As the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Black Americans and shed a light on the importance of public health, Kendra Shannon knew she had to act. Her commitment to creating lasting change in society led her to pursue her Master of Public Health.

Learn more about what inspires her in this Q&A. 

Tamara Jordan, DO, MLS (ASCP), has overcome numerous adversities in her life to get to the point where she is today. Her path was anything but straightforward. Jordan and her two siblings grew up in a single-parent home in Flint, Mich. During her senior year in high school, she was a victim of a gunshot wound to the abdomen—an experience that would lead her to pursue a medical career. During her freshman year at Michigan State University, she became pregnant; as a single parent, she attended school full-time while holding a full-time job.

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. 

Cristina Szelingowski is entering her final year in Michigan State University’s Master of Public Health (MPH) Program in the College of Human Medicine. Cristina is currently a Value Evidence Dissemination Operations Manager at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. in New Jersey. She holds an MS in Healthcare Management from The College of Saint Elizabeth and a BS in Business Administration from the Catholic University of America. Professionally, Cristina is interested in increasing patient diversity and creating access to oncology clinical trials.

We are excited to welcome pediatrician Dr. Gurbaksh Esch back to Flint as the inaugural Pediatric Public Health Initiative Alice Hamilton Scholar. Esch will participate in a two-year post-residency position for pediatricians that includes public health training, mentored research, and clinical care with Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and the Michigan State University-Hurley Children's Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative.

As MSU students prepare to graduate amid a pandemic, Master of Public Health Student Jennifer Thompson shares her personal story of triumph after a stroke. Confidence shaken, and thrown into health havoc, Thompson was forced to pause, reset, and find a way forward.

On Friday, December 18th she gets to realize her dream of graduating when others said it was not possible.

Meet Master of Public Health Student Melody Marzjarani. She is a triple threat, serving on the Student Advisory Board, working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, and holding a bachelor's degree in Human Biology from MSU's Lyman Briggs College. For Melody, having a public health background will give her a broader perspective and allow her to provide optimal care to future patients.

Go Green!

As an undergrad, Alison Johnson learned about the social determinants of health during an internship in New Orleans. Not having solutions to address the health care problems she witnessed activated her will to pursue solutions that make a difference in people's lives.

Recently earning honorable mention as a Student Who Rocked Public Health by the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, Megan Mulvaney is an emerging leader in public health. Learn more about what motivates her in this Q&A.