, working in SDSU’s Computational Active Matter Lab with advisor Associate Professor Parag Katira and the Fraley Lab with co-advisor Associate Professor Stephanie Fraley at UCSD.

“In both my labs, we try to understand why cells leave their original location and move to other parts of the body,” she said. “What kind of forces cause cell movement? This is an important function, but we do not know exactly why this is happening with cancer cells.”

Tiftik focuses on breast cancer and the factors that might spark their migration, such as DNA, protein interactions, and environmental factors such as hormones and nutrition.

“The reason we are using the computational model is it really helps us use large data on genes, and we can run multiple scenarios, like when they have high hormone levels, high nutritional levels, or high surrounded fibrous proteins. These are all environmental factors we must consider.”

Tiftik thinks the research could enable early identification of cells with high potential to spread. “And this allows you to provide treatment, targeted treatment, before they get into the metastatic stage,” she said.

As a woman scientist, Tiftik said one challenge is the scarcity of female role models in male-dominated science professions, which can create feelings of isolation and uncertainty for aspiring female scientists.

However, she hopes to improve the gender ratio after completing her Ph.D. and staying in the U.S. to build a career.

“San Diego is a hub for bioengineering,” she said. “I am just so lucky to be part of this city because there are so many companies interested in what I am looking for.”

Campus News

• Recap: 16th annual San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering
• SDSU Associated Students wins sustainability leadership award

• 45th Annual Black Baccalaureate Graduation Ceremony takes place May 9
• 2nd annual Black Fashion Show celebrates culture, creativity at SDSU

• Giving that goes above and beyond
• SDSU Women’s Fund champions equity in athletics, academics

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The OUR website has recently been reorganized. Links to research opportunities can now be found on two pages:

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School of Medicine and School of Dental Medicine

Health Career Opportunity Programs

Health disparities clinical summer research fellowship program.

Aetna Health Professions Partnership Initiative

The program:.

• Is for rising college sophomores, juniors, seniors or recent graduates. Priority consideration will be given to pipeline participants.
• Is an eight-week program.
• Is designed to provide a clinical research and enrichment experience and an introduction to health disparities, cross cultural issues, principles of clinical medicine and skills for public health research and interventions.
• Also provides an overview of approaches to cultural definitions, public health issues and discussion of specific techniques for working with diverse populations in community settings.
• Provides housing, meals and a stipend.

See an example of the program schedule in the Handbook .

Important Dates

• February 16, 2024: Submission date for all applications. All applications must be submitted by midnight February 16 to be considered for admission.
• February 16, 2024: Submission date for all supporting documents. All supporting documents must be received by February 16 to be considered for admission.
• May 29, 2024: First day of program.
• July 19, 2024: Last day of program.

Application Criteria

All Applicants Should:

• Be from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in the health professions (African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Native Alaskan, Native Hawaiian) or others from disadvantaged backgrounds who meet all eligibility criteria and have a high probability of fulfilling the social and educational goals of this program.
• Be rising college sophomores, juniors, seniors or recent graduates of pre-professional programs with a ‘B+’ average or better (Science GPA of 3.2 or better and Overall GPA of 3.3 or better) who are interested in a career in medicine, dental medicine, or biomedical research.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

How to Apply

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions before submitting your application. Please also review this application template to preview the questions and items needed for your online application.

• Submit a completed online application electronically.
• Submit supplemental material electronically with online application submission.
• Score reports for all exams taken: SAT, PEAU, ACT, GRE and MCAT/DAT.
• An official transcript from each college or university attended.*
• Two letters of recommendation (at least one from a science instructor) submitted directly by recommenders via specified link.
• Provide a copy of your Federal Income Tax Form 1040 or equivalent for the current tax year – only page reflecting number of dependents and adjusted gross income (submit 1040 when completed and filed).

Note: Only completed applications with supplemental materials submitted through the online application system will be reviewed.

* Only official transcripts as e-scripts will be submitted to [email protected] . Official transcripts that cannot be submitted as an e-script can be sent by postal mail (please see FAQs for instructions on how to mail transcripts).

Kerry-Ann Stewart, Ph.D. Assistant Director Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs UConn Health 263 Farmington Avenue Farmington, CT 06030-3920 Email: [email protected]

Jan Figueroa Administrative Program Assistant Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs UConn Health 263 Farmington Avenue Farmington, CT 06030-3920 Email: [email protected]