Student Spotlight: Amy Gelatt
Shortly after Northern Arizona University’s Center for Health Equity Research began in 2017, one of the first members of the spartan administration team was Amy Gelatt.
Gelatt was a bachelor’s degree student in health sciences at NAU and worked at CHER several hours a week as a student worker, but quickly became an essential permanent employee on the CHER team.
Five years later, Gelatt has grown along with the burgeoning staff and is now within a semester of graduating with her Master of Public Health degree.
Gelatt’s quiet, unruffled strength and extraordinary organizational skills have made her the perfect person to coordinate CHER’s many events–– a task she juggles along with her countless other responsibilities. In particular, she has been responsible for organizing CHER’s ABRC Education Series, funded by the Arizona Biomedical Research Centre (ABRC).
When the ABRC Education Series (now in its 12th year) moved online last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, Gelatt quickly adapted to the remote environment and coordinated all five events over a span of just five months. Each had more than 100 attendees and some were quite complex, with international speakers and attendance, live interpreters, and high-profile speakers such as Arizona’s US Senator Mark Kelly. All events were recorded, and are available online on CHER’s past events.
“Amy is such a tremendous asset to NAU and CHER. In addition to her amazing organizational skills helping to implement the ABRC Education Series, she has contributed in so many other ways with logistical and administrative support for CHER,” said Regents’ Professor Julie Baldwin, director of CHER. “She is so resourceful and eager to help others. She is true team member and leader. We are so pleased she is pursuing her MPH and we know that she will make major contributions to the fields of public health and environmental sustainability. It’s been a joy and honor to know and work with her!”
Gelatt’s inspiration at CHER
Gelatt arrived at NAU after receiving her associate’s degree in environmental studies from Colorado Mountain College.
“I was interested in environmental studies because I was raised with nature-centered values with a strong science foundation,” she said. “In many ways, my understanding of the world is that natural laws are the only true laws.”
Gelatt said she was first drawn to working at CHER because she liked the diversity of the projects and its focus on serving underrepresented populations.
She said her favorite part of her work so far has been coordinating the ABRC events. “I have been inspired by the health research education series that I have been involved in,” Gelatt said. “Through these events, I have been able to meet and learn from nationally recognized health science professionals and to be a part of bringing research information to the community.”
After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, she said she would not have continued on with a master’s degree if it had not been for the encouragement of Baldwin, Samantha Sabo, associate professor in CHER and the Department of Health Sciences and co-lead of the Community Engagement Core for the Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative, and Nicolette Teufel-Shone, associate director of CHER and SHERC Community Engagement Core lead.
“These three women are so plugged in to their craft. Their extensive knowledge and approachability made it effortless for me to go to them for help,” Gelatt said. “Each of them offers tireless support and lucrative suggestions. I am honored to have had these mentors; it is because of their encouragement that I have the confidence to move forward with my education. Without a doubt, I would not have been successful in this program without them.”
Gelatt said she has been inspired by watching CHER grow from six people when she first started to more than 30 staff and faculty members.
“Over my five years with CHER, we have brought on incredible new faculty, had faculty advance in their careers, and have had some really important projects funded,” Gelatt said. “It’s just incredible how much has been accomplished.”
In the future, Gelatt hopes to work on integrating green space with the built environment to improve community well-being and create a more sustainable agriculture system.
“I am beyond grateful to have had so much time with CHER,” Gelatt said. “I have gained so much professional and academic confidence and it’s because of all of the support I have had from everyone here.”