At the Simmons MPH, we want to stay connected with what's happening in the field of public health, in the communities we work alongside, and in the political and social environment in the US and globally. Each month we speak to a leaders in their fields to get and inside take on some of the most pressing issues in public health today.
August 2025
Aseel Houmsse is researcher who's work focuses on health equity, especially in the context of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Aseel shares about their path into health disparities research, the work of Planned Parenthood, and their research to improve care in SRH.
June 2025
Eduardo Arenas Catalán is a human rights law scholar. His work focuses on the right to health and implementation of the right to health through expansion of public services. Eduardo discusses the Chilean constitutional rewrite, comparative health systems, and how to create space for an alternative to the mainstream perspective on the right to health.
May 2025
Tozoe Marton's research focuses on global maternal health. In this interview she opens up about her personal story and inspiration for dedicating her studies to this field. She also shares some insights and gives an inside look at her research and work around maternal health in Kenya.
April 2025
In April 2025 we sat down to talk with Dr. Michael Welch from the Simmons Exercise Science program to learn more about his path through the health and exercise profession and his advice for public health practitioners in the area of incorporating exercise sciences into public health approaches.
March 2025
Edima Ottoho is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Simmons Department of Public Health. Edima spoke with us to discuss her path to Simmons, her experiences in global public health practice, and her research barriers for women in leadership roles in public health.
February 2025
Leigh Haynes is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Simmons Department of Public Health and Director of the Master of Public Health Program. She shared with us a little about how she came to the Simmons MPH, her background and activist roots, and her current research.
January 2025
Melissa Wheeler, Director Disparities & Outreach at Levine Cancer Institute is an innovative public health practitioner with a background in social work. She shared about her experience developing multiple programs for the Charlotte, NC metro and surrounding counties and the impact they've had on people's health and lives.
November 2024
For our November conversation, we were able to connect with Simmons MPH's own Valerie Leiter to discuss her path to public health research, her studies as a sociologist and her important work on medical device research.
October 2024
Dr. Dolores Wolongevicz has her Ph.D. medical nutrition sciences and is a registered dietitian and a licensed dietitian/nutritionist. She teaches community-based research, project planning, and practicum courses in the MPH program. Dr. Wolongevicz spoke to us about her expertise in nutrition and individual health literacy as it pertains to contemporary public health challenges and considerations.
September 2024
Alan Rossi Silva, Ph.D. was formerly the Coordinator of International Affairs with Brazil's Grupo de Trabalho sobre Propriedade Intelectual (GTPI) and is now project coordinator with the People's Health Movement. Alan is from Suzano, São Paulo, Brazil where he completed his studies and now resides in Leuven, Belgium. Alan took some time out of his day to speak with us about the significance of the manner in which the IP of medical technology (primarily pharma patents) is controlled, to the net detriment of the health of the public.
July 2024
Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, PhD, MSW, focuses her research on African American women and families, the intersection of cross-cultural theory and practice, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. In addition to her work at Simmons, Hamilton-Mason is the Inaugural Visiting Scholar at Embrace Boston. Dr. Hamilton-Mason has conducted extensive quantitative and qualitative research related to HIV/AIDS in Africa and in the United States; studied survivors of Hurricane Katrina to understand community capacity, survival, and resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans; and examined the impact of workplace stress and coping responses on African American women. Dr. Hamilton-Mason took the time to speak with us about her path through social work and public health and what's happening at the intersection of the two as Simmons MPH launches a Certificate of Public Health for MSW students.
June 2024
Marlon Wallen has over two decades of experience being involved in public health analysis and advocate. A regular public speaker around HIV/AIDS and the experience of immigrants both here and abroad, Marlon shared with us his perspectives on the impacts of a globalized world and the ways that speaking truth to power can make a change in the world.
May 2024
Corinne Hinlopen is based in Amsterdam and serves as a Global Health Advocate and Policy researcher with Wemos, the global policy analysis and advocacy non-profit created in the late '70s. Corinne took some time to speak with us and tell us more about Wemos and her understanding of the way that the migration of health and care workers impacts impoverished nations, along with her views on the essential nature of advocacy from public health practitioners.
April 2024
Dr. Brewer is new to the Simmons MPH program in 2024, so we wanted to chat with her about her experience and perspectice coming into the program. Kristen spoke with us about her experiences with expanding reproductive health and education services in conservative rural settings and the way conservative political legislation can have a net negative impact on these attempts and the populations subject to these severe laws and regulations.
March 2024
Dr Hearne took some time to speak with us about the central role that advocacy plays in achieving significant public health progress, tracing the roots of public health back to the field's heyday of the 1800s while also looking forward to the next generation of MPH degree holders who she characterizes as "a generation of change."
February 2024
Dr. Thomas talked with us about her experiences as part of the Boston Cabo Verdean American community along with her views on the changes Simmons has gone through over her two decades with the university.
January 2024
Collin Knight is the founder and manager of Live Like a Local Tours Boston, where he introduces folks to the local's side of the city of Boston. His aims are to show people that there's more to Boston than just the predictable and corporate parts of town by taking them through Boston localities like Dorchester, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. We chatted with him about his philosophy behind the tours the ways he hopes to open people's eyes around visiting new cities and experiencing a more "true" local vibe.
November 2023
Dr. Korc has extensive experience in air quality and the associated public health impacts and solutions. We spoke with him about his career trajectory through the ever-evolving intersection of air quality and public health and also talk about his work on the environmental health and justice course here at Simmons.
October 2023
We caught up with Kelley Haynes-Mendez at the October 2023 American Psychological Association Healing Is Here Summit to discuss the ways that trauma, oppression and healing impact public health outcomes, her observed impacts of COVID-19 on both the psychology field as well as the public health field and how to infuse both practices with a strong human rights perspective.
August 2023
Dr. Crain is our Simmons MPH program course lead for Global Health & Political Economy. We took some time to catch up with her at her one year anniversary of teaching with the program to discuss what sparked her interest in public health topics, her practices for balancing herself and her upcoming writing projects.
December 2023
For our December issue we spoke with Leigh Kamore Haynes, adjunct professor and course designer. Leigh shared with us how her course design work centers around the legal landscape inherent in public health and the associated manners of pursuing change along with the nature of her work with The People's Health Movement and The Framework Convention on Global Health Alliance.
April 2023
Dr. Carolyn Rodgers is the Bachelors Program Director and a Professor of Practice here at the Simmons Department of Public Health. We speak with her to learn a bit more about her research, how her interest in public health was sparked and what she does to keep a balanced lifestyle outside of academic endeavors.
August 2022
We spoke with Professor Quattrochi as he departed Simmons for a role with Georgetown University. For two years Professor Quattrochi serves as the Interim Director of the MPH program here at Simmons. In our interview, Professor Qauttrochi discusses his time at Simmons and his observations on the lived experience of Black Americans through a lens of research and public health.
June 2022
Dora Rodriguez fled the El Salvadorian civil war in 1980. Her experience as a border crossing migrant led her to the forefront of the sanctuary movement in Arizona for over three decades now. We speak with Dora about her views on the challenges faced by migrant communities and the work she does to support them here in the states.
