Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Master of Public Health (MPH) students from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have stepped up to the challenge of balancing their training in public health, continuing their in-progress research and outreach work, and taking on new responsibilities in managing the spread of the virus. Students have been involved in COVID-19 clinical care, research and the development of therapies, as well as volunteer work. This includes placing update calls to patients’ families, directing calls to resource hotlines, and coordinating food drop-offs to New York City residents. Showing resilience in the face of an unprecedented situation, students continued to meet the milestones of their professional degree program, and in May, the students celebrated yet another major accomplishment—the presentation of their MPH Culminating Experience project at Public Health Research Day.
More than 50 MPH students presented their graduate-level research at the first-ever virtual meeting of Public Health Research Day on Thursday, May 28. To bring the Mount Sinai community together, the Graduate Program in Public Health kicked off this year’s event with a timely lecture by Jessica Metcalf, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Public Affairs at Princeton University, on the use of serology in monitoring health during the pandemic. Afterward, four students were given the honor of presenting their research in long-form oral presentations to more than 100 attendees on Zoom.
Sofia Bengoa presented work on the East Harlem built environment and its effects on adolescent well-being. Charles Sanky described results of the social determinants of health and patients’ lifetime experiences of discrimination as surveyed within an emergency department. Rui Jiang shared work on leveraging hyperlocal epidemiology to capture missed breast cancer screening opportunities. The last honored speaker was Shivani Rathi, who discussed the effects of early childhood stress, adult resilience, and sexual orientation in Gujarat, India. The afternoon followed with each student’s virtual poster presentation in specialty areas like health care management, epidemiology, global health, health promotion, and other public health fields. The following MPH candidates were recognized for their outstanding poster presentations: Debjyoti Datta, Salvatore Crusco, Erona Ibroci, Kayla Jaeckel, Charles Sanky.
The Graduate Program in Public Health united the student community for a uniquely heartfelt virtual gathering in which three MPH alumni candidly shared their post-graduation experiences. Molly Libou, MPH, Research and Surveillance Manager in the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, walked students through her job search strategies and encouraged students to jump at opportunities to learn and advance in the field. Michael Smith, MPH, HIV Consultant, United Nations World Food Programme, earnestly shared how grueling work projects, like writing and rewriting a master’s thesis, were learning experiences that better prepared him for more significant challenges in his career. Finally, Erica Palladino, MPH, Public Engagement and Strategic Communications Fellow in the Office of the Surgeon General, illustrated the importance of preparing for your future workplace, but also acknowledged that learning will happen on the job as well.
“These are historic times for Public Health,” said Nils Hennig, MD, PhD, MPH, Director of the Graduate Program in Public Health. “We are all reminded how important the role of public health education, practice, and leadership is during this time. I have never been more proud of our students, faculty, and staff than in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In our program, I see an unwavering dedication to the public’s health.”