Sixteen graduate students from four departments at the School of Public Health took part in the first-ever Student Public Health Practice Showcase held Friday, Nov. 15, at the University’s Community Engagement Center in the Hill District.
The event included a poster presentation and remarks by Tina Ndoh, PhD, associate dean for practice and associate professor of environmental and occupational health; Lina Dostilio, EdD, vice chancellor of engagement and community affairs, University of Pittsburgh; Tracey Conti, MD, UPMC Andrew Mathieson Professor of Family Medicine, School of Medicine; Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD, director, Community PARTners, Clinical and Translational Science Institute; and Pitt Public Health Dean Maureen Lichtveld, MD, MPH.
“It’s the first time we’ve had a poster session and special event to highlight our school’s practice work,” said Ndoh, who also directs the Center for Public Health Practice at the School of Public Health. “Hopefully next year we can get representation from even more departments, as well as undergraduate student participation.”
Posters highlighted work that students completed in collaboration with community partners and awards were presented to students, faculty and community partners.
Marc Wagner, a longtime volunteer with the Pitt Men’s Study and research technician at the University of Pittsburgh, was honored as a Public Health Established Community Partner.
Oasis Farm and Fishery, a Homewood urban farm and greenhouse project associated with the Bible Center Church, was named an Emerging Community Partner. Farm Manager Ash Chan and colleagues accepted on behalf of Oasis.
Evan Cole, PhD, research associate professor of health policy and management, received the Emerging Faculty Partner award. Cole is director of the Medicaid Research Center in Pitt’s Health Policy Institute. His research interests focus on generating evidence with and for policymakers to improve access and quality of health care for low-income and disabled populations.
Patricia Documét, MD, DrPH, associate professor of behavioral and community health sciences before her retirement this past June, was honored as an Established Faculty Partner. Documét’s research interests focused on Latino health and the relevance of social relationships, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Student winners include:
- Gloria Akhadelor-Job, MBBS (MPH, EPI ’25), first place, for her poster "Community-Engaged Research to Develop a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Doula Program for Black Women in Pittsburgh's Priority Neighborhoods."
- Alyssa Arreola (MPH, HUGEN ’25) and Claire McLean (MA, Linguistics, A&S ’25), second place, for their poster, “The Healthy Communities, Services, and Lifestyles (HSCL) Project: Elevating Community Voices to Shape Future Health in the Hill District.”
- Ian Jacobs (MS, BIOST ’24; PhD, EPI ’28), third place, for his poster "Evaluating Surveillance Trends in Environmentally Influenced Cancers in Southwestern Pennsylvania Counties as Compared to State and National Rates."
-Michele Baum