Letter from the President

In the 2019-2020 year, the Beta Upsilon Chapter Mentorship Program was developed and launched through the dedication of Past-President Meghan Nodurft-Froman and we matched a total of 5 members as mentees/mentors. Our chapter participated in the Project Makeover annual event, hosted our annual book drive, and member-at-large Brandace Stone spearheaded the creation of a chapter Facebook page.

In May we welcomed new members to Beta Upsilon, despite having to cancel our annual spring induction ceremony. This issue features some of those new members, their current work and a reflection of their time during their public health education. Please take a moment to read through their biographies and congratulate them on their accomplishments.

Finally, the year of 2020 will be one that most of us will never forget. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the reinvigorated fight for racial justice in the U.S. and worldwide, we are constantly reminded of the importance of public health. This field challenges us all to keep the people we serve and the barriers they face to optimal health at the forefront of what we do. While the work being done by members of Delta Omega and other public health professionals may not always be the latest news, it is and will always be important. I am ever grateful for the work being done by you all.

Stay safe out there! 

Warm regards,

Jodian

Delta Omega kicked off the year with a children's book drive. Over 150 books were collected and donated to C.W. Norton Elementary School in Gainesville during Project Makeover. 

Thank you to those who were able to participate in the book drive and those who volunteered for Project Makeover!

Scott Cohen

Scott Cohen, MPH, was immediately hired as an epidemiologist by the Florida Department of Health to assist with COVID-19 after completing the MPH program in April. He has returned to the University of Florida to begin the MD-PhD program, with a plan to complete his graduate studies in epidemiology/public health. Scott's favorite moment of the MPH program was at PHHP Research Day in January 2020, when his poster on air pollution in Alachua County one first place and he got to meet Dr. Sandro Galea. "The day was an amazing experience," he said. "And I owe credit to the mentors [and] faculty in the MPH program who provided me with the education and guidance to complete my research project."

Shelbi Dupre

Shelbi Dupre, BPH, will be attending Johns Hopkins University in the fall as an MSN Entry into Nursing Student. Her hope is to use public health and nursing to break barriers of health inequity, social injustice, and social determinants. In her senior year at the University of Florida, she completed an internship with the Gainesville Fire Rescue Community Resource Paramedicine program. "It was the patient visits that showed me the value I can give people through public health," Shelbi answered when asked about moments that stood out during her time in the Public Health program.

Savanah Mueller

Savanah Mueller, MPH, has been staying involved in the Public Health field, despite the scarcity of public health programs and jobs in the rural area of Eastern North Carolina that she calls home. She volunteers at a free medical clinic and a women's shelter. Her recent work on assembling a policy and procedure manual helped the free clinic gain approval for accreditation by the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics. Her most rewarding work, though, is at the women's shelter. "Our goal is to guide the women to becoming self sufficient and independent, finding employment and housing, and also often juggling various legal battles regarding their history of domestic violence," Savanah said. "It has been incredible to put my educational background into practice."

Janice Nieves

Janice Nieves, BPH, showed a commitment to Public Health throughout her time at the University of Florida with involvement in on-campus organizations U Matter Ambassadors and the Hispanic Student Association, and off-campus with Reading Pals and Kids Count. She credits her practicum with Kids Count as having the most impact on her time in the BPH program. "I got to learn about the health disparities that exist on the east side of Gainesville with regards to poverty, mental health, academics, and health outcomes," Janice said. "I was able to be a resource in the community and help the kids in the best way that I could in order to promote better outcomes for such young children."

Dr. Chi Tang

"The focus of my work is to engage patients in medical decision making with modern information technology," explained Dr. Tang. "I believe that patient-driven instead of physician-driven decision making is essential for personalized healthcare." Dr. Tang is an endocrinologist with Griffin Faculty Physicians in Connecticut and creator of a decision-making assistant app named "Help My Diabetes". He recently earned his Master of Science degree in Biostatistics from University of Florida and hopes to continue to advocate a cultural shift in empowering patients and equipping them with the necessary tools to better their health. 

Dr. Ye Yuan

Dr. Yuan graduated with a PhD in pharmaceutical science and a Master's in Biostatistics from the University of Florida in December 2019. He is currently working as an ORISE fellow and will soon join the Division of Pharmacometrics at the Official of Clinical Pharmacology at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research with the FDA. Dr. Yuan's project is to develop a mathematical model to predict the pandemic of Covid-19 in the United States, evaluate the effect of the social interventions on controlling Covid-19, and to potentially incorporate the Covid-19 model into review work.