The Bridge: Hofstra MPH Newsletter

                                                                         Dr. Johanna E. Andrews is a Social and Behavioral Health Researcher and a proud graduate of the first graduating class of Hofstra’s Master of Public (MPH) program. She has over ten years of experience conducting interdisciplinary research studies and leading diverse research teams at the academic and health system level. Her research focuses on racial and ethnic health disparities, food insecurity, healthy food access for communities of color, and stress and coping processes for persons of color in the United States. Dr. Andrews received a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from Hofstra University. Her desire to lead community and population health interventions led her to the MPH degree. After c...

2020 is proving to be one of the toughest times for our nation. Amidst the global wide COVID-19 pandemic, we have also been reminded of issues that have, and continue to, plague our country. The issues of racism, injustice, discrimination, and inequality are deeply rooted in our history. Despite the civil rights-era activism and legislation, these issues are still prevalent today. This has recently been highlighted both by COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd. We are living through a multilayered public health crisis and action must be taken. As public health professionals, we implore you and encourage you to let your voices be heard and take action. We ask you to engage in conversations; conversations which will be uncomfortable, but necessary. We ask you to educate not only yourself, but your peers. We need to come together, learn from one another, and mend the damage inflicted on persons of color, especially the black community. This situa...

  Thanh Pham MPH Candidate’20 On Sunday, I participated in a CARAVAN FOR JUSTICE protest sponsored by both Nassau and Suffolk County NAACP. They called it the “New York State Conference” and everyone met up at the Nassau County Courthouse (Mineola) and drove to the H Lee Dennison Building Parking Lot (Hauppauge). I really appreciated the NAACP of Long Island organizing this peaceful solidarity to demand change and accountability. They emphasized protecting their communities by social distancing in a caravan for justice. Because unfortunately, we are currently experiencing 2 pandemics: COVID-19 and Racism.  It really moved me seeing lines on top of lines of cars in the county courthouse parking lot. People were walking around asking to take pictures of your signs or they were taking their time and decorating their cars. One woman was walking around and asking people if they were registered to vote. I had a bunch of people ask my co-worker and I if they could take...

“Public Health and Social Justice during COVID-19”   Shivali Vashisht MS., MPH. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, I joined the public health workforce. When my final semester began back in January, I was excited to transition from my benchwork research role and start manifesting a public health career that would recognize the intersections of basic science and population health. Little did I know, the upcoming months would bring the threat of infectious disease and global loss as a lived reality. I was humbled to be onboarded by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) as a Research Scientist assisting with the COVID-19 response during April 2020.             The NYCDOHMH is constantly crafting new approaches and adapting programs to respond to the pandemic. I most recently helped with piloting contact tracing and surveillance investigations with the Bureau of Communicable Dis...

Although we shifted gears for this semester and held a virtual MPH symposium instead of the traditional in-person event, our 14 graduating students were still able to present on their final Integrative Learning Experience projects in the “presence” of their friends, families, faculty and classmates.  We had a great turnout for our virtual symposium, held on May 7, 2020, with opening remarks from our Vice Provost for Graduate and Undergraduate Affairs – Dr. Elfreda Blue and our Dean from the School of Health Professions and Human Services – Dr. Holly Seriup.  I appreciated what these university leaders had to say, highlighting the relevance of the public research the students worked so hard on, and the importance of moving forward into the field of public health. Topics like Burnout and Depression among Medical Residents is something that so many health professionals are experiencing, especially right now during the pandemic where individuals are working long hours and putting...

PHAA Meeting On April 22nd, 2020 the PHAA held a virtual happy hour via zoom, after having our spring event cancelled due to COVID-19. We broke the ice with a breathing exercise led by VP Kerry Meyers, who accurately determined we could all use it at this time. Some attendee's had interesting backdrops, like Aditya's (President) fully stocked bar and Maggie's (Event Manager) high school graduation photos. Others accessed the virtual backgrounds that Zoom is known for. Rumor has it that Hofstra is coming out with some Pride-themed backgrounds for us to use, so be sure to keep an eye out for those (Looking at you, Tony)! After our breathing exercise we moved on to discussing how we were managing our time sheltering in place – and the conversation quickly turned to the food we were making, stress eating and sharing on Instagram. Who knew so many alumni had such cooking talents? We predict a potluck once coronavirus has been put in its place. Since many of our membe...

Aging Café 2020 Vincenza Bartolillo Masters of Public Health Hofstra University   Every year, Hofstra University takes part in National Public Health week. For the first full week of April, universities and organizations across the country hold a variety of events in order to shed light on the important topics of our nations health. One of the events I had a pleasure to be a part of during NPHW was the Aging Café, created and held by students enrolled in the course dedicated to Population Aging within Hofstra’s Master of Public Health Program. The purpose of this event is to reframe the way people think and talk about aging so that it is more positive, accurate and inclusive. A better understanding of aging is important because the number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to nearly double from 52 million in 2018 to 95 million by 2060. To put it in perspective, in just 40 years, the over 65 population will represent 25% of the US population (Source: Populatio...