MPH Program News

Thank you for celebrating National Public Health Week with the MPH Program

National Public Health Week is April 1-7

The MPH Program and our UMB partners will host events throughout the week. We hope you will join us! 

Please click here for more details.

Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega 2024 Call for Abstracts

The Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health is sponsoring the 27th Annual Delta Omega Poster Session at the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo (October 27-30, 2024 in Minneapolis). To participate in this poster session, public health students from accredited schools and programs must be nominated by their Delta Omega chapter.

Call for Abstracts: Your program’s chapter, the Beta Tau chapter of Delta Omega at the UM School of Medicine is now accepting abstracts. Chapter leadership will select the 2024 Beta  Tau abstracts that are nominated for the national competition. If an MPH student/December 2023 MPH graduate is selected during the national competition for the Delta Omega poster session at APHA’s 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo, the Beta Tau chapter will sponsor the MPH student’s/December 2023 MPH graduate’s participation. The sponsorship will cover the student’s/graduate’s travel (if the event is not virtual) and meeting registration expenses. The Delta Omega National Office will also award each selected student/graduate a $500 cash prize.

APHA Meeting Theme: Rebuilding Trust in Public Health and Science
Submission Deadline: Tuesday, April 2, 2024

For additional details, please see:
Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega 2024 Call for Abstracts
Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega 2024 Call for Abstracts Instructions

2023 Annual MdPHA Conference

Fall 2023 Advances in Public Health Lecture

On Tuesday, September 12th, The Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega at UMSOM hosted its annual Advances in Public Health Lecture. Sarah L. Szanton, Ph.D., ANP, FAAN, Health Equity and Social Justice Endowed Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, gave an invigorating lecture on health disparities among older adults. The well-attended in-person lecture took place in MSTF Leadership Hall. Dr. Szanton spoke about her experiences in elderly research and the CAPABLE program, a person-directed, home-based program that addresses function and healthcare expenses.

Two Awardees Selected for the 2023 MPH Advisory Council (MAC) Student Scholarship

In 2021, the members of the MPH Advisory Council (MAC) voted to establish the MAC Student Scholarship. This scholarship was made possible by the MAC members donating their annual honoraria from the council. We are extremely grateful to our MAC members for this very generous donation and their commitment to the next generation of public health workers. The 2023 awardees include Ms. Carmen Moreno and Ms. Tigist Tamrat. Congratulations to these students.

Welcome to the 2023 MPH Student Cohort 

The MPH Program is excited to welcome and introduce the 2023 cohort of MPH students!  New student orientation was held on June 27th and June 28th and classes for the new students begin on Thursday, July 6th. We are excited for these new students to embark on their MPH journey.

2023 MPH Student Cohort on a campus tour that included Lexington Market.

Dr. St. George Served as a Panel Member for Health Equity Symposium

_{(Left to Right) Paul Halverson (IUPUI), Ciearra “CJ” Walker (St. Louis Community Health Worker Coalition), Heather Hageman (WashU), Laura Magaña (ASPPH), Marc Kiviniemi (Kentucky), and Diane Marie St. George (UMSOM)}

In mid-June, Associate Professor, Diane Marie St. George, PhD was a panel member of the Boston University’s School of Public Health and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health’s (ASPPH) Teaching Public Health: Health Equity for All symposium. The focus of the symposium was health equity and the group explored the issues raised by ASPPH’s Framing the Future: Education for Public Health 2020.

2023 Department of Epidemiology and Public Health Graduation Ceremony 

On Friday, May 19th, the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) within the School of Medicine hosted its annual graduation ceremony. Over 100 students, faculty, staff, family members and friends helped us celebrate our 2023 awardees, honor society inductees, and graduates. During the ceremony five MPH graduates were recognized. The graduating class included: Angella Bbosa, Cara Dooley, Sydney Feldman (Dual Degree, MD), Aidan Grennell Cormier (Dual Degree, MSW), Hanna LeBuhn, Morayo Owolabi, Manisha Singh (Dual Degree, MD). Congratulations to all! 

2023 MPH Faculty Teaching Mentoring Award – Dr. Helen Powell

Thank you for celebrating National Public Health Week with the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s MPH Program!

Thank you for celebrating National Public Health Week with the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s MPH Program! The Public Health Student Association did a great job kicking off our National Public Health Week activities at the UMB Wellness Fair. The Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega hosted its annual Advances in Public Health Lecture and the MPH Program closed out the week by sponsoring a book drive and no sew fleece blanket making event for the Department of Pediatrics within the School of Medicine.

Congratulations Fall 2022 MPH Graduates!

The MPH Program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine hosted its fall 2022 commencement ceremony on Friday, December 16^th.

Dr. St. George receives the 2022 Leadership Award from the Maryland Public Health Association

On Thursday, December 1st, the Maryland Public Health Association awarded Diane Marie St. George, PhD, Associate Professor, MPH Program Director, and Vice Chair for Academic Programs for the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health with its 2022 Leadership Award.  Dr. St. George was nominated for this award in recognition of her strong leadership, engagement, and commitment to the public health profession

 Congratulations Dr. St. George!

MPH Students Selected to the UMB Team for the Annual D.C. Public Health Case Challenge

Two MPH students, Marcus Jones and Hannah LeBuhn, will be representing the MPH Program as they were selected to the six member UMB team. This interprofessional team includes students from the School of Pharmacy, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and the Graduate School. This contest aims to promote interdisciplinary, problem-based learning around a public health issue that is of importance to the Washington D.C. community. Best of luck to the UMB team in the case challenge!

Two Awardees Selected for the 2022 MPH Advisory Council (MAC) Student Scholarship

In 2021, the members of the MPH Advisory Council (MAC) voted to establish the MAC Student Scholarship. This scholarship was made possible by the MAC members donating their annual honoraria from the council. We are extremely grateful to our MAC members for this very generous donation and their commitment to the next generation of public health workers. The 2022 awardees include Ms. Katherine Potocka and Ms. Shreenidhi Sharma. Congratulations to these students!

MPH Alumna Selected to Participate in the 2022 Delta Omega Poster Session during APHA

Ms. Helina Selam, spring 2022 graduate of the MPH program, will be presenting in-person at APHA (American Public Health Association annual meeting) during the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health Student Poster Session. Ms. Selam submitted her initial application to the national contest in April of 2022 and was recently notified of her selection. She is one of just 24 graduate students from CEPH-accredited schools to be selected for this honor.

The title of her poster is: “Evaluating the first Advanced Practice of Neonatal (APN) Nursing Master’s Degree program in Ethiopia: A preliminary descriptive qualitative study of student experiences.”

This is the fifth consecutive year that our chapter, the Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega, has had a student representative participate in the Delta Omega Student Poster Session.

Congratulations Ms. Selam!

Welcome to the 2022 MPH Student Cohort 

The MPH Program is excited to welcome and introduce the 2022 cohort of MPH students!  New student orientation was held on June 27th and June 28th and classes for the new students began on Tuesday, July 5th. We are excited for these new students to embark on their MPH journey.

2022 MPH Post Commencement Ceremony 

On Friday, May 20th, the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) within the School of Medicine hosted its annual post-commencement ceremony. Over 125 students, faculty, staff, family members and friends helped us celebrate our 2022 awardees, honor society inductees, and graduates. During the ceremony five MPH graduates were recognized. The graduating class included: Tamunoseledia Brown, Sarah Kattakuzhy, Helina Selam, Jamie Sibel, and Anna Whitney. Congratulations to all! 

Public Health Student Association’s Paint n’ Relax  

The Master of Public Health (MPH) Program’s Public Health Student Association (PHSA) hosted a Paint n’ Relax Event with the 2nd Spring Business meeting. During the session, MPH students where students were able to gather for some food, painting, and de-stressing to wrap up the Spring semester. A handful of students showed up to paint n relax and socialize amongst themselves. We want to give a special thank you to PHSA for this awesome event!  

National Public Health Week Community Service

The University of Maryland School of Medicine MPH Program celebrated National Public Health Week with a day of service activity. Students, faculty, and staff went to James McHenry Elementary/Middle School located in West Baltimore to take part in a beautification project in the school’s outdoor courtyard/garden. The group worked to pick up trash, plant flowers, pull weeds, and more!! A special thank you to Ms. Stevens from James McHenry for hosting the MPH Program!

Congratulations Fall 2021 MPH Graduates

The Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine hosted its 2021 fall commencement ceremony on Friday, December 17^th.

During the ceremony seven MPH graduates were recognized. The graduating class included:

• Emmanuel Agaba
• Amrita Ahuja
• Janet Chan
• Rekha Chandir
• Colleen Kernan
• Olga McKenzie
• Archana Bhavani Vasanth Kumar
• Sophie White

Dr. Emmanuel Agaba was the MPH class representative and he shared remarks on behalf of his fellow classmates

Public Health Student Association Recognizes Breast Cancer Awareness Month 

The Master of Public Health (MPH) Program’s Public Health Student Association (PHSA) hosted its first community service activity with tremendous success. Over twenty students, faculty, and staff came together for a community walk to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This event, held on the UMB campus, enabled the MPH students to increase awareness of a disease that afflicts approximately one in eight women in the United States. Thank you to the PHSA leadership for organizing this event! 

MPH Student Selected to Participate in the 2021 Delta Omega Poster Session during APHA

Dr. Thanh Pham, new graduate of the MPH program, has been selected to participate in the 2021 Delta Omega poster session at the annual meeting of APHA taking place in October 2021. Dr. Pham was an Epidemiology concentration student whose work was also was recognized at the annual Public Health Research at Maryland conference in April. His abstract is entitled, “A Statewide Analysis of Primary SARS-CoV-2 Serosurvey Data Based on Emergency Room sampling in Maryland" and is based on his Public Health Practicum work. We are thrilled to have a Beta Tau nominee chosen for the 4^th year in a row!

Congratulations 2021 MPH Graduates

The Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine hosted its 2021 commencement ceremony on Friday, May 21^st.

During the ceremony seven MPH graduates were recognized. The graduating class included:

Shaikh Afaq
Tracy Hincke
Sulmen Kibwana
Judith Park
Than Pham
Rebecca Shaw
Jennifer Shields

Ms. Sulmen Kibwana was the MPH class representative and she shared remarks on behalf of her fellow classmates.

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health 2021 Graduates

2021 Awards

The Department of Epidemiology and Public Health has several annual awards, and each year during the commencement ceremony, awards are presented.

New Inductees into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health

The University of Maryland School of Medicine has an active Delta Omega chapter, the Beta Tau chapter. Dr. Lori Edwards is the chapter president and she announced the 2021 inductees during the EPH Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 21, 2021. Congratulations to these individuals.

2021 MPH Student Peer Recognition Award

The MPH Student Peer Recognition Award enables the MPH students to recognize a peer who exhibits exemplary teamwork, camaraderie, support and respect for other students, and a passion for the field of public health. The 2021 Master of Public Health Student Peer Recognition Award recipient is Olga McKenzie.

2021 Master of Public Health Teaching and Mentoring Award

The Master of Public Health Teaching and Mentoring Award recognizes excellence in teaching and mentoring by a faculty member in the School of Medicine’s Master of Public Health Program. For this award, the teaching component is based on the faculty member’s passion for stimulating learning and generating intellectual curiosity both, inside and outside the classroom setting. While the mentoring aspect is based on the faculty member’s remarkable enthusiasm and success in guiding the professional growth of the MPH students. The 2021 Master of Public Health Teaching and Mentoring Award recipient is Dr. Sally Adebamowo.

Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega 2021 Advances in Public Health Lecture

Truth-Seeking in an Age of Tribalism: Lessons from the Flint and DC Water Crises

MPH Student Wins Poster Award at the 2021 Public Health Research@Maryland

The Eighth Annual Public Health Research@Maryland was held virtually from Tuesday, April 13 through Thursday, April 15, 2021. The event's planned theme—Learning from 2020 to Advance the Public's Health—aimed to reflect and build on the lessons learned from 2020 related to COVID-19, social and racial injustice, climate change and more. The event also hosted a student poster competition for undergraduate, master, and doctoral students. Thanh Pham, MPH Student, was awarded first-place for his poster entitled “A Statewide Analysis of Primary SARS-CoV-2 Serosurvey Data Based on the Hospital Setting in Maryland.”  

Celebrating National Public Health Week 2021 

A big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to the MPH Program and Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega’s food drive for the Maryland Food Bank! We yielded five bins of non-perishable food items and toiletries.  It was such a delight to see everyone who was able to come by in person. And, our virtual can drive netted >200% of our goal!! We all know that the pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity for many families throughout our state and efforts like these are so important. Together we are making a difference!

2020 Fall Commencement Ceremony: EPH

Master of Public Health (MPH) Students Are Making an Impact in the Community

The incoming MPH class of 2020 has hit the ground running. Their classes started on July 6^th and they are already involved in several community engagement activities. While these activities are mainly virtual this term due to COVID-19, the students’ enthusiasm and passion for making a difference are still shining through.

One service opportunity is with the Maryland Area Health Education Center (MAHEC). The mission of MAHEC is to improve the health status of Marylanders through community educational partnerships that foster a commitment to enhancing healthcare access in the rural and urban underserved areas of the state. Here the MPH students are assisting with the development of the COVID-19 contact tracer training for community health workers.

A second community engagement opportunity for the MPH students is with Mini-Med School for Kids. This summer marks the 13^th year that the University of Maryland School of Medicine will host its annual Mini-Med School for Kids program and this is the second year that MPH students have been instrumental in the curriculum development for the camp and also working hands on as camp counselors. Mini-Med School for Kids brings medicine, science, and the importance of health to children in interactive and exciting ways.

The MPH students are also involved with the UMB CURE Scholars Program. This program is a groundbreaking year-round pipeline program that prepares sixth- to 12th-grade students in West Baltimore for competitive and rewarding research, STEM, and health care career opportunities. Our MPH students are assisting the program in several ways. They are serving as CURE tutors. As a tutor, the MPH students are paired with one or more CURE scholars for virtual tutoring sessions. The MPH students are assisting CURE’s Special Events Team to support their virtual STEM EXPO, set to happen in late summer. And, the MPH students are serving on CURE’s Data Infographics Team. In this compacity, the MPH students are assisting CURE in developing a creative layout for displaying routinely reported data (retention rates, average GPA, etc.).

We are excited to see our MPH students connect with members of our west Baltimore community and develop new public health skills that will serve them in their future careers.

Dr. Hager appointed to the Baltimore County Board of Education

Erin Hager, PhD, Associate Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Public Health, director of the Program in Health Equity and Population Health, and faculty member of the Master of Public Health Program was recently appointment by Governor Larry Hogan to serve on the Board of Education of Baltimore County. Dr. Hager will bring a unique point-of-view to the board as she is a parent of school age-children, an academic researcher focused on the implementation and evaluation of strategies to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children in schools and communities, and a graduate of Baltimore area schools.

The MPH Program congratulates Dr. Hager on her recent appointment and is confident that her academic and research experience will benefit the children of Baltimore County.

The MPH Program participates in Maryland Unites: Day to Serve

12/08/16

The University of Maryland, Baltimore supports Governor Hogan’s Day to Serve initiative, a movement that started in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and D.C. to motivate people to get involved in service events each year. MPH Program faculty and staff assisted at James McHenry Elementary this year with cleaning out their supply storage room.

Fall 2019 Master of Public Health (MPH) Program Poster Session and Commencement Ceremony

Poster Session: Ten MPH students participated in the poster session

Commencement Speaker:  A passionate message about the importance of public health was delivered by Kristen Stafford, PhD, MPH.

Student Remarks: Natalie Facteau, MPH graduate ~ Global Health Concentration, shared her student perspective about her time in the MPH Program.  

Fall 2019 MPH Graduates: Congratulations to all of the graduates!

MPH Students Are Members of the Winning Team that Represented the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) at the 7^th Annual D.C. Public Health Case Challenge

At the National Academy of Medicine’s Annual Meeting, it was announced that the UMB team won the 2019 D.C. Public Health Case Challenge. This contest aims to promote interdisciplinary, problem-based learning around a public health issue that is of importance to the Washington D.C. community. This year’s challenge topic was “Reducing Health Disparities in Maternal Mortality by Addressing Unmet Health-Related Social Needs.” The teams were from D.C. area universities and were composed of four to six members from at least three disciplines. Each team had two weeks to develop a solution to this complex problem with a hypothetical $3 million budget to be used during a five-year span. The teams were evaluated on the interdisciplinary nature of their responses, feasibility of implementation, creativity and practicality. The UMB team included MPH students, Shaikh Afaq and Stephanie Sanchez, along with Meron Assefa (School of Pharmacy), Ava Hawkinson (School of Social Work), Brendaline Nettey (School of Social Work), and Christopher Reed (Carey School of Law).

Front row: Brendaline Nettey social work student and Meron Assefa, pharmacy student
Back row: Ava Hawkinson, social work student, Christopher Reed, law student, Stephanie Sanchez, MPH Student, and Shaikh Afaq, MPH student

MPH Students Share Their Passion for Public Health

The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) offers three different Mini-Med School Programs throughout the year. This summer, several MPH students assisted with the Mini-Med School for Kids Program. This program was specifically designed for youth living in Baltimore City.

In collaboration with the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club of Franklin Square, UMSOM staff, students and faculty implemented a six-week camp focusing on healthy behaviors and the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. During the last camp session, the MPH students used hands-on educational activities which enabled the campers to apply the knowledge that they gained during the earlier sessions.

While this program educated the campers on a variety of health topics, it also provided the MPH students with an outstanding opportunity to hone their public health skills. It enabled them to troubleshoot on the go, develop programing that was age appropriate and engaging, and share their passion for public health with the next generation of public health leaders. Kudos to all who played a role in this annual program.

Shaikh Afaq, MPH Student/Preventive Medicine Resident demonstrated how the heart works.

Janet Chan, MPH Student – Community and Population Health Concentration, shared dental hygiene tips for maintaining a healthy mouth.

Dean Reece with the MPH Students before the Mini-Med School for Kids Program graduation ceremony.

MPH Program Director and Students before the Mini-Med School for Kids Program graduation ceremony. Back row L-R: Shaikh Afaq, Diane Marie St. George, Jennifer Shields.  Front row L-R: Janet Chan, Janet Miranda, Rachana Regmi

2019 Commencement Celebrations

On Friday, May 17^th, the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) within the School of Medicine hosted its 10^th annual commencement ceremony. Over 150 students, faculty, staff, family members and friends helped us celebrate our 2019 awardees, honor society inductees, and graduates. Congratulations to all!

Several annual awards were announced during the ceremony. Congratulations to all of the awardees including the 2019 Master of Public Health Program Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Awardee, Lori Edwards, DrPH, RN, PHCNS-BC.

Pictured left to right: Dr. Jay Magaziner, Dr. Lori Edwards, Michelle Peralta (MPH Student) and Dr. Diane Marie St. George

Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health
During the EPH Post-Commencement Ceremony, the Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega inducted its 2019 class into the honorary society. The Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health was founded in 1924 to encourage and recognize excellence in practice, research, education, and academic achievement in the field of public health. This year, the Beta Tau Chapter was honored to induct 11 very deserving individuals into the Delta Omega Honorary Society.

From our alumni -

• Katherine Campbell
• Perri Carroll
• Akiba Drew
• Jawanna Henry
• Robert Sellke

From our 2019 MPH graduating class -

• Brendan Day
• Charles Fleming
• Rahel Kebede
• Talia Kozlowski
• Christopher Petrucelli (unable to attend)

From our MPH faculty –

• Erin Hager

Pictured left to right: Dr. Jay Magaziner, Dr. Lori Edwards, Dr. Erin Hager, Talia Kozlowski, Rahel Kebede, Charles Fleming, Brendan Day, Robert Sellke, Jawanna Henry, Akiba Drew, Perri Carroll, Katherine Campbell and Dr. Diane Marie St. George.

The Beta Tau Chapter is honored to induct all of these individuals into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. Congratulations to all of the new inductees.

Student Remarks
Each year during the EPH commencement ceremony, an MPH student representative shares a few words about his/her experience here at the University of Maryland Baltimore. Thank you to Jahi Omari for sharing a few inspirational words.

Pictured at the lectern Jahi Omari

Recognition of Graduates
2019 Master of Public Health Graduates

MPH Student from the UMSOM Selected to Participate in the 2019 Delta Omega Poster Session

Dr. Lahila-Carina Ojeda, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine MPH Program  has been selected to participate in the 2019 Delta Omega poster session at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association taking place in November 2019. Dr. Ojeda is an MPH student in the Epidemiology concentration and her abstract is entitled “Trending racial and place disparity in Maryland infant mortality and NICU metrics over time.”

MPH Student Participates in President Perman’s Symposium & White Paper Project

The 2018-2019 President's Fellows (l-r): Nicole Campion Dialo, Zachary Lee, Vibha Rao, Jenny Afkinich, Jessica Egan, and Lauren Highsmith.

The 2018-2019 president’s fellows recently published their recommendations related to the University of Maryland Baltimore’s (UMB) role as an anchor institution in addressing gun violence within the city of Baltimore. This interprofessional initiative, brought together students, faculty and staff from all of the schools at UMB during this academic year. Ms. Nicole Campion Dialo, a dual degree MD/MPH student in the Global Health concentration was selected as one of the 2018-2019 fellows. Over the course of the year, the fellows used their interprofessional lenses to consider all of the challenges and strengths of the UMB campus and the Baltimore community while also assessing the complexities surrounding gun violence within the community. The recommendations that the fellows provided will give UMB a framework on how to repair the fractured relationship that exists between the Baltimore community and the University. In early April, the fellows presented their report at the President’s Symposium. The MPH Program was proud to have an MPH dual degree student participate in this important initiative.

National Public Health Week 2019 was a Huge Success for the UMSOM MPH Program!

The MPH Program went to the Maryland Food Bank to pack food boxes for residents of assisted living facilities. According to one of the staff members, the group packed 510 boxes which earned them the grade of Exceeds Expectations!!

Thank you to those who volunteered. We had three eager, enthusiastic students--Nicholle Cross, Amos Dike and Deborah Olumuyiwa. We also had our fabulous, organized and hard-working staff—Ms. Longo and Ms. Manning. And last, but not least, our supportive and caring faculty—Drs. Ellish, Lane, St. George and Terrin.

We invite you to check out the photos taken throughout the week. Below you'll find slideshows organized by day and event. The complete slideshow is available on Flickr.

Monday, April 1

Photo Gallery:

Tuesday, April 2

Tuesday April 2^nd: The MPH Program was involved in two events - the 7th annual Public Health Research at Maryland event co-sponsored by EPH and the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Health and the UMB Wellness Fair sponsored by the UMB Wellness Hub.

At the 7th annual Public Health Research at Maryland event, the keynote speaker was the United States Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, MD, MPH. UMB leadership, including President Perman, Dean Reece and Dr. Magaziner, provided opening remarks and several MPH students (Ajuni Choudhary, Nimasha Fernando, Courtney Goodwin, Mehreen Mehtab, Erika Van Dyke) participated in the student poster contest with Ajuni Choudhary and Erika Van Dyke winning honorable mention for their posters.

Photo Gallery:

UMB Wellness Fair

At the UMB Wellness Fair, MPH students and faculty engaged with wellness fair participants through health education activities related to healthy eating.

Photo Gallery:

Wednesday, April 3

The 2^nd Annual Beta Tau Chapter of Delta Omega Advances in Public Health Lecture occurred. Dr. Dawn Alley from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center was the guest lecturer. In conjunction with the lecture, the MPH Program hosted a networking breakfast for MPH alumni, students and faculty.

Thursday, April 4

The MPH Program co-sponsored a public health networking event at the Grid with the UMB Wellness Hub. This event provided health professional students, alumni, faculty and staff with an opportunity to connect and build new collaborations and partnerships.

Photo Gallery:

MPH Student Is a Member of the Winning Team that represented the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) at the 6^th Annual D.C. Public Health Case Challenge

11/06/2018

MPH Student, Chigoziem Oguh

At the National Academy of Medicine’s  Annual Meeting, it was announced that the UMB team won the sixth annual D.C. Public Health Case Challenge. This contest aims to promote interdisciplinary, problem-based learning around a public health issue that is of importance to the Washington D.C. community. This year’s challenge topic was “Reducing Disparities in Cancer and Chronic Disease: Preventing Tobacco Use in African American Adolescents.” The teams were from D.C. area universities and were composed of four to six members from at least three disciplines. Each team had two weeks to develop a solution to this complex problem with a hypothetical $2.5 million budget to be used during a five-year span. The teams were evaluated on the interdisciplinary nature of their responses, feasibility of implementation, creativity and practicality. The UMB team included MPH student, Chigoziem Oguh along with Jennifer Breau, McMillan Ching, Dominique Earland, Erin Teigen and Adrienne Thomas.

MPH Student from the UMSOM selected to participate in the 2018 Delta Omega Poster Session

10/02/18

Nimasha Fernando, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine MPH Program  has been selected to participate in the 2018 Delta Omega poster session at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association taking place in November 2018. Ms. Fernando is an MPH student in the Global Health concentration and her abstract is entitled “Lost in translation? Exploring challenges in access and use of language services for low-English proficiency patients during transitions in care in the Baltimore area.” This is the first year that the University of Maryland School of Medicine MPH Program Beta Tau Chapter has participated in the Delta Omega poster competition.

UMSOM MPH Student and Alumna Presenting Abstracts APHA

10/02/2018

Michelle Peralta, MPH student, will be presenting a poster entitled “Impact of an intensive integrative medicine rotation on medical students’ attitude toward Complementary and Integrative Medicine” at the Annual Public Health Association’s (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo in San Diego, CA, November 2018. 

Sharon Saunders, MD, MPH, MPH alumna, will be presenting a poster entitled “Mini-Medical School: Participant Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Reasons for Attending” at the Annual Public Health Association’s (APHA) Annual Meeting and Expo in San Diego, CA, November 2018.

MD/MPH Student, Nicole Campion Dialo, named as a 2018-2019 President’s Fellow

10/02/18

Nicole Campion Dialo, MD/MPH Student

During the course of each academic year, the University of Maryland Baltimore’s (UMB) president, Jay Perman, MD, sponsors the President’s Symposium and White Paper Project. This inter-professional initiative engages students, faculty and staff from all of the UMB’s schools and academic programs in a year-long conversation on a topic of importance to the University community.

In September of 2018, Dr. Perman, announced his seven 2018-2019 president’s fellows for this inter-professional initiative. Ms. Nicole Campion Dialo an MD/MPH student in the Global Health concentration, was among those selected for this honor.

Through this inter-professional initiative, Ms. Campion Dialo and the other selected fellows will tackle the controversial issue of gun violence. As an interdisciplinary team they will study the root causes of gun violence and use a team approach to examine its traumatic impact on our communities. They will use the same team approach to develop recommendations and present a proposed University-wide implementation strategy in the spring of 2019.

UMB health leaders participate in the #MannequinChallenge

1/11/17

The Healthiest Maryland Schools (HMS) Program is a student-led interprofessional after-school childhood obesity prevention program based in West Baltimore. The program aims to train future leaders in medicine, social work, nursing, pharmacy, law, dentistry, and public health; while also enhancing students' understanding of the importance of interprofessional approaches that are needed to prevent and treat complex chronic diseases that have their origins in childhood. 

The HMS Program is actively recruiting UMB students to assist at three neighboring elementary schools this Spring! To sign-up or for more information, please contact Erica Turner, Program Manager, eturner@peds.umaryland.edu.‌‌

See our student leaders and HMS kids participating in the #mannequinchallenge.

MPH Student, Reena Rambharat conducts health education workshops with local elementary students for the Kids to the Farmers' Market Program 

12/08/16

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in 2010. Obese youths are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bone and joint problems, and sleep apnea. Social and psychological problems such as poor self-esteem and being ostracized by peers also are worse with obesity. In addition, obese youths are more likely to be obese as adults, when they would be subject to the same health risks.

A healthy lifestyle, focusing on good eating and exercise, is the best strategy for obesity prevention. Communities, schools, and medical care providers can all influence these behaviors in children. To that end, on behalf of Jay A. Perman, MD, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), Jennifer Litchman, MA, special assistant to Perman and chief communications officer and vice president in the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, assembled a UMB and University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) team to create the Kids to Farmers’ Market project, which focuses on improving the eating habits and physical activity of inner city schoolchildren on Baltimore’s Westside.