After surviving Beirut's 2020 explosion, Wadad Itani decided to dedicate her life to helping others and prioritizing human health. Itani’s journey culminates in earning a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Michael Mastrosimone struggled to succeed in college, and he began believing that higher education was not meant for him. Now, he is on track to graduate from the online MPH program in Population and Health Sciences from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He shares the motivations, challenges and moments of revelation that have shaped his path in the field of public health.
We catch up with three Michigan Public Health alumnae from the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education who work for the Adolescent Health Initiative (AHI) at Michigan Medicine.
As a trained psychologist working in public health, Enrique Neblett understands the interdisciplinary power of public health. Neblett’s research focuses on the mental health of Black young people, in particular how racism-related stress affects health outcomes.
Kennedy Dubose studies public health not only for personal and intellectual reasons but also for what she sees as moral, ethical imperatives. Growing up, she saw public health systems failing Black communities. With a combination of local and global training, she is looking to promote more equitable community health in Detroit and around the globe.
In eighth grade, Briana Nelson decided to improve her fitness. With personal initiative and family support, a lifetime passion for nutrition was born. “It was a total transformation,” Nelson says, and her ability to focus and move herself forward toward big goals is helping her achieve great things as a student-athlete and as an ambassador for health equity.