Graduate students gain public health experience through campus health and wellness program

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Andy Ware

By Kate Colpetzer, health services management student and senior ambassador at the Fairbanks School of Public Health

Have you read the most recent edition of Stall Talk? Maybe you’ve attended a Know Your Status event or utilized safer sex supplies on campus? Well, you can thank the IUPUI Office of Health and Wellness Promotion.

Located in Campus Center 305, students can access a plethora of zero-cost and judgment-free services. The Office of Health and Wellness Promotion offers educational materials, presentations, supplies, and events to students that cover a variety of health topics. Programs and outreach consist of: health and wellness coaching, alcohol and drug cessation, stress management, nutrition counseling, HIV/STI testing, and more!

Indianapolis is a hub for public health promotion and prevention opportunities. Two graduate students from the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health are prime examples of students who have found public health experience on campus in the Office of Health and Wellness Promotion.

Sophia Sparzo (MPH’24) and Annika Whitlock (MPH’23) both work in the Office of Health and Wellness Promotion and have thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the IUPUI community through their positions. Both students learned about this position through Handshake, IUPUI’s job board.

“I needed a job and decided to look on Handshake; it made a lot of sense for my future,” Sparzo said. Whitlock says that she wanted more flexibility and the job aligns perfectly for her.

What are their favorite moments in this position?

Sparzo: “The individual programming services help me gain more experience in population health. This position has helped me learn from the pro staff that experimenting is okay and you’ll eventually find what is right for you.”

Whitlock: “Working for the Office of Health and Wellness Promotion has given me the advantage of switching from population vs. personal health.”

This experience has given both of these students a unique perspective that they believe will allow them to be better health advocates in the real world. Working in the Office of Health and Wellness Promotion has also helped both Sparzo and Whitlock with their long-term goals.

“Actually seeing people do the work that we learn in class and the process of implementing it has made it less terrifying and much easier to approach,” Sparzo said.

“Learning from professional staff who are always there to guide you and answer your questions,” Whitlock added. “They want you to succeed.”

What is some practical advice for any student who wants to gain public health experience?

“It is good to test the waters. Go out and try things out,” Sparzo says. “Read up on resources because public health is a part of everyday life and can be found anywhere.”

“Any experience can be a public health experience,” Whitlock said. “Don’t feel like you have to confine yourself to one specific interest or field. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have experience or an internship. Don’t compare because everyone does things in their own time.”

You can catch Sparzo and Whitlock at various health and wellness events around campus. The Office of Health and Wellness Promotion is an important resource on campus for all students. It is clear Fairbanks students have made a great impact on our community and we could not be prouder!

Alumni career spotlight: Sara Suisman

Posted on March 23, 2023 by Andy Ware

Sara Suisman

Employer: Indiana Public Health Association
Current position: Program Coordinator
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Degree(s): IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, May 2022; Master of Public Health (MPH) with a dual concentration in Social & Behavioral Sciences and Health Policy & Management

Why did you choose your major/program?
In May 2019, I received my undergraduate degree in psychology from IU Bloomington, and I pictured myself eventually working with clients as a therapist/psychologist. Following my undergraduate career, I worked in a program evaluation role, and during this time, I began to realize that I had an overwhelming preference and passion for more upstream, systems change approaches to helping others.

While downstream, direct services are still incredibly essential to the health of our communities, I knew that my interest was in a broader, more high-level approach. After this realization, my mentors pointed me in the direction of public health, and here I am!

Briefly describe your career path.
As I mentioned prior, I worked in program evaluation in the first year following my undergraduate program. More specifically, I worked at Centerstone’s Research Institute in Bloomington, IN, where I had the opportunity to contribute to the data collection, data management, and reporting for a few different federal grant programs.

Then, while pursuing my MPH at FSPH, I was an intern for the Indiana Public Health Association and much of my work focused on student engagement strategy. Following my internship, I assisted with IPHA items on a contract basis before coming onboard as full-time staff in April 2022. I was hired primarily to assist with IPHA efforts related to public health workforce development and capacity building.

Describe what an average day for you might be like.
Much of my work involves connecting with partners at other agencies (community organizations, universities, health departments, associations, etc.) to align our priorities and determine how we can best collaborate to advance public health in Indiana. In addition, I assist with high-level strategy and planning related to our workforce development and capacity building efforts. I also help to coordinate various IPHA groups and events, such as our student advisory group, monthly meet-ups, health equity action team, and our policy & advocacy committee.

What advice would you give your college self about pursuing your current career path or industry?
My mom always used to say to me, “I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up,” and this resonates with me today! You don’t need to have everything figured out. In fact, you almost never will! Find peace in that truth, and trust that your experience/passions will lead you to the right place (both personally and professionally!).

What is a lesson learned at FSPH that you have been able to apply to your career?
The importance of “moving upstream” was reiterated to me throughout my time at FSPH, and this remains central to everything I do in my work today.

What is the most significant thing that’s happened to you since graduating?
Since graduating, I have enjoyed settling into my role at IPHA, taking on various responsibilities, and getting to know my colleagues and other partners.

What’s next for you?
I am surrounded by some incredible mentors at this job, and I am excited to continue growing and learning from them.

What is your favorite IUPUI/FSPH memory?
Graduation! My entire degree program was virtual, so getting to sit among my classmates and experience that accomplishment together was so special.

Health services management student lands dream job with nonprofit

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Andy Ware

Health services management student, Angelica Ortega, truly embodies the excellence of Fairbanks students. While she has developed strong administrative skills through the health services management program at IU Fort Wayne, she has also always held strong to her belief in the importance of health equity and a robust public health system.

During her pregnancy, Angelica had the opportunity to participate in Healthier Moms and Babies, a private nonprofit that works to help young parents achieve great outcomes for their families. During her studies, she would occasionally reference some of the great programming and education she was receiving through Healthier Moms & Babies.

Angelica has always expressed an interest in working in the nonprofit/health promotion side of healthcare, with a focus on health justice and access. She ended up applying for a position that came open with Healthier Moms & Babies and she was offered the position. Angelica is super excited to be starting a full-time position with them as a Women’s Wellness Initiatives Community Health Worker.

“I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me and I’m just over the moon that I get to help marginalized and vulnerable people and continue to give back to a community I’ve fallen in love with,” she said.

The health services management program has been active at IU Fort Wayne since fall 2020. We encourage Fort Wayne-based alumni of the health services management program and/or master of health administration program to connect with us for ways to engage with students at IU Fort Wayne, whether that be in guest speaking opportunities, providing students shadowing opportunities, hosting interns, or offering student mentoring.

To get connected, please reach out to BSHSM program director, Sarah Johnson, at shm@iu.edu.

Health departments: the key to furthering the mission of public health

Posted on March 10, 2023 by Andy Ware

We asked our student ambassadors to explore what a health department actually does and how health departments connect to public health.

Kate Colpetzer, Health Services Management student

According to the Marion County Public Health Department, health departments focus on promoting “physical, mental, and environmental health, prevent and protect against disease, injury, and disability.”

Health departments protect their local community by advocating, education, and offering resources. They disseminate and communicate current public health knowledge and research. Our health departments are key to furthering the mission of public health!

Lucy Khatib, Epidemiology student

Lucy Khatib

Health departments tie together facets of physical, emotional, and environmental health to better their communities. This department is key as it involves those who work in environment health, population health, and public health administration.

All of these departments are paths here at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health! The work done in our health departments are often overlooked, but their work affects everyone’s everyday life. Here is an infographic about the many facets that are the responsibility of those in the health department:

local health departments impact our lives every day infographic

Jaida Speth, Health Services Management student

Promote. Protect. Improve.

The Indiana Department of Health and other local Indiana Health Departments have a lot of core functions and requirements! Departments of health keep food and physical environments safe, prevent the occurrence and spread of disease, and prepare and respond to disasters and emergencies.

Schools, churches, businesses, and nonprofits are all partners who have an interest and role in maintaining a healthy community. Health departments serve at the core of coordinating these collaborations.

The Indiana Department of Health envisions every Hoosier reaching optimal health regardless of where they live, work, learn, or play by promoting, protecting, and improving health and safety.

Alumni career spotlight: Nate Peters

Posted on March 9, 2023 by Andy Ware

In our Alumni Career Spotlight series, you will meet some of our alumni and learn about the important work they are doing to create a healthier nation and world.

Nate Peters

Employer: Roche Diagnostics
Current position: Clinical Data Scientist
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Degree(s): Bachelor of Science, Health Data Science, IUPUI, 2022

Why did you choose your major/program?
When I first started at IUPUI, I was majoring in mathematics, but I quickly hit a point where I did not know what I wanted to do with that degree after graduation. While I still enjoyed math, it just did not quite feel right. Then, I met with a career advisor, and after asking many questions to find out more about my interests, she told me about the health data science program.

I had never heard of it, but after looking into it more, it felt like the path for me. I have always had an interest in public health and mathematics/statistics, so finding a program that provided both was perfect. Additionally, I would be challenged and learn many new things, such as computer programming, and that made me excited because I knew I would always be learning something new. I also knew that the program would give me endless opportunities, as the content could apply to many different fields and industries.

Do you have any research interests?
During my undergraduate career, I was able to participate in some research while I was an intern at the Regenstrief Institute, which opened my eyes to the possibilities in public health research. However, at this time, I do not have any specific research interests, but I love my job at Roche, as I get to play a role in a wide range of important research studies there.

Briefly describe your career path.
During undergrad, I had two internships at the Regenstrief Institute, where I got to work with Dr. Shelley Johns (from August 2020-May 2022) and Dr. Brian Dixon (from May 2021-May 2022) in various roles, such as working with qualitative data for a study, transcribing interviews, programming an automated report with COVID-19 data in R, and creating weekly COVID-19 reports that were sent to multiple health departments across the state of Indiana. I also had an internship at IU Health from October 2021 to May 2022, where I worked with Josh Sadowski and the infection prevention team as a data analyst intern.

Shortly after graduation in May of 2022, I started my current job as a clinical data scientist at Roche Diagnostics. I am only a few months in, but I have loved my time there so far and am excited to see what the future holds for me at Roche!

Describe what an average day for you might be like.
Since I am still fairly new, my average day probably looks a little different than it will in a few months. Right now, I typically start my work day around 8 a.m. and end a little after 4 p.m. I often have a meeting or two each day, usually in the morning because I have coworkers who live in Germany, so they are six hours ahead of us in Indianapolis.

At other times throughout the day, I read documents to learn about new topics I need to know for future work/studies, do trainings to develop my skills and get familiarized with everything at Roche, and program in R or read R code from others to prepare myself for tasks that I will do in the future.

While my time has mostly been taken up by doing different trainings or learning different topics so far, in the future, an average day will consist of a few meetings each day still, but I will also get to perform different tasks for clinical studies, such as data management tasks in various database systems or clinical data scientist tasks, like doing data checks, creating analysis data sets, or statistical programming, in R.

What advice would you give your college self about pursuing your current career path or industry?
I would tell my college self that it is okay to not know/understand everything right away. In school, I would spend a lot of time trying to understand every little detail and get frustrated when I could not fully understand things because I thought it meant I would not be able to get or keep a job in the future. That thinking seems crazy now, as I have not been expected to know everything or understand everything right away. We are all learning or doing something new pretty much each day at work, and sometimes it takes time to fully grasp it.

Also, start networking as soon as you can, whether you reach out to professors or connect with others in your field on LinkedIn. I was lucky enough to find my job through networking, but it can also help you to just get to know your desired profession more from real people in that field.

What is a lesson learned at FSPH that you have been able to apply to your career?
While not about specific content (although I have used multiple R programming skills in my job that I learned in class), a lesson I learned at FSPH that I have been able to apply to my career is that asking questions is not a bad thing; to truly understand things or learn something new, being curious and asking questions is vital. I learned that lesson through my public health and health data science courses, as questions and curiosity about topics were always welcomed and encouraged, and it also helped me get to know my professors better.

This lesson has helped me a lot in my job, especially since I am so new and have a lot to learn. I used to be afraid to ask questions in school because I thought it meant I was failing or behind, but now I see asking questions as more of a strength because it shows you are interested in learning more or understanding better so that your work can improve.

What is the most significant thing that’s happened to you since graduating?
The most significant thing that has happened to me since graduating has definitely been starting my first real job. Aside from work, I have not had anything happen that is too significant in the past few months, but I have gotten back into my hobbies of reading and running more, so I have been able to relax quite a bit.

What’s next for you?
In the future, I plan to go to graduate school to get a master’s degree, most likely in biostatistics, to gain more knowledge that I could use in my job at Roche. However, I plan to wait a few years to gain some real-world experience while working before I start that. So for now, I am just focused on enjoying my new job and learning as much as I can.

What is your favorite IUPUI/FSPH memory?
My favorite memories at IUPUI/FSPH were my classes with Dr. Fadel. They were memorable for many reasons. For one, he is a great professor and wants everyone to succeed. He always welcomes questions, whether it is about course content or related to careers, and helps students in any way he can. Those classes were also the most interesting to me, as they taught topics I would need for my career, some of which I have used in my job already.

Additionally, those classes were almost always pretty small, so it felt more personal and comfortable. I am a big introvert, so small classes seemed a little intimidating at first because I was worried I would have to answer questions a lot or get called on often. However, I quickly got comfortable talking more and was able to enhance my learning because I was not afraid to ask questions to clarify topics.

I think this point is what easily made Dr. Fadel’s courses my favorite memories because it helped get me outside of my bubble and made me more comfortable talking in other classes. It has also helped me immensely in my job because I am not afraid to speak up or ask questions, and I am not sure that would be the case if I had not taken those courses.

Data resources available for public health and research

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Andy Ware

By: Katie Allen, PhD candidate, Health Policy & Management, Fairbanks School of Public Health

The Indiana Addiction Data Commons (IADC) is a specialized resource that supports access to diverse data sources spanning clinical and social determinants of health. This resource is available to researchers, public health professionals, community organizations, and policymakers to address the addiction crisis and other population health issues requiring combined healthcare and social determinants data.

The IADC was created to provide stakeholders—including physicians, researchers, public health professionals and policymakers—with easily accessible, robust, and comprehensive data to help them better understand, address and monitor the crisis. To meet this mission, IADC has developed:

Dashboards that show trends for several critical indicators within the substance use crisis.
Data aggregated at the county level that can be downloaded for analysis.
A web-based dictionary for exploring all the different types of data available for use, such as: clinical data, area-level measurements, and eviction data.

In addition to its original use case, this resource can support additional studies that explore the relationship between health data and social determinants of health.

Use Cases

The IADC uses natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to identify populations that have misused opioids and/or individuals with social insecurities including:

Housing instability
Unemployment
Financial insecurity
History of legal troubles
Transportation issues

Additionally, the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana Management Performance Hub (MPH) collaborate to link clinical and state data sources, creating data sets that join individual records from the Indiana Network for Patient Care research database (INPCR) with state data resources. Final data sets are accessible through the MPH Enhanced Research Environment.

Further, through a robust geocoding infrastructure, individuals within clinical data sources can be linked to geographic- or neighborhood-level measures from disparate data sources. Data requestors often utilize the IADC to supplement their existing data cohorts with clinically relevant outcomes or healthcare utilization after patient matching is performed.

For more information, please visit Indiana Addiction Data Commons or email askrds@regenstrief.org to be connected with an analyst who can help you identify the resource to address your research question or policy issue.

Fairbanks School of Public Health offers new scholarship

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Andy Ware

The Fairbanks School of Public Health is proud to announce a new student scholarship. Created in 2022, the Menachemi First Generation Student Scholarship offers financial support for undergraduate students with a preference for first-generation and/or financially disadvantaged students pursuing a degree from the Fairbanks School of Public Health.

The sincerest testament to the mission of an organization is when employees feel compelled to support the cause for which they work. The Fairbanks School of Public Health is honored that Dr. Nir Menachemi, Executive Associate Dean and Fairbanks Endowed Chair, philanthropically supported the creation of the Menachemi First Generation Student Scholarship to increase access to public health education and prepare more students for work in public health and healthcare institutions.

Dr. Menachemi believes that we can only address many of the existing health disparities by increasing the number of first-generation college students in public health and health administration professions. In alignment with Dr. Menachemi, The Fairbanks School of Public Health is pleased to boast one of the highest numbers of first-generation college students across IUPUI and strives to be one of the premier destinations for first-gen students.

If you would like to learn more about the Menachemi First Generation Student Scholarship, or other available scholarships from the Fairbanks School of Public Health, visit our scholarships page. Most scholarship applications are open through March 3, 2023.

Presidential influences on public health

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Andy Ware

In honor of Presidents Day, we asked our student ambassadors to name a president that has had a positive influence on the field of public health.

Kate Colpetzer, Health Services Management student

Under the Obama Administration, the Affordable Care Act was born. The ACA was created to expand healthcare coverage in America by reforming private insurance and expanding Medicaid coverage.

This Act, which still impacts the US healthcare system today, is a great public health achievement in our country.

Lucy Khatib, Epidemiology student

Lucy Khatib

For both Presidents Day and Black History Month, it’s important to remember public health efforts from presidents.

One of these is the “Let’s move” campaign from the Obama administration. This campaign aimed to reduce obesity in America. This public health program worked to improve quality of food in schools, encourage children to be active, in-depth food labels and work to diminish food deserts.

These programs are still in place today and aim to help reduce obesity in America. Check out this article if you are interested about learning more about American presidents’ role in public health.

Jaida Speth, Health Services Management student

“A little change from big people will mean a big change in little people!”

Not only did Franklin D. Roosevelt serve an unprecedented four terms in office, but he was also the first president with a significant physical disability from contracting polio in 1921. FDR’s ultimate victory over his illness came on the 10th anniversary of his death when the discovery of the polio vaccine was announced.

Roosevelt made the eradication of polio his personal business while in office and his work was so important that the discovery of the polio vaccines “would not have occurred, at least until decades later, without him.”

According to the CDC, no cases involving naturally-occurring poliovirus have originated in the U.S. since 1979. FDR was a big person who made a little philanthropic change during his presidency and made a big health change in the lives of millions of ‘little’ Americans.

Alumni career spotlight: Lindsay Joy-Wenning

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Andy Ware

In our Alumni Career Spotlight series, you will meet some of our alumni and learn about the important work they are doing to create a healthier nation and world.

Lindsay Joy-Wenning

Employer: Indiana Department of Health
Current position: Field Epidemiologist
Location: Bloomington, IN
Degree(s): BA – IUPUI 2011; MPH – IU Fairbanks 2015

Why did you choose your major/program?
I remember watching a History Channel special on the Black Death when I was eight years old; nothing has ever caught my interest like infectious illnesses. I’m also extremely comfortable discussing difficult personal subjects with strangers, so I was thrilled to find a major where you openly discuss and educate about human disease.

Do you have any research interests?
I research annual Indiana Department of Health data to submit abstracts to annual meetings like APHA and CSTE.

Briefly describe your career path.
I worked at Eli Lilly after receiving my bachelor’s from IUPUI, which let me know I hated working in a lab. I worked in clinical research for IU Health that involved direct patient and physician contact after I left Eli Lilly. I enrolled at IU Fairbanks while working that position and was able to land an interview with ISDH.

Describe what an average day for you might be like.
I don’t have an average day. Field epidemiologists are not disease-specific, like the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in the central office, and are closer to the local health departments (LHDs). In the event of an outbreak, we coordinate with the public health nurses and often the patients themselves. For example, I’m currently coordinating patient monitoring for mpox among the LHDs in my district.

What advice would you give your college self about pursuing your current career path or industry?
Take advantage of real-world experience. Join the school clubs or take an internship that connects you with current employees of the organization or area you’re interested in. Most of the time, the job description does not match the day-to-day. Luckily, people are more willing to talk than you may think. Also, networking is incredibly important, even more important than people admit. Finally, be honest. If you don’t know how to do something, ask for help (assumptions will sink you), write it down, and learn.

What is a lesson learned at FSPH that you have been able to apply to your career?
FSPH taught me that if your dream job doesn’t exist, create it. My position has a lot of freedom, and I have utilized it by building relationships in my counties so I can teach the general public about infectious diseases and be a trusted source of information in trying times.

What is the most significant thing that’s happened to you since graduating?
I procreated during the pandemic. I have a four-year-old, two-year-old, and five-month-old. I love them more than anything, but I would never recommend having children and then isolating for 2.5 years. I also worked the longest hardest hours of my life for that entire 2.5 years.

What’s next for you?
After mpox, I’m sure a resurgence of vaccine-preventable illnesses (hello polio!) after that. My job is secure, let’s put it that way.

What is your favorite IUPUI/FSPH memory?
My favorite memory was being lectured during the Infectious Disease 101 class. SMEs from ISDH, including Pam Pontones, taught about their subject matter expertise. I was star-struck, and I was frothing at the mouth thinking of a way to join their ranks.

Honoring influential African American leaders in public health, past and present

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Andy Ware

In honor of Black History Month, we asked our student ambassadors to highlight a historical fact about a famous African-American (and just like the wonderful public health students they are, they all chose African-Americans who have made significant contributions to the field of public health).

Kate Colpetzer, Health Services Management student

Do you know who Deborah Prothrow-Stith is? She was the first woman Commissioner of Public Health in Massachusetts! Prothrow-Stith is a trailblazer in the field of public health due to her research on the topics of youth violence and the effect that it has on communities.

She is a strong voice in the conversation that youth violence is not an issue to be managed by the criminal justice system, but rather through public health intervention and prevention. Currently, Prothrow-Stith serves as the Dean of the College of Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, located in Los Angeles, CA.

Deborah Prothrow-Stith is an important Black woman to celebrate and honor during #BHM2023, especially for those of us in the field of public health and medicine!

Lucy Khatib, Epidemiology student

Lucy Khatib

For Black History Month we would like to appreciate and highlight African Americans who work in public health. Michelle Williams is a renowned epidemiologist who has shaped perinatal and pediatric epidemiology. She has published over 450 papers and is the dean of faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health. For me it was very interesting to look at her work within pediatric care.

Pediatric care in the U.S. has a lot to improve upon with a variety of outcomes, especially for women of color. If you are interested in epidemiology or pediatric data and analysis look into Dr. Williams!

Jaida Speth, Health Services Management student

“What do you know about African-Americans and science?”

February is Black History Month, honoring the triumphs and struggles of African-Americans throughout United States history. Today, I am choosing to honor Henrietta Lacks for her contribution to public health around the world.

Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman whose cervical cancer cells are the source of the ‘HeLa’ cell line, one of the medical research’s most essential and immortalized cell lines.

Since her passing in 1951, her cells have been used to test the polio vaccine that protected millions and provided the basis for IVF, gene mapping, anti-cancer drugs, and other major medical discoveries.

Henrietta Lack’s story is one of inequity and her enduring legacy is to rectify unjust disparities in global health.

The history between African Americans and science is a long and rather unpleasant one, but I challenge you to dive deeper into the history this month because ‘those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’