Letter from the President

Habitat for Humanity, Project Makeover and Healthy Start are fantastic organizations we were able to partner with this year and our year is not yet over! This summer we will begin creating our directory and establish a mentor program for future inductees.  

As if this year could not get any more exciting, we had the honor of Dr. William Foege, a central player in the eradication of smallpox, deliver the keynote address at the induction ceremony of new members on May 2nd. Dr. Foege's address resonated on two central messages. First, public health is a profound profession that can make such a profound impact on anyone and everyone. Second, to stop sweating the plan and focus on the philosophy. Being in public health, no matter the capacity, shows your philosophy of protecting and caring for others. What better philosophy is there no matter where it takes you? 

This edition of the Delta Omega Gators demonstrates that philosophy. Thank you again for choosing such a noble profession and for being leaders in the field. We hope you enjoy this edition of Delta Omega Gators. 

Mentorship Program

As introduced in the last newsletter, we are building an official directory of our chapter members to facilitate networking between members and establish a foundation for a mentorship program.

We ask that you take 3 minutes to complete this survey that serves to capture your contact information and also asks if you are interested in participating in our mentorship program as a mentor or a mentee. 

We are stronger together and have so many resources at our disposal just by connecting with one another. Thank you for taking the time to put in your information to make us an even stronger organization.

Beta Upsilon Annual Chapter Meeting

Call for nominations! Please email Cindy Prins at capfive@ufl.edu with your self-nomination or nomination of our President-elect and two members-at-large to serve on the Executive Committee, along with Past-President (Meghan Nodurft-Froman) and current President (Jodian Blake). It is an exciting time to serve on the Delta Omega Beta Upsilon Chapter and we look forward to receiving your nominations.

Beta Upsilon will hold its annual chapter meeting on Monday, August 26 from 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm at the CTRB, room 2161. Executive Committee elections will take place at this time.

APHA 2019 Philadelphia

Save the date for the 2019 APHA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, which will take place November 2-6, 2019. The theme of this year's meeting is "Creating the Healthiest Nation: For science. For action. For health."

Delta Omega will hold its Annual National Meeting as part of APHA on November 4 from 2:00pm - 5:00pm, followed by a reception.

The University of Florida Reception, hosted by the College of Public Health and Health Professions, will be held at APHA on November 4 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm.

Jodian Blake

Jodian Blake, MPH, CTTS, completed the UF Master of Public Health program with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2011. Since then, she has worked at the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County as a Health Education Consultant and at Suwannee River AHEC as a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist and then the Tobacco Program Manager. She currently holds a position at the UF Health Cancer Center in the newly formed Office of Community Outreach and Engagement as the Community Health Resource Coordinator. In this role, she is responsible for fostering community health partnerships to help build programs from community identified cancer-relevant needs. She also communicates and collaborates with Cancer Center administrative leadership and UF faculty/staff to coordinate activities that address catchment area priorities and research goals of the Cancer Center’s 22 counties.