Jain regularly reached out to the most diverse voices he could find, listening and challenging himself. “People embody the Michigan difference,” Jain says. “Those around me provide different angles on everything from academic to personal interests.”
Joel Begay’s work with Native communities has provided him valuable insight on how to partner with communities in a way that does not exploit them. As a public health professional, he aspires to help fill gaps around minority health data by collecting and analyzing data while helping tribal governments, health professionals, and other government agencies interpret the data to ultimately improve Indian Country.
Wherever Lt. Commander Rashid Njai’s career takes him—from Michigan communities like Flint and Detroit to the frontlines of public health crises internationally—it is his drive to help people, an unwavering commitment to the truth of his calling and his science, that guides the course of his public health work. .
In this Field Notes, Master of Public Health students Sandra Giramahoro Coyne and Jelena Verkler talk about interning last summer at different divisions of The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services in Lansing, where they put their epidemiology skills to good use.
Amilcar Matos-Moreno’s interest in public health has led him from biostatistics to epidemiology. In the process, he has discovered a way to dedicate his life’s work to making a difference in his home island of Puerto Rico, including Hurricane Maria relief and more.
As a member of the Michigan Rowing Team, Traci Carson spent her undergraduate years chasing athletic and academic achievement, but the pursuit took a toll on her mental and physical well-being. Now, as a doctoral student at Michigan Public Health she’s exploring interventions and prevention frameworks to help student-athletes like her stay healthy, body and mind.