Adapting to a new life across the country while pursuing a PhD, in the midst of a pandemic is not simple. In this episode of Making Public Health Personal, doctoral student at CUNY SPH, Ivonne Quiroz, MPH shares the story of her journey as a nontraditional student pursuing a public health education. Ivonne speaks with podcast host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon about her passion for food justice, race, culture, and health. She also opens up about how she personally navigates challenges with ADHD, a story that gives hope for other neurodivergent students, and/or students with disabilities to succeed.

Ivonne Quiroz is from California and graduated with a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of California, Irvine. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from San Francisco State University. Despite its physical distance from her former career as an Organizational Director for social organizations on the West Coast, New York City was the perfect place for her to pursue a doctoral degree in Community Health and Health Policy. Not only is NYC diverse, but the programs available at CUNY SPH were a perfect fit for Ivonne. While the pandemic’s shift to fully online learning allowed her to balance her educational and career opportunities, the flexible classes regularly available at CUNY SPH allow Ivonne to thrive. While pursuing her PhD, she has gained experience as an adjunct teaching a course on Health Equity, Communication and Advocacy - a great resume builder for someone who wants to be a researcher in higher education. Ivonne also has found career opportunities through her connections with CUNY SPH professors, as a research assistant at the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute. Her personal mission as a latina and public health advocate is being realized now, and surely will continue post-graduation.

For students interested in a similar path but not sure where to begin, we discuss the application process for a public health degree, the flexibility of CUNY SPH’s programs, and the career-building opportunities available to current students. Ivonne’s story gives hope for anyone who doesn’t fit the mold of a traditional college student, but hopes to make a difference in the world.

Episode Links:

Centralized application for public health programs: https://sophas.org/

Disordered eating and food insecurity research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4903957/pdf/nihms741592.pdf

Transcript: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0vo1zw2h7a6ilw4/Episode%205%20Transcript.txt?dl=0

In this Episode:

From Valedictorian to vaccine advocate, the path to a successful career is not a predictable one -- Especially when you are pursuing your Masters’ of Public Health degree during a pandemic. 2021 CUNY SPH Valedictorian Hannah Stuart Lathan shares her story with host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon in this episode. We’ll discuss some of Hannah Stuart’s research and efforts around vaccination, and find out about her journey to obtain her Masters of Public Health degree program and onto a successful career.

Hannah Stuart is from South Carolina and graduated with a degree in Journalism and Public Health from the University of South Carolina Honors College. She then made her way to New York City, working as a sexual health educator and counselor and later pursuing her MPH in Community Health and Maternal, Child, Reproductive and Sexual Health from CUNY SPH, where she also received the Dean’s Academic Achievement Award. Her research with faculty began while she was a student at CUNY SPH, and she was able to work full time while completing her MPH degree program. The professional connections she made here at CUNY SPH set her up with opportunities that continued beyond graduation. She also credits the affordability of CUNY, which allowed her to graduate without student loan debt.

Currently, this hard working alumna is Program Manager for CONVINCE USA and the New York Vaccines Literacy Campaign at CUNY SPH, which supports community-based efforts to increase vaccine uptake through education and communication. She leads programmatic activities and events, and works to identify and mitigate concerns about vaccination. Her story is one that was not predictable, but surely is inspiring.

Links:

Vaccine hesitancy research: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/00027642211062865

Op-Ed on key considerations for employers contemplating covid 19 vaccine requirements: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2021/key-considerations-employers-contemplating-covid-19-vaccine-requirements

Vaccine Literacy Campaign and data: https://vaccineliteracycampaign.org/

Event videos from Vaccine Literacy Campaign at CUNY SPH (including, “Speaking to your loved ones about getting vaccinated”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhmFjYnvjd8&list=PL3tR082A6jFhFGG5uOr3nvw5llR2TsXAf

NYC vaccine referral bonusprogram: https://forms.cityofnewyork.us/f/VaccineReferralBonus

CUNY SPH 2021 graduation: https://sph.cuny.edu/life-at-sph/news/2021/06/16/2021-commencement/

Download a transcript of this episode here.

In this Episode:

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has been around since the 1980s and over 36 million people have died of AIDS. Today over 37 million people are living with HIV, globally. With breakthroughs in prevention, treatment and care coordination in recent years, there are still barriers to achieving optimal HIV care outcomes. In the U.S., these barriers are intersecting epidemics such as mental health and substance abuse, unstable housing and incarceration. This episode of Making Public Health Personal explores the unique challenges and stigma associated with HIV in the U.S., and how far medical interventions and public programs have come to improve the quality of life for people living with HIV. We also explore how lessons learned from the HIV pandemic can inform our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the pandemics of the future.

Host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon from the SPH Office of Online Learning is joined by Dr. Denis Nash, Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at CUNY SPH. He is also the Executive Director of CUNY’s Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health. Dr. Nash has over 20 years of experience in infectious disease epidemiology on a national and global scale. He has published over 250 scientific articles and his research is primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this episode, we will learn about his research projects which focus on improving the outcomes of people living with HIV in the Ryan White Program, an HIV care coordination intervention for people at very high risk of bad HIV care outcomes. We also discuss his new research on HIV injectables and the CHASING COVID Cohort study, to find similarities that can help us better respond to future pandemics.

Episode Links:

CUNY’s Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health: http://cunyisph.org

The CHASING COVID Cohort Study https://cunyisph.org/chasing-covid/

The CHORDS Study in NYC’s Ryan White Program:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30248136/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30299346/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29788080/

The PROMISE Study in NYC’s Ryan White Program: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32718922/

The APPLI Study of Long Acting Injectable ART in the Ryan White Program

https://cunyisph.org/cuny-sph-and-the-nyc-health-department-to-study-long-acting-antiretroviral-therapy-for-hiv/

Ryan White services in NYC: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/aids-hiv-care-treatment-and-housing.page

Contact & find out more about Denis Nash: https://sph.cuny.edu/about/people/faculty/denis-nash/

Dr. Nash’s recent media appearances: https://www.clippings.me/denisnash

Download a transcript of this episode here. 

In This Episode:

Looking for practical indoor ventilation tips to reduce the risk of cold and flu transmission during indoor gatherings and in public settings? With schools opening up to in-person learning, offices welcoming back their workers, and the winter chill keeping us indoors, it’s important to be informed about how viruses spread. You might be wondering, is a child more likely to contract covid-19 from a classmate, or from their teacher? How well-ventilated are NYC classrooms? Is it safe to go back to your cubicle? How can business owners, schools and landlords prepare for the next pandemic? The answers may surprise you. 

Episode Links:

To file a complaint on behalf of nail salon workers or other workers who you believe are in poorly ventilated spaces, visit: www.DOS.NY.GOV/file-consumer-complaint or call the consumer assistance line: 800-697-1220

While it may be convenient, it is also dangerous to rely on quick social media headlines or secondhand information when making public and personal health decisions. At the same time, medical research studies can seem overwhelmingly complicated and hard to understand, if we can locate them at all.

www.Pubmed.gov (Direct source of public health research studies available to all, curated by the National Library of Medicine)

Download an accessible text transcript here.