Spotlights

Hometown: Tehran, IranUndergraduate school and major/minor: Tehran University of Medical Sciences/MedicineProgram at Brown: MPHAnticipated graduation date: May 2024Three things you have with you at all times: My smartphone, black tea bag, and antiseptic hygienic stuff What are your hobbies or activities when you aren’t studying or working?Trail jogging, Watching a wide array of films including […]

Dixie Duncan grew up in the town of Van Buren, MO, population 800, a dot on the map adjacent to the scenic Current River in Southeast Missouri.  Now, she’s promoting public health coalitions in the rural region, where the PRC has been working to eliminate health disparities there and other rural regions.. “I’ve found the […]

Sarah Pritchard’s training is in system dynamics, but her passion is equity and systems change. So her position on the PRC’s leadership team on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is a perfect fit.  “My focus is on using Community Based System Dynamics to help people on the committee understand how the system of structural racism operates […]

Hometown: Weston, MissouriUndergraduate school and major/minor: Bachelor of Fine Arts-Painting, Minor in Philosophy and ReligionProgram at Brown: MPHAnticipated graduation date: May 2023Three things you have with you at all times: Chapstick, water bottle, nice pens What are your hobbies or activities when you aren’t studying or working?Gardening (fruits, veggies, and flowers), quilting, hanging out with […]

Hometown: Henderson, NVUndergraduate school and major/minor: University of Nevada, Las VegasProgram at Brown: MPHAnticipated graduation date: May 2023Three things you have with you at all times: Water, my watch, and lip balm What are your hobbies or activities when you aren’t studying or working?Knitting, biking, and rewatching The OC or Mad Men. I used to […]

Ana Luiza Favarão Leão hasn’t been in St. Louis long, but she’ll well remember the city when she returns to Brazil later in the year, thanks to the PRC. A research student at the PRC under a Fulbright Doctoral Dissertation Research Award, she’s in the U.S. for the first time. “It’s been a great cultural […]

Hometown: Williamsport, PennsylvaniaUndergraduate school and major/minor: University of Rochester – B.S. Brain and Cognitive Sciences and B.A. Health, Behavior, and SocietyProgram at Brown: MPH/MSWAnticipated graduation date: May 2023Three things you have with you at all times: In an ideal world, a cat, a camera, and a giant mug of Earl Grey tea. What are your […]

Jess Gannon was in Tanzania when she realized that public health research might be her calling. Gannon, MSW ’18, was on a 4-5- month practicum as part of her concentration on international social and economic development, charged with working for an organization doing hands-on educational water sanitation and hygiene programs in rural Tanzania. Her work […]

It wasn’t the toasted ravioli that drew Diana Parra Perez to St. Louis. Parra Perez began her journey in public health and to the PRC in Bogota, Colombia, where her interest in physical activity led to becoming a physical therapist who aimed to work with athletes. As she was introduced to the endeavors of public […]

Hometown: Skokie, IL Undergraduate school and major/minor: Double major in Anthropology and Spanish Program at Brown: MSW Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2022 Three things you have with you at all times: Snacks, headphones, a book What are your hobbies or activities when you aren’t studying or working? I love reading books for fun! I’ve been […]

Renee Parks got a first-hand glimpse of the importance of evidence-based public health practice just after graduate school, when she became the health educator for Missouri University of Science & Technology. “It was a really important position for me,” she said.  “I saw how challenging it was to actually engage in evidence-based practice and put […]

Hometown: Benin City & Apa, Nigeria Undergraduate school and major/minor: University of Lagos: Medicine & Surgery Program at Brown: MPH/MSP Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2022 Three things you have with you at all times: Phone, purse, glasses What are your hobbies or activities when you aren’t studying or working? I enjoy tinkering with recipes, watching […]

Hometown: St. Louis, MO Undergraduate school: Washington University in St. Louis Majors: Political Science and Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology Minor: History Graduate school: Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis Program: MPH (Graduated May 2021) Three things you have with you at all times: A good pen, a notebook or scrap of paper, and a hair tie. […]

Got data? Rebekah Jacob is your go-to person at the PRC.Jacob is the PRC’s Data Manager, helping researchers to analyze data whenever needed. She’s worked in a variety of roles at the center and elsewhere since graduating from the Brown School in 2013 with a joint MSW/MPH degree: Project manager, evaluator, analyst. But whatever her […]

Hometown: Portland, Oregon Undergraduate school and major/minor: Triple Major in Health Sciences, Community Development, and Social Science in International Economics. Minor in Psychology and Chemistry Program at Brown: MPH Graduation date: May 2021 Three things you have with you at all times: Hydroflask, Hand sanitizer, and Allegra-D What are your hobbies or activities when you […]

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Undergraduate University and Major: Wesleyan University – Double major in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Science in Society Program Minor in East Asian Studies Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2021 Three things you have with you at all times: Phone, Keys, Costco Membership card What are your hobbies or activities when you aren’t […]

“I realized the problem was in the community and that there was a disconnect between clinical medicine and the determinants of health in the communities I worked in.”

As an undergraduate, Maggie Padek majored in history and considered going to law school. But she wound up as a grad student at the Brown School, first in social work and then in public health. Her change of heart wound up being a good thing for the PRC, where she is now a center manager. […]

Hometown: Hidaj, Iran Undergraduate Major/Minor: Architecture Program at Brown: MPH Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2021 Three things you have with you at all times: Phone, credit card, a mug filled with hot tea Hobbies/Activities: Walking, cooking, hanging out with friends, video chatting with family, and traveling What first made you interested in studying Public Health? […]

Cheryl Valko wears a lot of hats at the PRC. As the center’s associate director, she helps guide the administration of a variety of activities, from communications to strategic planning and the reviewing of grants. And like most everyone, she’s facing the challenges of balancing home-based work with household responsibilities, including caring for her 2-year-old […]