Our incoming scholars answer the question: "What does public health equity mean to you?"
2022 Cohort
-
Tyler Alexander
Research Interests Health disparities, Black womens health, Preventative health educationUndergraduate Institution Xavier University - New OrleansHealth equity means ensuring that every person, regardless of their sociodemographics, has fair access to health education and care. These resources will allow them to make informed decisions regarding their health to improve quality of life. In the future, I plan to prioritize advocacy, education, and empowerment of others while promoting equitable access to healthcare among minority populations.
-
Lia Artis
Research Interests Maternal and child health, Womens healthUndergraduate Institution North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State UniversityHealth equity is providing the resources and education to community members in need, while changing the system and being a voice from the inside out. My future goal is to become a family physician that focuses on maternal and child health. I am interested in doing research centered around family structures and its effect on the postpartum period.
-
Taiylar Ball
Research Interests Reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, Health services and health policy, Health behavior, Infectious disease, Oral health, Black maternal health, Global healthUndergraduate Institution Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityHealth equity is social justice. It ensures that everyone regardless of socioeconomic factors like gender or race will have access to great and equal healthcare. I plan to prioritize a career in international health as our world has become so interconnected and that influences our individual and collective health. My Chicago roots influence most of my work and I strive to make my research accessible and understood by all people. Health equity should be accessible and understood by all.
-
Ameerah Battle
Research Interests Maternal mortality rates among Black women, Maternal and child health, Health disparities, EpidemiologyUndergraduate Institution Howard UniversityHealth equity to me means analyzing historically marginalized communities and creating resources and solutions to provide quality and affordable healthcare. I aspire to become a physician and public health research to provide service and advocacy through health policy.
-
Kiana Beheshtian
Research Interests Epidemiology, Disease prevention, Health disparities, Environmental healthUndergraduate Institution University of California, MercedFor me, health equity means emphasizing the importance of health as a fundamental human right and ensuring that everyone receives equal access to affordable, effective, and efficient health care. In the future, I hope to utilize my public health background to address health disparities among vulnerable populations with a broad and unique approach.
-
Virginia (Ginny) Cafferky
Research Interests Epidemiology, MindfulnessUndergraduate Institution University of RochesterHealth equity is interwoven with every aspect of public health. To me, health equity means understanding how structural violence sustains health disparities, and seeking to incorporate that knowledge in your work - whether it's research, clinical practice, or applying interventions in a community. In the future, I plan to apply epidemiological methods to study health through a biopsychosocial lens — to understand how psychosocial factors impact physical health, and how interventions like mindfulness can be applied and made more accessible.
-
Gabrielle Evans
Research Interests Health disparities, Social determinants of health, Health behaviorUndergraduate Institution Spelman CollegeHealth equity to me is the ability for everyone in the world to receive healthcare and resources that allow them to achieve and maintain optimal health. My future goal is to become a behavioral scientist and help to establish intervention programs that educate community members on avoiding behaviors that lead to negative health outcomes and encourage behaviors that lead to achieving optimal health.
-
Corban Jackson
Research Interests Health equity, Health services and health policy, Health disparities, Cardiovascular disease among African AmericansUndergraduate Institution Tougaloo CollegeTo me, health equity means highlighting health disparities and advocating for policy changes to allow equal access to healthcare regardless of ethnic background, level of education, or socioeconomic status. Some states have less than three major hospitals and are unfairly charged with the responsibility of overseeing care for their entire state population. Situations such as this can cause overcrowding, and a lack of resources, physicians, and medical equipment. My future professional goals involve evolving healthcare policies that expand the reach of hospitals to rural and underserved communities by building smaller extension clinical and hospital facilities to isolated areas.
-
Rosemelly Jimenez
Research Interests Latinx health, Health disparities, Infectious disease, Addiction and substance use, Nicotine and cannabisUndergraduate Institution University of California, MercedHealth Equity means allocating resources to those in underserved communities who face a disproportionate access to health services. It is about giving the members in these communities the opportunity to live as healthy of a life as possible regardless of ones socioeconomic status and racial background. Health Equity isn’t about being equal, it’s about leveling the playing field and giving more to those who need it. It is important to note that when advocating for people in these communities, one must not silence and overpower but uplift and empower, which is what I plan to do in my career as a Public Health Professional.
-
Azia Johnson
Research Interests Chronic illness, Diet-based health disparitiesUndergraduate Institution Providence CollegeHealth equity is about bridging the gaps between marginalized people and the resources they need to access their right to health and wellness. I hope to work closely with disadvantaged communities like my own to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities. My research interests include chronic disease prevention and diet-based disparities of health.
-
Alexandria Morgan
Research Interests Health disparities, Cardiovascular diseaseUndergraduate Institution Tougaloo CollegeHealth equity to me means that everyone has the same opportunities. The goal is to provide fairness and advantages amongst all people. I plan to become a public health researcher and help improve health equity.
-
Danielle Perry
Research Interests Maternal and child health, Health disparitiesUndergraduate Institution Cheyney University of PennsylvanniaHealth equity to me means that the health needs of everyone are met in a way that is accessible and beneficial to the individual. I hope to bring this idea to my research interest in maternal and reproductive health. My future goal is to become a public health nurse-midwife, focusing on increasing equitable birth experiences for black women.
-
Laura Reich
Research Interests Epidemiology, Access to careUndergraduate Institution University of Oregon, EugeneHealth equity, to me, is profoundly personal. How does our community, our socio-economic status, and our unique background shape our experiences with health and healthcare? How can we, as a community of public health leaders, ensure that every individual receives the support and resources they need to reach their highest level of health and well-being? In my case, I plan to concentrate in epidemiology in order to plan for and prevent the spread of disease in marginalized populations.
-
Tishara Reid
Research Interests Refugee and migrant health, Health services and health policy, Health equity, Access to careUndergraduate Institution Jackson State UniversityTo me, health equity is fundamentally about access. Health equity, when exercised, should facilitate access to all the resources that allow individuals from all communities to lead healthy lives without considering their race, gender, socioeconomic status or any other socially constructed affiliation. A goal of mine is to assist organizations with the development of policies and programs that directly impact the health of marginalized communities.
-
Yaideliz M Romero-Ramos
Research Interests Womens health, Health disparities, Global healthUndergraduate Institution University of Puerto Rico, HumacaoHealth equity to me is fair allocation of public health resources, increased education and evidence-based policy changes for the communities that need it. In the future I aspire to be a community-based epidemiologist focusing on increasing the implementation of available resources in underserved communities, especially Latinxs.
-
Michael Thompson
Research Interests Health disparities, HIV-related outcomes, Epidemiology, Infectious diseaseUndergraduate Institution Tennessee State UniversityTo me, health equity means making sure every person has the opportunity to attain his or her full health potential, no matter their financial situation.
My future goal is to go into health care delivery to provide health care services to underserved communities, eliminate health disparities through health promotion, and raise awareness to lower the HIV/AIDS rates within the African American community.
-
Tiara Thornton
Research Interests Maternal and child health, Health equityUndergraduate Institution University of Rhode Island, KingstonHealth equity is the assurance of quality health care and health-related resources for all people. My research and future career will be centered around maternal and child health. To address racial and social inequalities to ensure the conditions of optimal births for all women.
-
Jeffrey White
Research Interests Health disparities, Health equityUndergraduate Institution Morehouse CollegeI am of the consideration that public health can serve as a translational framework, akin to a multidisciplinary chain of adamant, that links broader upstream determinants like communal policy to the pursuance of the social needs of the individual. Undergirded by the principal aim of the attenuation of disparities in physical as well as psycho-social outcomes, this body of inquiry is an instrument of impartial redress and a call to action that resounds with Platonic tones of justice by which the inviolability of collective well-being is affirmed irrespective of ethnic extraction, gender, or station. Such a conception will necessarily inform my immediate intention to continue research with respect to neglected, communicable diseases in materially disadvantaged regions of the Global South and the subsequent, professional goal of becoming a clinician with a topical emphasis on marginalized populations.
-
Katie Yetter
Research Interests Addiction and substance use, Veterans healthUndergraduate Institution Brown UniversityI want to focus my research on military veterans who suffer from addiction and/or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As a veteran, I want to give back to my community in every way possible. Health equity is the ability of all people, regardless of social or economic status to live abundant, healthy lives and it is essential we remove the barriers of discrimination in the public health sector.