Public Health Nutrition in Action

Staff Spotlight with Sarah Egan
Meet dietitian and public health professional Sarah Egan, MPH, RD. She is the Project Coordinator for the Michigan State University-Hurley Children's Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative (PPHI), Nutrition team.

She talks about finding her dream job, Flint Kids Cook, overcoming challenges at work during COVID-19, and how transitioning to a virtual class helped reach more kids and brought families together.

Faculty Voice: Seven Strategies to Infuse Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into Teaching

Robey B. Champine, PhD, MS, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Master of Public Health Program, where she teaches courses on social and behavioral aspects of public health and program evaluation. Her research involves partnering with communities to design, implement, and evaluate programs for children exposed to potentially traumatic events.

Trusted Partnerships Equal Successful Community Engagement

RODLESCIA SNEED: 
FACULTY VOICE
As an undergraduate, I was always interested in doing work related to health disparities and increasing health equity. After completing my Bachelor’s degree, I decided to take a few years off before going to graduate school. During this time, I took a position with a social service organization, and that work cemented my interest in public health.

Frozen in Grief: From Pain to Purpose

You’re six months pregnant, and you get the news that the father of your unborn child has been shot and killed while visiting his family in a town two hours away. It could be your undoing, or you could work through your grief and eventually move on with your life to do something positive in spite of the tragedy.

That’s what happened to Sara Loughrige in February 2005.

“All you can do is try to keep going,” Loughrige said. “The immediate feeling is that you don’t want to do anything—you get frozen in grief.”

Accepting Alice Hamilton Scholar Applicants

Alice Hamilton Scholars complete public health training, mentored research, and clinical care with the Michigan State University - Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative (PPHI). The two-year scholar program is named in honor of Alice Hamilton (1869–1970), an American physician, research scientist, author, humanitarian, and social justice pioneer. Dr. Hamilton is considered the mother of the field of occupational health and spent her life protecting vulnerable populations from toxic exposures.

$6M CDC Grant to Boost Confidence in COVID-19 and Other Adult Vaccines

Closing the racial gap in health outcomes and COVID-19 vaccination rates in Michigan as well as other states is the aim of Michigan State University researchers funded through a $6 million, one-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC grant is for the National Network to Innovate for COVID-19 and Adult Vaccine Equity, or NNICE project.

Inaugural Flint Spartan Master of Public Health Scholarship Recipient

Michigan State University is excited to congratulate Katlin Harwood-Schelb as the inaugural recipient of the Flint Spartan Master of Public Health Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to an incoming Master of Public Health student who lives or works in the Greater Flint community and has demonstrated a commitment to implementing the knowledge obtained by completing the Master of Public Health program. 

Black Health Matters: Grant Funds Cancer Screening Equity

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer type diagnosed in the United States in both men and women. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be nearly 150,000 new cases in 2021 and over 50,000 deaths. But CRC is preventable and very treatable if caught early. “Disparities in CRC screening have persisted in the African American community, but we have the tools to do something about it. If Black Lives Matter, then Black health should matter too,” Todd Lucas.

The Obstacles that Shape Your Path

For an entire decade, Pavneet Banga, MD, contemplated going back to school. Everyday life, family, and multiple relocation opportunities stalled her studies. She kept thinking, “will that gap time be an obstacle to my success?” One conversation later, she was ready to pursue her public health interest in epidemics and pandemics.

“So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune."
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg

A Candid Conversation with Leading Coronavirus Vaccine Developer

Have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine? Mark your calendars for a discussion, led by a panel of local Flint experts, with Kizzmekia S. Corbett, PhD, a National Institutes of Health scientist instrumental in groundbreaking research that directly led to the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

$622K to Address Health Disparities with Family Health History Tools

Flint native, community advocate, and Michigan State University researcher, Kent Key, PhD, MPH, has been awarded a five-year, $622,835 grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to co-develop culturally appropriate family health history tools with African American community members.

Air Pollution’s Impact on the Health of Michiganders

Air pollutant exposures are associated with adverse birth outcomes and worsening symptoms of asthma, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. How can Michiganders track local forecasted air quality? Robert Wahl, DVM, MS, assistant professor in the College of Human Medicine’s Master of Public Health program, explains how.