COMMENCEMENT 2020 May 16, 2020 - University of Minnesota School of ...

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COMMENCEMENT 2020 May 16, 2020 - University of Minnesota School of ...
2020
COMMENCEMENT
    May 16, 2020
COMMENCEMENT 2020 May 16, 2020 - University of Minnesota School of ...
ORDER OF CEREMONIES

2 2020 COMMENCEMENT   @UMNSPH   @PUBLICHEALTHUMN   @UMNSPH
COMMENCEMENT 2020 May 16, 2020 - University of Minnesota School of ...
2020 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
                           JAN MALCOLM
                           Commissioner
                           Minnesota Department of Health

                           Jan Malcolm was appointed in January 2018 as commissioner of the
                           Minnesota Department of Health.
                            Malcolm is responsible for directing the work of the Minnesota Department
                            of Health (MDH). MDH is the state’s lead public health agency and
responsible for protecting, maintaining, and improving the health of all Minnesotans.
The department has approximately 1,400 employees in the Twin Cities area and seven offices in
Greater Minnesota.
Prior to being appointed commissioner, Malcolm was an adjunct faculty member at the University
of Minnesota School of Public Health, where she co-directed a national research and leadership
development program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Earlier, Malcolm also helped
develop initiatives to strengthen the nation’s public health system as a senior program officer at the
foundation.
Malcolm previously served as chief executive officer of the Courage Center and as president of the
Courage Kenny Foundation following the merger of Courage Center and the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation
Institute. She has also worked as vice president of public affairs and philanthropy at Allina Health.
From 1999 to 2003, Malcolm served her first term as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of
Health. Throughout her career, Malcolm has been active in state and national health care, public health
associations, and government commissions on health care access and quality.
Malcolm is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

                                                             University of Minnesota School of Public Health   3
2020 COMMENCEMENT PARTICIPANTS

                             CLASS OF 2020 SPEAKER
                             STEFANI ALEMAN
                             MPH Candidate in Epidemiology
                             Stefani Aleman was born and raised in Oregon, where she received her B.S. in
                             biology and psychology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Oregon.
                             Aleman has dedicated her public health career to working with marginalized
                             populations in the areas of health promotion, screening, and harm reduction.
  Prior to attending the School of Public Health, she worked in Maryland coordinating preventative health
  services and programs for community members of East Baltimore. Currently, Aleman is a student in the
  Division of Epidemiology and Community Health and recipient of the SPH Dean’s Scholar of Excellence and
  the Community Health Initiative Award. During her time at the University, she has engaged in community
  health work with the People’s Center Clinic & Services, and served as a committee member on the
  UMN Student Sexual Misconduct Committee. She is the student representative for the Division Training
  Committee in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, and is a graduate assistant for the
  Health Equity Work Group. Aleman will be graduating with her MPH in epidemiology and plans to move
  back to Oregon, where she will continue to use data for advocacy with the goal of improving the health and
  living conditions of society’s most vulnerable populations.

                             SPH ALUMNI SOCIETY SPEAKER
                             KAREN WICK, MPH ’94
                             President, SPH Alumni Society Board of Directors

                              Karen Wick is the president and owner since 1994 of Stephan Research,
                              Inc., a clinical research consulting company, which fulfills the research needs
                              of companies in both the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
                              Wick has 35 years of experience in the medical research field and has been
  involved in multiple areas of the clinical research development process, including project management,
  program development, protocol design, and regulatory submission preparation. Wick possesses specific
  pharmaceutical expertise in the areas of drug delivery technologies and medical device experience that
  includes bradycardia, tachycardia, heart failure, and neurological systems. She enjoys the challenge of
  identifying the path to success for new products in the medical research development process. Wick
  received her pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota in 1983 and her master’s degree in public
  health in 1994.
  Wick’s public health passion is the opioid epidemic. She worked for two years as pharmacist-in-charge
  for an opioid treatment center in addition to conducting research that helped support treatment efforts in
  this affected patient population. Wick has asked the SPH Alumni Society Board to focus its efforts on the
  opioid public health crisis during her tenure as president.
  Wick lives in Stillwater with her husband, Steve, and Labrador Retriever, Laci. She has three adult children
  who currently reside in Minnesota. Wick’s hobbies are tennis and gardening, which she has incorporated
  in her life as a USTA captain of a women’s 4.0 tennis team for over 10 years. She has been a member of
  the SPH Alumni Society Board since 2014 and has just completed her two-year term as president.

4 2020 COMMENCEMENT                                     @UMNSPH         @PUBLICHEALTHUMN           @UMNSPH
ACADEMIC REGALIA
GOWN
The bachelor’s gown is untrimmed, with long pointed sleeves, and is worn closed. The master’s gown
has long crescent-shaped sleeves and may be worn open or closed. The doctor’s gown has velvet
facing down the front and three velvet bars on the bell-shaped sleeves. The velvet is either black or the
color of the major field of study. Historically, most gowns were black, but in the past two decades some
American institutions have followed the British use of red or college colors.

HOOD
The hood is the most important and distinctive feature. It was originally intended as a head cover and
shoulder cape. The color of the trim (edging) indicates the degree field, and the length of the hood and
width of the trim indicate the degree earned, with the doctor’s hood being the longest with the widest
trim. The color or colors of the hood lining indicate the degree-granting institution. The University of
Minnesota hood is symbolized with a gold background and single maroon chevron.

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DEGREES                                                                                        HOOD COLOR
Master of Public Health and Master of Healthcare Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Salmon
Master of Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yellow
Doctor of Philosophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dark Blue

CAP & TASSEL
The academic cap was first worn as a symbol of the master’s degree. The mortarboard style cap is an
Oxford development. European universities have variations—some caps soft, others square, and some
round with a tuft in the center. The tassel of today is an elaboration of the tuft. The Intercollegiate Code
permits the color of the graduate’s tassel to correspond to the authorized color indicating the degree field.

Pi Chapter of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Congratulations to the 2020 inductees to the Pi Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public
Health. Membership in Delta Omega is highly selective and each inductee is chosen based on outstanding
performance and devotion to public health.

Students are chosen for academic excellence and must rank in the top 25 percent of the graduating class.
Faculty are chosen for excellence based on a review of their work in the field.
Alumni are chosen for their work in the practice of public health that serves as a model for future graduates.

2020 student inductees are identified in the Commencement Program with < symbol.
Congratulations to all our new members on your accomplishments!

                                                                                       University of Minnesota School of Public Health   5
2019-2020 Recipients of the
  MASTER OF HEALTHCARE
  ADMINISTRATION (MHA)
  Ebyan Abdisalam           Ruth Gebremedhin                 Josie Linnae Olson
  Chelsea Rose Akin         Robert Davis Hayes               Megan Nicole Olson
  Haley Marie Beers         Braden Rhett Hellstern           Krupali Patel
  Nicole Carpetto           Mary-Grace Hickman               Ross Pickett
  Mckenzie Kesler Chase     Hunter Hill                      Joshua Inkoo Rostad
  Samuel Forest Clark       Adam Wesley Jensen               Kai Thompson
  Michaela Emily Degrande   Harington Joe                    Ashleigh Elizabeth Vandenbrink
  Michael Deguire           Karin Lyn Johnson                Spencer Dean Waters
  Julia Margot Egofske      Ishvinder Parkash Kaur           Sarah Weatherman
  Spencer Eisele            Michael Labrador                 Cole John Wensman
  Eric Aaron Felderman      Karin Emily Dahl Lund            Logan Bryant Wood
  Allison Ann Fischbach     Jessica Rose Maloy
  Meghan Patricia Flyke     Ann Catherine McLaughlin
  Emily Nicole Friedrich    Sarah Militello
  Taylor Marin Gansmoe      Carrie Joanna O’connor-Walker

  MHA EXECUTIVE PROGRAM
  Dan Behrens               Matthew Hunt                     Jennifer Oakes
  William Bekker            Erin Keene                       Daniela Orza
  Matt Berggren             Peter Kelly                      Cameron Prescott
  Nate Blad                 Emily Kornhoff                   Kate Shaughnessy
  Gregory Bodene            Alexis Kotschevar                Jerome Siy
  Jen Chung                 Mary Beth Lydon                  Bao Vang
  Trisha Curioz             Alisha Miller                    Jamie Walski
  Ann Drvol                 Sehar Minhas
  Michael Ebbert            Afrah Mohamed
  Tyson Frodin              Samrina Naqvi
  Priyangani Goonathilaka   Micah Niermann

6 2020 COMMENCEMENT                             @UMNSPH     @PUBLICHEALTHUMN        @UMNSPH
2019-2020 Recipients of the
MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH)

COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION
Julia Ann Andersen                     Leah Guy                           Sami Elizabeth Quinn
Avery Isabel Bather                    Sierra Howard                      Alexa Ravetti
Meghan Elizabeth Burian                Abby Kathryn Jessen                Lily Suyaying Rogers-Grant
Michelle Clegg                         Sara Jane Kettering                Lauren Amanda Scott
Nicholas Cotta                         Holly Kidrowski                    Audrey Cara Seligman
Katharyn Genevieve Cristan             Ja Kyung Kim                       Kristin Marie Shneider
Hannah Celine Dcunha                   Erica Marie Lester                 Anne Bailey Sleeth
Eileen Delehanty <                     Hillary Lor                        Beverly Lynn Smith-Keiling
Karmen Dippmann                        Molly Malone                       Rachel Koey Yang
Carly Edson                            Madison Nicole Nelson              Mandi Kim Zupfer
Anna Lucille Faerber                   Noah James Norton
Jessica Leanne Goswitz                 Brooklyn Petrich
Yasamin Graff                          Timothy Presley

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Aleksandra Alcheva                     Elizabeth M Johnson                Sathira Wijesekara
Meredith Arpey                         Patrick Kuisle                     Katharine Mary Young
Jacqueline Cassman                     Amanda Markelz                     Cristina Zarama
Priyanka Chaduvula                     Paige Noelle Mushinski
Aditi Das                              Sandra Osei <
Nicole Marie Havel                     Austin Rau <

EPIDEMIOLOGY
Bradley Allen Aasen                    Taylor Arlene King                 Isabel Jade Ricke
Hamdi Said Adam                        Linnea Larson                      Gabriel Issac Saemisch
Elizabeth Albers                       Molly Larson                       Jayati Saha
Stefani Aleman                         Sarah Lim                          Emily Schroeder
Sarah Louise Bennis                    Erik Peter Loewen                  Samantha Siebman
Aaron Clark                            Zachary James Maino                Diksha Srishyla
Rachel Rask Codden                     Dahlia Maxon                       Benjamin Michael Stroebel
Jordan Davis                           Ross Alexander Mooney              Ann Turcotte
Joanne Marie Dehnbostel                 Mckenzie                          Alexandra Warzecha
Bree Elizabeth Friedman                Davis Allen Melin                  Katarina Marie Wesche
Daniel Etzel Gerlach                   Shannon Ashley Merillat            Haley Wienkes
Nicholas Hable                         Michelle Mumper                    Ziqing Xie
Emily Marie Holodnick                  Breanne Elaine Osborn              Richie Houhong Xu <
Maggie Lynn Huettl                     Siobhan Kathleen OToole
Steven Johnson                         Abigail Paustian
Hannah Kempher                         Erica Rapheal

< 2020 Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health Inductee

                                                                 University of Minnesota School of Public Health   7
2019-2020 Recipients of the
  MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH)
  (Continued)

  MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH
  Ashley Blake Ansolabehere             Alexandra Marie Gowdy-Jaehnig    Abhismitha Ramesh
  Heather Lyne Barto                    Teale Ana Greylord               Carolina Ramirez
  Cassandra Jewels Bulau                Liza Elianna Henry               Jeungeun Seo
  Megan Elizabeth Coleman               Hillary J Andert Hercules        Jessica Breanne Servaty
  Morgan Elisabeth Collins              Christine Heeyeong Kim Park      Mai Vue
  Elizabeth Ann Corey                   Eunji Kim                        Bianca Satika Zarders
  Hannah Louise Currie                  Mollie Kohler
  Tessa Grace Currie                    Renee Nicole Kraus
  Amber Lynne Davidson                  Sarita Kundrod
  Alyssa Eberhardt                      Rachael Mills <
  Jason Regis Fredrick                  Komi Kouma Selomey Modji
  Shelbi L Giesel                       Ramya Palaniappan

  PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION & POLICY
  Emily Acers                           Beria (Rochell) Joseph           Casey Rieck
  Kwame Akosah                          Anne Marie Keating               Summer Robbins
  Andrew Alberth                        Madelyn Klabunde <               Matthew Rundle
  Noof Alghamdi                         Yue Li                           Hannah Salen
  Rulau Alex                            Angie Lindstedt                  Arundhathi Sasikumar
  Jennifer Ballinger                    Mikala Lowe                      Madeline Schwartz
  Natassia Boening                      Melissa Mady                     Sohayla Shahsavand
  Hannah Brekke                         Emily Martin                     Gaybrielle Talsma
  Suyog (Seah) Buttar                   Malik Mitchell                   Shivani Thakker
  Kayla Chapman                         Vuong Nguyen                     Atticus Wolfe
  Jasmeen Chauhan                       Chukwudi Njoku
  Delaney Cole                          Alexander Peever
  Anusha Garimella                      Sarah Perez-Sanz <
  Heidi Glesmann                        Christi Perkinson
  Kristen Godwin                        Sang Phung
  Joseline Haizel - Cobbina             Denise Quintanilla <

 < 2020 Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health Inductee

8 2020 COMMENCEMENT                                         @UMNSPH     @PUBLICHEALTHUMN        @UMNSPH
2019-2020 Recipients of the
MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH)
(Continued)

PUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION & POLICY EXECUTIVE PROGRAM
Erin Amundson                           Sarah Lemmage                      Esha Seth
Erin Appelt <                           Mallory Mahaffey                   Nicole Vegel
Aparesh Balla                           Titilayo Oluwabusi                 Megan Wren
Joanne Erspamer                         Kathleen Ronchi
Tim Fries <                             Paula Schewe
Rebekah Kroll                           Ashley Schneider

PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION
Lucy Nicole Berman                      Coleton Joshua Dotson Hanson       Rebecca Ann Naab
Somadee Cheam                           Grace M Heglund-Lohman             Jessica O’Connell <
Yanyan Chen                             Madison Merry Holm                 Alexandra Pattee
Marianna Colucci                        Anne Janzen                        Allison Marie Rudnickas
Charlie Davis                           Samantha Jochum
Fatima Fagbenro                         Kristine Marie Mcintyre

PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE
Savannah Brooke Basham *                Sasha Hulsey +                     Jessica Cheryl Mae Raines **
Nathan Blumenfeld *                     Scott Kibler                       Maria Mackenzie Regan
Auguste Brihn                           James Michael Kincheloe             Gonzalez
Maria Bryan ^                           Diana Ly **                        Caroline Lee Sell ++
Hoa Ngoc Bui **                         Julia Anne Mandsager               Alice Hyeari Shin **
Loriann De Martini                       Komatsu ^                         Rachel Somma *
Kristin Margit Dooley                   Allison Elizabeth Marsh            Jennifer Stiles *
Ayah Fannoun                             Ledesma *                         Meghan Taylor
Asmaa Ferdjallah                        David Michael Marshall ^           Kim Thyda Uy ^
Ashley Renee Fike **                    Tuesday McAuliffe Staehler **      Hannah Van Ochten **
Jennifer Ann Groetsch *                 Daniel Edward Mock ◆               Teagen Laikas Warrick **
Cristina Guimaraes **                   Manju Nayar                        Janet M West
Abdifatah Aden Haji                     Tuyen Nguyen **
Michael Frederick Harrison              Tatum Isabel Odland *
Erica Hartz *                           Sakulrat Pattamakaew
Susannah Haupt *                        Pei Yu Phua ◆
Michelle Holm                           Taylor Ann Picha **

< 2020 Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health Inductee
^ Candidate for dual-degree: Doctor of Medicine
* Candidate for dual degree: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
** Candidate for dual-degree: Doctor of Pharmacy
+ + Candidate for dual-degree: Juris Doctor
+ Candidate for dual-degree: Master of Public Policy
◆ Candidate for dual-degree: Master of Urban Planning
                                                                  University of Minnesota School of Public Health   9
2019-2020 Recipients of the
  MASTER OF SCIENCE (MS)

  BIOSTATISTICS
  Yunxiang Bai                          Ajing Huang                      Zheng Wang
  Karl Brown                            Seonguk Jang                     Tianhua Wu
  Zachary Brown                         Matthew Kucera                   Jiemin Yang
  Wenhao Cao                            Jingxin Lei                      Weijie Zhang <
  Dillon Corrigan                       Jiawei (Jarvis) Liu
  Yuxin Guo                             Karan Shah
  Katrina Harper                        Torri Simon
  Xiang He                              Joe Swintek

  CLINICAL RESEARCH
  Taumoha Ghosh                         Byron Vaughn
  Chetan Shenoy
  Janewit Wongboonsin

  ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
  Yihua Bai                             Puleng Rose Moshele <
  Katherine Rose Harmelink              Mason Kale Murdock
  Derek Pierce King                     Chantel Ranae Wang
  Amanda Josephine Kramer               Jeffrey Wong

  HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, POLICY & ADMINISTRATION
  Christopher Frenier
  Xiaoyuan Jin
  Benjamin Nicla
  Dimpho Orionzi
  Tejaswini Phatak
  Anthony Tholkes <
  Thaddeus Unold
  Zhengtian Wu

  < 2020 Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health Inductee

10 2020 COMMENCEMENT                                          @UMNSPH   @PUBLICHEALTHUMN   @UMNSPH
2019-2020 Recipients of the
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD)

BIOSTATISTICS                                              Souvik Seal

Roland Brown                                               Genome-Wide Association Inference and Herita-
                                                             bility Estimation with multiple traits and related
A Statistical Framework for Harnessing Human
                                                             individuals in large scale cohort studies
   Activity Data to Understand Behavior, Health,
   and Well-Being
                                                           Zhenxun Wang

Yangqing Deng                                              Statistical Methods for Arm-based Bayesian
                                                              Network Meta-analysis
Genetic Testing with Conditional Analysis and
  Summary Statistics
                                                           Yi Yang

Anne Eaton <                                               Bayesian Hierarchical Models for Multi-SNP and
                                                             Multi-Trait Genome-Wide Association Studies
Non-parametric estimation of probability in
  disease states, restricted mean time in disease
  states, and mean cumulative marker process

Ales Kotalik                                               ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Incorporation of Supplemental Data Into the                Catherine Mary Babcanec
   Design and Analysis of Randomized Trials                Helping Homecare: Evaluating Injury Outcomes
                                                             in Homecare
Jun Young Park
Statistical Modeling and Inference for                     Melanie Firestone
   Neuroimaging and Genomics Data                          Restaurants and Salmonella: Using surveillance
                                                             data to improve policy development for the
Jack Pattee                                                  enhancement of food safety
Leveraging summary statistics and integrative
  analysis for prediction and inference in                 Ashley Hernandez
  genome-wide association studies                          The Association Between Respirable Dust
                                                             with Ischemic Heart Disease and Chronic
Ross Peterson                                                Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Mortality
Methods for validating the statistical power of              Among Minnesota Taconite Workers
  endpoints, participant compliance, and treat-
  ment effects in clinical trials                          Christina Elaine Rosebush
                                                           Caring for our Caregivers: an Evaluation of the
                                                             Minnesota Safe Patient Handling Act

                                                           Joseph Lee Servadio
                                                           The burden of Yellow Fever in Brazil: Quantifying
                                                             disease severity and producing short-term
                                                             forecasts

< 2020 Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health Inductee

                                                                  University of Minnesota School of Public Health   11
2019-2020 Recipients of the
  DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD)
  (Continued)

  EPIDEMIOLOGY
  Aaron Berger                                               Spruha Joshi
  An Evaluation of the Effects of School Policies            The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on Marijuana
    on Child and Adolescent Health and                         and Alcohol Use and Traffic Fatalities
    Health-Related Behavior
                                                             Steve Nguyen
  Kimberly Bonner                                            Physical Activity, Successful Aging, and Putative
  What drives willingness to vaccinate and vaccina-            Biomarkers of Aging
    tion acceptance? Examining decision-making
    for seasonal influenza vaccine in Minnesota              Faye Norby
    and a vaccine against an emerging pathogen
                                                             Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults: Treatment and
    in Uganda
                                                                Outcomes in Rural Versus Urban Areas, the
                                                                Relation to Proteomics, and the Development
  Lama Ghazi                                                    of a Risk Prediction Model
  Chronic Kidney Disease: Evaluating Area Level
    Socioeconomic Characteristics, Individual                Colleen Peterson
    Characteristics, and Patterns of Care by
                                                             The Decision to Speed in the United States –
    Census Tract in the Twin Cities Metro Area
                                                               A Mixed Methods Approach

  HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, POLICY & ADMINISTRATION

  Priyanka Desai                                             Xuanzi Qin
  Towards a Comprehensive Framework for Shared               Generic Entry of Aromatase Inhibitors and Breast
    Decision-making: Defining the Process and                  Cancer Treatment Decisions
    Examining the Decision-making Preferences
    of Millennial Women                                      Laura Smith <
                                                             Essays on Health Care Accessibility
  Tsan Yao Huang
  Understanding Multi-product Health Insurance               Viengneesee Thao
    Marketplaces: An Advancement in Aggregated
                                                             Economic Model of Maternal Opioid Use
    Demand Estimation Using Bayesian Statistics
                                                               Disorder: Projecting the Cost And Effect
                                                               of Treatment To Inform Value-based Care
  Szu-Yu (Zoe) Kao                                             and Policy
  Treat your partners right: Implication of sexual
     contact networks in partner management for              Zhiyou Yang
     sexually transmitted infections
                                                             The Effects of Medicaid Managed Care on
                                                               Long-Term Services and Supports for Seniors:
  Colleen Longacre                                             Empirical Evidence from Minnesota
  Travel and Treatment among Breast Cancer
     Patients: A Population-Based Study

 < 2020 Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health Inductee

12 2020 COMMENCEMENT                                        @UMNSPH         @PUBLICHEALTHUMN         @UMNSPH
2019-2020 Recipients of the
CERTIFICATE IN PUBLIC HEALTH

APPLIED BIOSTATISTICS
Vu Huyn

CLINICAL RESEARCH
Katherine Harmelink
Zachary Maino
Anthony Parker
LeAnn Shore

GLOBAL HEALTH
Sheila Ugargol Keefe
Martha Trevey

                              University of Minnesota School of Public Health   13
ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF
  PUBLIC HEALTH

  SCHOOL AT A GLANCE
  Founded. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1944

  Dean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John R. Finnegan Jr., PhD

  Ranking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 9 public health school, U.S. News & World Report

  Divisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Biostatistics
                                                              Environmental Health Sciences
                                                              Epidemiology & Community Health
                                                              Health Policy & Management

  Full-Time Faculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

  Current students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,360 from 48 different countries

  Accreditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
                                                              Commission on Accreditation in Healthcare
                                                              Management Education (CAHME)
                                                              Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and
                                                              Dietetics (ACEND)
                                                              Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

  Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,500+ living today

  The School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota is home to numerous world-renowned
  research and training centers. Working together, SPH faculty, staff and students are dedicated to
  preventing disease, encouraging better health, and promoting the common good.

  SPH faculty members are among the leading experts in public health today, regularly sought after by
  national and international media to provide perspectives on some of the world’s most troubling public
  health problems, such as infectious diseases, smoking, and obesity.

14 2020 COMMENCEMENT                                                       @UMNSPH       @PUBLICHEALTHUMN        @UMNSPH
WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH?
Every time you drink clean tap water, buckle your seat belt, enjoy a smoke-free airplane flight, or get
a flu shot, you are part of public health in action. Public health helps us live longer, healthier lives. It’s
called “public” because it concentrates on health advances across populations, making sure every
person and every community has what they need for health and well-being. At its most basic, public
health is about prevention — stopping illnesses before they start — and about creating the right
conditions for people to thrive.

HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL OF
PUBLIC HEALTH
The University of Minnesota was one of the first in the nation to offer classes in public health when
Charles Hewitt, the secretary of the Minnesota State Board of Health, began teaching personal
and community hygiene, epidemic diseases, and physiology in 1874. In the following decades,
various University departments created programs in public health disciplines, such as biostatistics,
environmental health, and epidemiology.

In 1944, the University brought all of these programs together to create the School of Public Health.
Today, our school — ranked #9 in the nation — serves more than 1,300 students to help meet the
increasing demand for a public health workforce. We were the first in the country to grant a master’s
degree in hospital administration, establish a doctoral program in epidemiology, launch a graduate
program in maternal and child health, and, in 2017, offer a graduate minor in sexual health.

The School of Public Health is proud to be one of the premier schools of public health in the world. Its
faculty, staff, and students bring innovative thinking and concrete action to emerging and persistent
challenges, including structural racism, gun violence, an expanding aging population, and a changing
climate. Located in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., it prepares some of the most
influential leaders in the field, and provides the knowledge health departments, communities, and
policymakers need to make the best decisions about population health.

                                                                  University of Minnesota School of Public Health   15
THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
  TACKLES COVID-19
  Public health is critical to confronting COVID-19 in Minnesota and beyond. During this pandemic, the
  School of Public Health works side-by-side with the MN Department of Health, health systems, tribal
  nations, policymakers, U of M colleagues, and others to generate solutions. Below are a few examples
  of our school’s work at this unique time.

  GUIDING WISE DECISION-MAKING
  • Infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm (PhD ’80, MPH ’78, MS ’76) advises local, national,
    and international policymakers
  • Eva Enns and Shalini Kulasingam (with U of M colleagues) create mathematical models to help
    guide Minnesota’s response to COVID-19
  • Graduates Kris Ehresmann (MPH ’90), director of infectious disease for the Minnesota Department
    of Health, and Minneapolis Health Commissioner Gretchen Musicant (MPH ’86) use their public
    health education to lead during COVID-19 (52% of graduates stay in Minnesota to become part of the
    public health workforce)

  ADDRESSING ANXIETY AND UNCERTAINTY
  Through daily insights in the news, national and local editorials, commentaries, and a new podcast
  series, the school brings science-based information to a worried public
  • Peter Raynor helps the public understand COVID-19 spread and ways to prevent transmission,
    especially in workplaces
  • Marizen Ramirez explores how at-risk children cope with stay-at-home restrictions and provides
    guidance

  PROTECTING ALL MINNESOTANS
  • Jeff Bender works to protect farmers, farm workers, and farm families from coronavirus infection
  • Alan Lifson (with U of M Extension) provides COVID-19 information to new immigrants
  • Joseph Gaugler enhances safety for elders in care facilities

  ADVANCING SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES
  • Coordinating Centers for Biometric Research is involved in multiple studies evaluating treatments
    for COVID-19
  • Ruby Nguyen confronts the rise of domestic violence during the pandemic to help determine
    appropriate services
  • Ryan Demmer (PhD ’05, MPH ’01) conducts rapid research to identify how common the virus is in
    asymptomatic health care workers

      CRITICAL FUNDING IS NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER
      Public health is critical to confronting COVID-19 in Minnesota and beyond. The medical system accounts
      for only 10% of what keeps us healthy; 90% depends on prevention, public health, and other factors.
      Yet, the U.S. spends approximately $11,000 per person on medical care and about $260 per person on
      public health and prevention each year.

      When you invest in SPH students, faculty, and life-altering research you become a part of the solution.
      Help us lead through these uncertain times, discover life saving solutions and prepare our next genera-
      tion of public health leaders. Join the movement toward a healthier future: sph.umn.edu/give.

16 2020 COMMENCEMENT                                      @UMNSPH         @PUBLICHEALTHUMN            @UMNSPH
Congratulations
                          Graduate!
                          The University of
       FROM THE           Minnesota Alumni
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
                          Association proudly
          AND
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
                          welcomes you to a
  ALUMNI ASSOCIATION      global community of
                          493,000+ alumni.
                          — UMNAlumni.org —

CONGRATULATIONS,
CLASS OF 2020!
Welcome to the University of Minnesota School of
Public Health Alumni Society! We are proud of your
achievements and welcome you to a community of
nearly 12,000 distinguished alumni worldwide.

STAY CONNECTED | GET INVOLVED | GIVE BACK

  WEB    sph.umn.edu/alumni          @sphalumni

E-MAIL   sph-alum@umn.edu            z.umn.edu/sphlinkedin

                                     @umnsphalumni

                                                University of Minnesota School of Public Health   17
PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS PLEDGE
  As a public health professional
  dedicated to enhancing the health status
  and well-being of individuals and communities,
  I pledge to hold the public interest
  and health of populations
  as my high professional goals.

  MINNESOTA ROUSER
  Minnesota, hats off to thee!
  To thy colors true we shall ever be,
  Firm and strong, united are we.
  Rah, rah, rah for Ski-U-Mah
  Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah!
  Rah for the U of M.
  [Repeat]
  M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A!
  Minnesota, Minnesota!
  Yeah, Gophers!

      Join the celebration
      on Social #SPHGrad

18 2020 COMMENCEMENT                      @UMNSPH   @PUBLICHEALTHUMN   @UMNSPH
TheUniversityofMinnesotaiscommittedtothepolicythatallpersonsshallhaveequalaccesstoitsprograms,facilities,and
employmentwithoutregardtorace,color,creed,religion,nationalorigin,sex,age,maritalstatus,disability,publicassistance
status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

Thispublication/materialcanbemadeavailableinalternativeformatsforpeoplewithdisabilities.Directrequeststothe
School of Public Health, 612-624-6999.
                                                                 University of Minnesota School of Public Health      19
20 2020 COMMENCEMENT   @UMNSPH   @PUBLICHEALTHUMN   @UMNSPH
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