Undergraduate Program Mentors

Ali is a Manager in the Center for Consumerism at AVIA. He leads research on relevant topics and trends in digital strategy, specifically focused on patient communication, consumer strategy, and value based care, while adding value and contributing to strategic growth for health systems through advisory project work.

Prior to joining AVIA, Ali worked in administration in the ambulatory department at Henry Ford Health, where he conducted market assessments on regional competitors, helped shape a contact center strategy, and played an active role in a joint venture agreement with GoHealth. He also led efforts in the Contact Center to reduce turnover, enhance team engagement, and streamline operations.

Ali holds a Bachelor’s in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience, and a Master’s of Health Services Administration in Health Management and Policy - both from the University of Michigan.

Ali Zane graduated from the Undergraduate Program in 2019 with a BA in Community and Global Public Health. After graduating, Ali worked on Medicaid and other anti-poverty programs at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C. Ali then attended the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where he graduated in 2025. While in law school, Ali represented low-income clients facing eviction, foreclosure, and other health-harming legal issues. He was also Senior Executive Editor of the UPenn Journal of Law and Social Change and has an article forthcoming in the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy. Ali currently serves as a Policy and Legal Fellow for Philadelphia City Councilmember Rue Landau, where he works on addressing the social determinants of health through policy change.

Hi! I'm Alison, I graduated from UM's MPH program in 2019. I currently work as a research grant editor at the University of Michigan, specifically supporting proposals that are focused on health services research. Some of my previous roles include program manager for a research coordinating center and clinical trial coordinator in the UM School of Nursing (focused on nutrition for chronic conditions). I am grateful to have had a variety of experience in public health communications and academic research. I'm from Grand Rapids, MI and I currently live in Ann Arbor with my dog, cat, and husband. I like reading, baking, running, and being outside, and I am looking forward to meeting you!

For nearly 8 years, Allison has served as the Manager of Quality & Data Analytics at the University of Vermont Health Network Home Health & Hospice, a Medicare Certified Home Health Agencies with an average daily census over 1,000. Allison serves as the leader for quality, data analytics, and accreditation and regulatory affairs. Her work includes partnering closely with clinical and operational leaders in the organization to drive clinical quality performance and maintaining regulatory compliance, including responding to patient complaints and safety concerns using a variety of methods like formal Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and lean management principles.

Since graduation, she has experience in the consulting, payer, and provider spaces of healthcare, in both acute care and post-acute care. 

In addition to being a proud 2010 graduate of the School of Public Health with a Master’s in Biostatistics, Allison has an MBA from Champlain College, and a Bachelor’s in Public Policy with a specialization in Health Policy from the University of Chicago. Allison lives in Vermont with her husband and cats and enjoys home improvement projects and watching Michigan Women’s Gymnastics.

Amanda McWhorter, DrPH, MPH, experience spans readiness and response, evaluation, behavioral science, and policy and communications.

She has been with the Division of State and Local Readiness (DSLR) since 2018, currently serving as the Associate Director for Science. Since joining CDC in 2006, Amanda has served in leadership roles in emergency responses to health threats including COVID-19, the opioid epidemic, Zika, Ebola, anthrax, cholera, polio, and H1N1 as well as in disease prevention among globally mobile populations. She helped drive the development of the inaugural National Health Security Preparedness Index and co-conducted pandemic influenza preparedness workshops in Guatemala, Indonesia, Peru, and Trinidad. Early in her career, she gained experience in local public health, nonprofit organizations, and academia. Her professional interests include teaching and empowering teams to learn from and use evaluation data to improve programs. She earned a doctorate in public health from the University of Illinois, and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan.

  Anjali is a project manager with a background in public health, digital health, and health education. She is passionate about increasing health equity through sustainable, holistic, systemic, and people-centered solutions. When Anjali is not at Mass General, she works to improve maternal health as a consultant for Modelo Health, the first preventive care app to capture public health and medical information to empower moms throughout their pregnancy journeys. Most recently, she led the development of a resource repository in the Modelo Health app to support moms in Massachusetts and across the country, in addition to producing health literacy evaluations and recommendations for New England healthcare systems. Outside of work, she enjoys strength training, cooking, and singing. Anjali earned her bachelor's degree in Community and Global Public Health and Medical Anthropology from the University of Michigan and her Master of Public Health from Harvard.

Bettina Senga is a content producer with a passion for mission-driven creative content. She brings a swiss-army-knife approach to storytelling, using a wide variety of tools and mediums to support her clients around the world. She has produced creative content for clients across a wide range of industries including energy, insurance, global payments, film, public health, early childhood education, and health research. She is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Clients:

Center for Global Health Equity at the University of Michigan // Michigan Medicine // Another Option LLC (seconded to Freedom House, Deloitte, JSI) // ICAP at Columbia University // Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University // Sesame Workshop International // Sesame Workshop South Africa // GirlRising // USAID Southern Africa Trade & Investment Hub // Peace Corps Botswana

I have over 18 years of experience leading EHS programs with a focus on manufacturing and laboratory research safety. My areas of expertise include hazard assessment, exposure monitoring, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, and environmental compliance. I recently joined Medtronic, the largest global medical device manufacturer. My current role is Principal EHS Specialist supporting the recently-acquired Dexter, MI, site, where we manufacture life-saving extracorporeal life support (ECLS) products. Prior to Medtronic, I held EHS-focused positions at the University of Michigan Department of Environment, Health & Safety and with NSF International, an Ann Arbor-based global public health and safety organization. I also have several years of experience conducting pharmaceutical and academic research. I am a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and I earned my MPH degree in Industrial Hygiene from the UM School of Public Health. Go Blue!

Cameron has served in healthcare for the past 15 years. Currently, he serves as the Director of Operations for Mountains Women’s Center, an excellent, new private practice with a mission of empowering women with knowledge and resources that can help in making informed decisions about their health. Prior to his time at Mountains, he served as the Director of Practice Operations for the Wellstar Health System Medical Group Behavioral Health service line. In this role, he oversaw the operations of a Behavioral Health enterprise that includes over 120 clinicians and staff members across more than 30 sites, covering both inpatient and outpatient settings, and integrating into nine additional service lines. Prior to his time with Wellstar, he served as the Director of Practice Operations for the Grady Camp Creek Comprehensive Care Center—a 30,000 sq. ft. multispecialty, comprehensive care center, which was the first of its kind for the Grady Health System (Atlanta, GA). Before moving to Atlanta, GA, he served as the Associate Division Director of Women & Children’s Health, and Psychiatry, at Trinity Health IHA, one of the largest multi-specialty medical groups in Michigan. After completing his Administrative Fellowship at Trinity Health, Cameron held the positions of Six Sigma Black Belt on Trinity Health’s Performance Excellence team, Strategic Projects Consultant to the CFO at Trinity’s System Office, and Operations Director at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland.

   Cameron is a proud graduate of Alabama State University (BS), where he was honored to be voted Student of the Year for his program, the University of Michigan-Dearborn (MBA), and the University of Michigan School of Public Health (MHSA), where he was the Student Body President and Commencement Speaker. He currently resides in Atlanta, GA, with his wife, Amber, who is an OBGYN and entrepreneur. Cameron and his wife were both born and raised in Detroit, MI and share the same purpose of improving the lives of marginalized communities. Both Cameron and his wife have strong faith in Christ, which undergirds their service to the community.

Cindi Thronson is the project manager for the Michigan School Safety Initiative, a part of the National Center for School Safety and based at the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention. She has experience in health education programming, program evaluation, hospital-based clinical research, and community-based injury prevention research. She holds an MPH in Health Behavior & Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Dr. Darla Bishop is a public health leader passionate about health equity and community well-being. She serves as Director of Member Engagement for AmeriHealth Caritas DC, a Medicaid plan supporting over 120,000 members, where she leads initiatives to improve outcomes and reduce costs.

 With experience as a researcher and professor, Dr. Bishop develops evidence-based strategies and teaches topics like healthcare systems, financing, and social determinants of health. She’s also the author of How to Afford Everything and a personal finance educator helping others build wealth with clarity and confidence.

Degrees: DrPH (Health Policy), George Washington University; MPH & BA, University of Michigan.

   HMA'84 variety of leadership positions including CEO of several institutions. Transitioned to consulting working with stressed hospitals/hospital systems in a variety of capacities from advisor to interim leadership. Volunteer in a variety of not for profit organizations at the governance level. Enjoy family and a variety of hobbies and enjoy mentoring.

 I have a strong interest in evaluation and understanding how to improve programming. I think data is extremely valuable for students to understand, especially when they do not necessarily have a technical background (like many in HBHE). I have learned data skills like tableau and similar platforms through taking advantage of the many programs the University has to offer. I would love to work with anyone interested in program evaluation, data visualization, surveys, interviewing, focus groups, and/or professional development.

Hello, students! Welcome to UMich, and I hope you have as fantastic of a time at this institution as I did. My name is Dylan Kilby, and I attended UMich from 2018-2020, earning my MPH in Epidemiology through the Global Health track as well as a graduate certificate in Risk Science & Human Health.

I was a nontraditional student in grad school, beginning my studies at 26 after five years spent working with sled dogs in Alaska and healthcare economics consulting in Washington, DC. I worked closely with Dr. Sara Adar for most of my time at UMich, and she strongly supported my interests in exposure sciences. I also took courses through the College of Information, which got me interested in crisis informatics and how epidemiology can fit into emergency work. I did my summer internship with the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, Chile, and also met my future wife when we got our MPHs at the same time :)

I have worked at the intersection of emergency management and public health since March 2020, shortly after the official federal declaration of the COVID-19 Pandemic. I spent a year in California directly involved in the State's response, and then continued to support the response remotely for another two years (2021-2023). I've worked with the California Department of Public Heath, California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and various counties and small colleges throughout the American West. My work currently mostly involves hazard mitigation, risk communications planning, and GIS analysis of risk and vulnerabilities.

Outside of my professional life, I'm also an active mountaineer throughout Colorado and California. I'm on the management committee of the Sierra Peaks Section of the Sierra Club, and I volunteer with the national Sierra Club and the Colorado Mountain Club as a GIS expert and statistician. I'm looking to join the Alpine Search & Rescue team in the Front Range mountains of Colorado next year. It's certainly a way to directly experience exposure science!

I graduated from the Undergraduate program last spring, and am currently working in the research department within a hospital system as my first job post-grad. During my time in undergrad, I was involved with multiple research projects, so now I am hoping to gain valuable hands-on experience within the healthcare system before returning for my MPH in the next few years. I am interested in health equity and systems change through policy and community engagement, with a specific passion for women's health and reproductive justice. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy being active (running and yoga), watching sports (Go Blue!), and hanging out with my dog (Winston the Goldendoodle).

Hi! My name is Eliza Shearing, I am a first year HBHE student at SPH. I recently graduated from the undergrad program with a Bachelors of Arts in Community and Global Public Health! I studied abroad during my time as an undergrad in the Dominican Republic, I was involved in a few organizations related to public health, and have worked in campus jobs since my first semester! I can answer any questions you have about classes, campus living and life, and as an Ann Arbor native, the best places to hang out in the city! I look forward to meeting you. :)

 I am a Quality and Outreach Coordinator at the Michigan Obstetrics Initiative providing quality improvement support to Michigan birthing hospitals. I bring both clinical and quality improvement experience to OBI as a bedside nurse at Northwestern Prentice Women’s Hospital in the women’s health float pool and as Nurse Quality Manager at the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative. I have worked on labor and delivery, postpartum and Neonatal Intensive Care units, and supported hospital teams across Illinois in the implementation of quality improvement initiatives focusing on promoting vaginal birth, antibiotic stewardship, safe sleep and equity. I hold a BSN from Villanova University and an MSN in Population Health and MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan.

 I lead the Vizient Research Institute’s annual strategic research studies which focus on macroeconomic issues challenging the U. S. health care delivery system. I work regularly with health systems’ senior executives to help guide strategic planning and business development activities that will allow them to respond appropriately to the rapidly changing health care delivery system. I have extensive experience in providing strategic thought leadership, conceptualization of research investigations, design and management of complex quantitative analyses, facilitation of meetings and discussions, and development of case studies and publications. I have served in successive leadership positions at Vizient Inc. (formerly UHC) over the last 21 years. Prior to joining Vizient, I worked with the University of Michigan Health System and completed a postgraduate administrative fellowship. I managed the Nuclear Medicine Clinic operations and administrative staff and led several executive-level projects across the hospital, medical school and research enterprises working directly with the hospital’s CEO and the medical school’s executive associate dean. I have also held administrative positions in strategic planning/business development, case management, utilization review and discharge planning with other teaching hospitals in Southeast Michigan.

I am a research administration manager for a health service research center at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. I’ve been in the research field for over 24 years, starting as a project manager, for a multi site trial. I am currently on the leadership team and more on the administrative side and manage our research portfolio for our center.

Hannah Mesa, MPH, MPP is a project manager and community-based participatory researcher at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She has a Master’s in Public Health and Public Policy from the University of Michigan. Ms. Mesa is passionate about eliminating structural inequities and advocating for anti-racist frameworks in public health practice, research, and policy. She is also a bilingual, community-based doula/birth worker!

Katie is a third year PhD student in the Department of Health Management and Policy. She graduated from the Masters program in the same department in 2020 and has experience as an Administrative Intern in the UK and an Administrative Fellow at UCSF Health. While she is happy to talk about her time in the Masters program, and as an intern and fellow, she may be particularly useful as a resource for students interested in pursuing research, especially at a PhD level.

   Kory Moore Luther, raised in rural Colorado, is a national consultant in public health workforce development and systems change. Kory received her Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2013, is a graduating fellow of the Advanced Leadership Training Program through the Regional Institute of Health and Environmental Leadership, completed her Associate Certified Coach credential through the International Coaching Federation is certified in Positive Quotient (PQ) coaching from Positive Intelligence and is currently pursuing a PhD in Creative Leadership for Innovation and Change. Kory initially joined the Project ECHO movement in 2014 with the Children's Hospital Colorado focusing on Children and Youth with Epilepsy funded by the American Academy of Pediatrics and ultimately provided the primary strategic direction Project ECHO across Colorado which became a national model of innovation and best practice. Kory's expertise in building efficient and effective Project ECHO infrastructure has led to integration of the learning model into the foundational public health systems change learning agenda to transform public health knowledge sharing and connect expertise across borders.

I am a senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton where I do health policy consulting. I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2023 with a Master's in Health Behavior and Health Education and certificate in Health Informatics. I have strong interests in healthcare access and education. In my free time I enjoy cooking, watching shows, and spending time with my friends and family.

Jennifer Shearer is the Director of Emergency Preparedness supporting Massachusetts General Hospital, Mass Eye and Ear, and Cooley Dickinson Hospital. As part of this work, she manages and implements the institution’s emergency preparedness and response program to establish and maintain resilience to a variety of emergency situations while ensuring the continuation of safety for patients, staff, visitors, and facilities. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from Michigan State University and a Master of Public Health in Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology from the University of Michigan.

I received a BS in public health from Utah State University, an MPH in Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology from the University of Michigan SPH, and an MBA from Southern Utah University. Outside of Internships and academic research, I started my public health career at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System as a Research Health Science Specialist, working on implementing electronic tools to guide personalized risk-based decision making for lung cancer screening. Following this role, I joined BioFire Diagnostics / bioMerieux, an infectious disease diagnostics company. I currently am a global product manager over several molecular diagnostic products. I'm passionate about infectious diseases and the intersection of public health and industry.

Hello! My name is Josie Lee. I currently work for state government where I get to help in creating and monitoring measures for internal operations. Along with that I have the pleasure of also helping with process improvement efforts. I’ve also helped with other types of facilitation activities such as helping create strategic plans. Before my current role I worked at DaVita helping their value based care side with comprehensive health evaluations that found conditions to submit to CMS for reimbursements. I’ve also worked at a small non profit helping local governments and non profits in making them better places to live, work, and play. If you are interested in business analytics, project management, process improvement - I could be of resource.

   At my time at Michigan, I helped turn CURIS into a public health advocacy group as their president and also helped with CAPS In Action. I also minored in business and am so grateful for the ability to find a job at the intersection of public health and business!

 Kaitlin Schwarz, MPH, is an Epidemiologist with Oakland County Health and Human Services, with a primary focus on substance use and overdose. In this role, she is responsible for epidemiological surveillance of fatal and non-fatal overdoses to assess trends in morbidity and mortality across the county. Kaitlin also supports key public health initiatives, including the Overdose Fatality Review and the Opioid Settlement process, aiming to reduce overdose-related harms through data-driven strategies.

Kaitlin holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology, along with certificates in Social Epidemiology and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, from the University of Michigan. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology and a certificate in Global Health from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Prior to her current role, Kaitlin served as an Epidemiologist at the Washtenaw County Health Department.

As associate vice president and deputy general counsel, Kara Morgenstern advises on the many complex legal issues for Michigan Medicine and oversees the Michigan Medicine legal team.

Kara joined the U-M Office of General Counsel in September of 2002. Since then, she has advised clients on a variety of healthcare matters including transactions, fraud and abuse, research, graduate medical education, patient rights, medical staff credentialing and peer review, and billing/reimbursement. Prior to accepting the deputy role in 2014, Kara's practice was largely dedicated to supporting U-M's research activities and medical staff matters.

In previous roles, Kara practiced with a national health law firm in Houston, Texas and later worked inhouse with the multi-state health system, CHRISTUS Health. In addition, Kara conducted basic science research at the National Institute of Mental Health, where she co-authored a scientific manuscript, and was a co-inventor on a patent for using Cloned DNA for synthesizing unique glucocerebrosidase. She also served as Program Evaluation Specialist for the San Diego County Health Department.

Kara graduated from the University of Maryland College of the Law, cum laude in 1994, where she served as Vice President of the Student Health Law Association and Assistant Editor of the Maryland Law Review. She obtained her Masters of Public Health degree in Epidemiology at U-M in 1990.

KD Frick (any pronouns) is a professor who teaches economics for decision-making, business leadership and human values, frameworks for analyzing health care markets, and a course on how the U.S. health care system in the past, present, and future facilitates innovation.

Frick studied health policy and administration at Penn State, followed by economics and health services research at the University of Michigan. In 1996, she joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she still has joint appointments. She moved to a leadership position at the Carey Business School in 2013 and returned to an exclusively faculty role in 2021.

Much of Frick’s research focuses on measuring costs associated with diseases or measuring the cost-effectiveness of new treatments, care systems, or community-based interventions. The most focused area has been public and private eye care, and she is currently co-chairing a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine workgroup on myopia. In addition, she is co-chairing an AcademyHealth project on health services research’s inclusivity, impact, and innovation. She focuses on research translation, specializing in linking peer-reviewed research with the information business leaders need to make decisions about companies that operate in the real-world marketplace. She plans for future research to focus on mentoring, leadership, and DEIB issues.

Frick has mentored students, faculty, and staff, and spoken about mentoring to many audiences—particularly mentoring as a two-way street. She has focused on DEIB issues as a member of a team that produced a series of videos about LGBTQ+ Narratives in Academia, as part of a second team that produced a video called Business of Pronouns, by serving on the school’s Inclusive Teaching committee as well as the university’s Diversity Leadership Council, by reading names at graduation for 10 years, and by serving on the Diversity and Anti-Racism Team for the Society for Medical Decision Making.

Madeline DeMarco is a Health Promotion Specialist working within Wolverine Wellness at the University of Michigan, working in alcohol and other drug prevention and harm reduction. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and Spanish from the University of Michigan, as well as a Master of Public Health degree in Health Behavior and Health Education with a certificate in Public Health Genetics from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Madeline is a Certified Prevention Specialist in addition to being a Mental Health First Aid instructor that has been working in the behavioral health field for 4 years. She has been working in the field of higher education specifically since 2023. Before working at the University of Michigan, Madeline worked as the Community Outreach and Prevention Coordinator for Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority where her focus was on bringing a trauma-informed care approach to facilitating federal grants, collective impact initiatives, and the county-wide substance use prevention coalition. Madeline also has extensive teaching and facilitation experience, serving as an adjunct professor at Adrian College, in addition to instructional experience within the Michigan Marching Band and the University of Michigan Department of Psychology.

 I manage programs for Boston Medical Center Health System and our 13 Boston-based Community Health Center (CHC) partners. My responsibilities include resolving issues with referrals from CHCs to BMCHS hospitals, hosting forums between CHC leaders to share ideas and align on health care efforts as a network, and improving access to and coordination of care across the city through programs like Uber Health and contracting specialists at CHCs.

  I am an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Health Economics, Systems, and Policy and Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. I am a cancer care delivery researcher with a focus on improving the quality and equity of cancer care for people with advanced cancer. I use large datasets and mixed-method approaches to identify and address gaps in care. I have a background in social epidemiology, so I am very interested in the systems and norms that pattern the care individuals receive.

I'm a two time UofM alum - BS in Neuroscience '13 and MHSA '18 - with a passion for leadership in Healthcare Operations. I still live locally in the metro Detroit area and currently work as a Director, Operations within Primary Care at Corewell Health.

Michael is currently an EHS & ESG Implementation Specialist at APTIM where he helps clients improve their EHS programs, processes and software tools. Michael also works with several clients and groups within APTIM to design and deliver Power BI Dashboards and other BI tools.

   Previously, Michael held several roles at General Motors, including Global Safety Analytics Lead, Regional Industrial Hygienist, Global Research & Development (R&D) Safety Representative, and Pre-Production Operations (PPO) Safety Representative.

   He holds a Master of Public Health in Exposure Science & Industrial Hygiene and a Bachelor of Science in Biomolecular Sciences, both from the University of Michigan.

   Michael is also a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and a Certified Safety Professional (CSP).

   He has leadership experience with the Michigan Industrial Hygiene Society and is a member of the ASSP Z16.1 Safety and Health metrics Committee. Michael has also mentored for the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan's Student Alumni Mentorship Program since 2017.

 Michael O’Donnell is founder of the Art & Science of Health Promotion Institute, founder of the American Journal of Health Promotion, founder of the Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference, and founder and chairman emeritus of Health Promotion Advocates.

 He has worked directly with more than 150 employers, health care organizations, government agencies, foundations, insurance companies and health promotion providers to develop and refine health promotion programs, products and policies, and has served in leadership roles in four major health systems, including the Cleveland Clinic, as well as serving as the Director of the Health Management Research Center at the University of Michigan.

 He has authored more than 200 articles, book chapters and columns, books and workbooks, including Health Promotion in the Workplace, which has been in continuous publication since 1983, updated into 5 editions and translated into four languages. He has presented more than 300 keynote and workshop presentations on six continents, served on boards and committees for 49 non-profit and for-profit organizations and received 15 national awards. He conceived and authored legislation that was incorporated into the Affordable Care Act, including provisions that resulted in production of the annual National Prevention Strategy. He earned a PhD in Health Behavior from University of Michigan, an MBA in General Management and an MPH in Hospital Management, both from University of California, Berkeley, and an AB in psychobiology from Oberlin College. He attended high school and was later a Senior Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor in Seoul Korea.

Hi! I'm Molly, and I graduated from UMich SPH in 2020 with a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education. During my time at UMich, I worked at Wolverine Wellness, which ignited my passion for health promotion in higher education. I worked at Johns Hopkins University for the first few years after graduation, and I now work at Colorado School of Mines. My expertise is in mentoring and supervising student leaders in wellness, comprehensive sexual health education, and curriculum development and implementation. I love helping my mentees reflect and consider sectors and positions in public health they may be interested in. I'm also someone who will be transparent with you about my own experience in the field, and my advice to you as a new public health professional.

Mora McPherson is an Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) professional with four years of experience at Neogen, where she currently supports EHS efforts for 14 facilities in Lansing, MI. She holds a Master of Public Health in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety and Health Management from Grand Valley State University. Mora also earned the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) certification and is actively pursuing her Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential, with plans to pursue Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) certification in the future.

Her professional background includes internships in both the aerospace and packaging industries, where she gained hands-on experience in hazard mitigation, regulatory compliance, and workplace safety program development. Mora is passionate about advocating for employees, advancing workplace health protections, and bridging the gap between public health and occupational safety. Inspired by her family’s experiences as migrant and automotive factory workers, she is committed to creating safer, healthier workplaces for all employees through empathy, education, and continuous improvement.

With a biology degree, an MPH in HBHE and many years in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, I graduated into a recession. After a long job search, I was able to find a position with a joint research center between the Ann Arbor VA and Michigan Medicine. I was a research associate for 9 years working on interdisciplinary social science meets medicine research around genetics communication, medical decision making and bioethics. I am now a training specialist working on workforce development to support research staff in their research roles and career development.

Rebecca Bussa (she/her) is a Maternal and Child Health Epidemiologist with the University of Southern Maine and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) located in Augusta, Maine. Currently, she works with Maine's Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), and Maine's Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV). Previous to her role, she worked as a Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Applied Epidemiology Fellow with the Maine CDC in maternal and child health and chronic disease. She graduated from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2022 from the Epidemiology program with a certificate in Social Epidemiology.

   I'm a current medical student at Columbia University applying for a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. I'm involved in initiatives related to language concordant healthcare and health equity.

   Renata Terrazzan graduated from the University of Michigan's School of Public Health with a B.S. in Public Health Sciences and a double minor in French and Environmental Studies in 2021. During her time at Michigan, she was a leader in several health-related student-run organizations, including Alpha Epsilon Delta, Opportunities to Educate Children, and the Undergraduate Journal of Public Health. Throughout her time in the School of Public Health, she had a part-time job as a project lead at the Center for Healthcare Engineering and Patient Safety (CHEPS) helping with staffing models for Psychiatric Inpatient Hospitals in Michigan. In this role, she discovered her interest in Healthcare Administration and decided to pursue a MPH in Policy and Management at Columbia University in NYC. She graduated from Columbia in 2023 after doing her graduate internship at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. After graduation, she began an Administrative Fellowship at Northwestern Medicine (NM). She completed her fellowship in 2024 and moved into a Program Manager role at NM in the Department of Anesthesiology.

A proven healthcare executive, I have strong operational acumen in building engaging and competent teams. A compassionate leader, I have a successful record of improving operational efficiencies and productivity to ensure health systems exceed patient expectations.

Ruby Hickman is an environmental epidemiologist passionate about understanding the links between our environment and neurological and cognitive health across the lifespan. She graduated with her PhD in Population Health Sciences from Harvard School of Public Health in August 2025 and holds a MPH in Epidemiology from University of Michigan School of Public Health. As of January 2026, she will be working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Emory Rollins School of Public Health. She lives in Chandler Arizona and in her free time enjoys being out on trails, knitting, and playing video games. 

 I’m a soon to be fourth year medical student interested in pediatrics with a public health focus! For anyone who has questions about pursuing medicine vs public health, or both, I would love to help!

I am currently a fourth-year medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia. I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2021 with a BS in Public Health Sciences. I am passionate about promoting health equity and supporting under-resourced communities, and I hope to eventually work at the intersection of public health and medicine. I am applying to start residency in family and community medicine next year.

I am a Research Fellow at the Digital Medicine Lab. I earned my Ph.D. in Biostatistics and Health Data Science from Duke-NUS Medical School in March 2025, and my B.S. in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in April 2021.

My research centers on federated and transfer learning for scalable AI in digital health and on developing innovative solutions for broader machine learning challenges. We welcome collaboration—if you’re interested in my work, our lab’s research, or internship opportunities, please feel free to reach out.

 I am a 2023 graduate from the School of Public Health undergraduate program. Since then, I have been living in NYC and working at Oak Street Health as a Strategy & Operations Associate on the Growth team. I am also a part of the the Associate Development Program at Oak Street Health.

  Storee Harris is the Project Coordinator at Public Health Prepared, housed at the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. She creates training for the infectious disease, emergency preparedness, and public health workforce. Storee leverages new, innovative, and engaging technology, such as Notion-hosted virtual outbreak investigation training.

Her previous roles include Health Educator at the Oakland County Health Division and Tobacco Treatment Specialist at the Grand Rapids Red Project. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Grand Valley State University and a Master of Public Health, concentration in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan. She is a Certified Community Health Worker and Certified Workforce Development Professional.

Medical Education x 20+ years. Completed MPH after Internal Medicine Residency. Practicing primary care and urgent care medicine in addition to supervising internal medicine residents and medical students as a residency Associate Program Director. My Public Health education has helped me create a Systems-based Practice curriculum for physicians in-training. In addition, I am the current Editor-in-Chief of a small community hospital based journal called the Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives. I look forward to working with you

I am an epidemiologist currently working in clinical research around perioperative pain and opioid use, which has allowed me to have a more patient facing role in addition to the data (blood draws, MRIs, functional/pain testing). In my previous role I worked as a project manager on a suicide prevention center for recently incarcerated individual, which allowed to be more involved in the IRB and study creation side of things. Throughout my education and career, I've worked with many vulnerable populations in various capacities including but not limited to pregnant women/new mothers and children, recently incarcerated individuals, individuals suffering from mental illness including ppl declared NGRI/IST, individuals struggling with addiction, low income African American, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native individuals, etc. Outside of my career I also have many interests including traveling, going to concerts, plants, working out, puzzles, cooking and spending time with friends/family

I am an early career social worker and public health practitioner whose academic and professional journey has been driven by a profound passion for enhancing the mental health and wellbeing of college students.

I bring a unique perspective to collegiate mental health informed by my interpersonal training and experience as a mental health therapist, as well as a background in systems thinking and collective impact. As a clinician with experience working with youth, young adults, and college students across the mental health continuum of care, I aim to integrate my therapeutic expertise to support students in developing coping mechanisms and discovering meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in their lives. At the macro level, I leverage my public health training to drive systemic change within college environments—cultivating campus cultures that prioritize mental wellness and proactively encourage help-seeking through health promoting polices, systems, and programs

• A.B. Economics, U.C. Berkeley (1978)

• Union steward, Local 42, Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers (California)

• Union steward, Lodge 1305, International Assn of Machinists & Aerospace Workers

• Lodge 606, International Assn of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (Colorado)

• M.P.H., University of Michigan School of Public Health (1981)

• J.D., University of Pennsylvania Law School (1984)

• President, Asian Pacific American Bar Assn, Pennsylvania,

• Vice President, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

   Vani Patterson, MPH, is the Administrative Director for the University of Michigan Center for Interprofessional Education (CIPE). Her early career spanned working in the U.S Senate to community nutrition in Detroit. When she returned to the University of Michigan, she provided consultation to health care teams across the country to improve patient-centered care for adolescents. In witnessing the profound impact of collaborative care, Ms. Patterson was drawn to the work of the CIPE. Her current interests are in leadership and culture change to transform practice and education to enable collaborative care and advance the quintuple aims of health.

Veronica Williams is the Program Manager for the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research’s (MICHR) Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) Catalyst Implementation Science Network (ISN) at University of Michigan! Veronica specializes in strategic planning, human resource management, financial management, and project management. She has over 20 years of experience managing community-based research and demonstration projects, quality improvement and evaluation initiatives, strategic planning with administrative leadership teams, and coaching health professions student learners. Her professional interests include the intersection between faith and health, health and healthcare equity, employee engagement, and professional development. Veronica received a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Creighton University. Core Competencies include: strategic planning, proposal and IRB development, fiscal and grant management, human resource management, employee engagement, professional development, training and education, coalition and capacity building, community benefit reporting, facilities management, service excellence, program design/evaluation, data collection and management, reporting and dissemination.