Poverty

Belinda Needham, Associate Professor and Chair of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health

The Social Side of Disease and Disease Prevention

Belinda Needham

Socioeconomic status, overcrowding, institutional racism, political partisanship, and global economic inequality are all social factors that determine the disease risk for individuals and populations. And understanding those factors from all angles—from biology to sociology—can help us reduce that risk.

MPH student, Christopher Crowe with his daughters. Photo provided by Christopher Crowe.

Taking Public Health into My Own Hands

Christopher Crowe

Christopher Crowe has encountered a number of barriers throughout his educational journey. Now, thanks in part to the accessibility of online learning, he is able to accomplish more than ever. Today, he’s pursuing a Master of Public Health online to improve the health care system issues he’s experienced firsthand.

Rohan Jeremiah

Family Matters, Community Matters: Challenging Opportunities in Public Health Practice

Rohan Jeremiah, MPH ’06

As alum and public health professor Rohan Jeremiah knows well, public health does its best work when it remembers the inherent strengths and unique qualities of the communities it seeks to serve. This means paying close attention to local cultures and thinking creatively about ways to turn challenges into opportunities.

Brooke Callaghan

Inspired by Adversity to Create Better Health through Food

Brooke Callaghan

Inspired by her own brush with food insecurity, master's student Brooke Callaghan has committed her education, and her own personal time, to improving food access and trying to combat health risks associated malnutrition.

Pahriya Ashrap

Silk Road Native's Dream Repeats with Every Intervention

Pahriya Ashrap

When Pahriya Ashrap sees people in need, she imagines opportunities to help—whether she’s in an Ann Arbor lab or online with a math mentee on the other side of the world. Her simple, powerful dream of making a positive impact has motivated her on her long road to public health, where she works to build bridges of culture and science.