The Center for Health Equity Research and the Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative welcome new and current students to the fall 2022 semester. Read below for more information on them and find out what motivated them to want to earn a degree in public health.
Adriana Aboagye
Hometown: Assin Foso, Ghana
Program: Master of Public Health
Graduation year: Fall 2024
My background in physician assistantship and working with the Ghana health services helped me to fully understand health inequity in different communities and the effects it poses. I am very happy to be part of this program that focuses on this issue.
I’m looking forward to advance my professional and research collaborations.
Kartik Akkihal
Hometown: Austin, TX
Program of study: Master of Public Health
Estimated graduation date: May 2024
Your primary interest in joining your program: I’m in the process of applying to medical school so I’m interested in the additional perspective that an MPH can bring to that profession.
I’ve always been interested in ways I can apply my kinesiology background to the health of the general population. I’ve been able to do that while working with Ricky Camplain, and hope to develop that further through my time in the program.
Rebecca Annorbah
Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Program of study: Interdisciplinary Health PhD
Estimated graduation date: Spring 2025
Your primary interest in working with CHER/SHERC and/or why you decided on your program of study: I am passionate about maternal and child health projects, and I am enthused to work with Dr. Samantha Sabo, Kelly McCue, and other Health Start team members this fall. Another area of research interest is the health of individuals formerly incarcerated and immigrants’ health. I look forward to collaborating with Dr. Ricky Camplain and Dr. Sara Shuman on projects related to these groups.
Finally, I am very thankful to the staff at CHER. Everyone has been so welcoming, and I look forward to building lifetime relationships.
Eli Bigthumb
Hometown: Crownpoint, New Mexico
Program of study: Master of Public Health, Indigenous Health
Estimated graduation date: May 2024
Your primary interest in joining your program: The university’s MPH Program is a very appealing one since it will further my familiarity to empower people by gaining control over the social, political, and personal conditions that affect their health. My individual experiences and attributes have led me to believe that I would be well suited to a career in public health and all that it entails. Overall, I feel this MPH program will advance the principle of health promotion, disease prevention, and parity among underserved Indigenous communities.
Jennifer Hudson
Hometown: Gallup, NM
Program of study: Master of Public Health – Indigenous Health Track
Estimated graduation date: May 2023
Your primary interest in joining your program: My primary interest is in health disparity research, specifically among tribal communities and this degree program offers a course plan that not only suits that interest and many others, but also allows me to gain real-life experience within that field that I will then go on to be able to apply in my future research and professional career.
Shreya Raju
Hometown: Bangalore, India
Program of study: Master of Computer Science
Estimated Graduation Date: December 2023
Your primary interest in working with CHER/SHERC and/or why you decided on your program of study: I strongly feel that data analysis and visualization can be used for the betterment of the public health field. I feel motivated to use my experience in this field for good use.
Graduate Certificate students
The NAU Department of Health Sciences offers an excellent public health graduate certificate. The CHER and SHERC teams would like to welcome the following students who have entered the program in fall 2022:
- Melissa Benally
- Christopher Comings
- Kathryn Conn
- Kyann Dedman-Cisco
- Joyce Hamilton
- Philene Herrera
- Adrianne Mitchell
- Pete Moreno
- Alexandra Pierre-Bez
- Audrie Reilly
- Crystal Tsinnijinnie
- Erika Tallsalt
- Ryann Whealy
- Sierra Wilcox