Growing in Hofstra MPH program – Alumni Experience by Mariyam Hussain

Mariyam Hussain, MPH Graduate 2017

From the first day of class to present day, I can say with confidence that I have gained an immense amount of knowledge on public health as a career because of the MPH program at Hofstra University. During my time as a student I was able to build off what I had learned in class and venture off to very influential opportunities that would further my career. As student and as a public health professional I will always be grateful for the wisdom and guidance the professors of the program provided me such as Dr. Martine Hackett. She allowed me to become a part of the Long Island Community Academic Research Partnership, LICARP, in the community of Roosevelt. Subsequently, I received a scholarship from the MPH program to attend the American Public Health Association conference held in Atlanta, Georgia in November of 2017 to present our data and the successful efforts of LICARP. I was able to attend various career building workshops and lectures during this time and had the opportunity to network with professionals across the country. I was also fortunate to work with Dr. Christine Molmenti, who taught the epidemiology course, as her research assistant following my internship. This opportunity allowed me to gather skills outside of the classroom that would aid my career as a public health professional. After my graduation from the MPH program, I was offered a position at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology department as a Research Coordinator. I work with Dr. Adrianna Vlachos who created a registry for all those with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia, a very rare bone marrow failure syndrome. I manage this database and conduct clinical drug trials in effort to treat patients with this very rare disease. I will always be grateful for the opportunities provided to me by the MPH program coupled with the guidance from the professors and the companionship of my peers.