Media contacts: Dori Henry Bloomberg American Health Initiative (410) 614-2564; Dhenry21@jhu.edu Stephanie Desmon (410) 955-7619; sdesmon1@jhu.edu
BLOOMBERG FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED TO EIGHT STUDENTS FROM ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY
The Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health today announced its inaugural class of fellows. These eight students will receive full scholarships to earn a master of public health degree from the Bloomberg School and have committed to returning to their communities to apply their new knowledge and skills to address some of the nation’s toughest public health challenges.
The Bloomberg Fellows program represents an innovative way to train the next generation of public health leaders, as it requires not only a commitment to public health practice from the students, but also a commitment of collaboration from the organizations for which they already work. Fellows can study full time or part time and, upon completion of the program, they agree to work for their organization for at least one additional year.
“The Bloomberg Fellows program will provide dedicated professionals who are already doing incredible work in their communities with new tools to tackle some of the toughest challenges affecting health in the United States,” says Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH ’87, dean of the Bloomberg School. “We’re building the next generation of public health leaders, and these eight students are leading the way.”
“The pioneering public health work led by Johns Hopkins over the last century has helped Americans live longer, healthier lives – and today, as those gains are being threatened by preventable health problems, the school is once again leading the charge to save lives,” says Michael R. Bloomberg. “It’s great to welcome an excellent incoming class of fellows, and I know their work will do a lot to help us address today’s most pressing health challenges.”
The fellows and their collaborating organizations are (more information about each fellow can be found below):
• Andrea Walker – Director of Behavioral Health Services o Organization: Frederick County Health Department, Frederick, Maryland
• Haven Wheelock – Syringe Exchange Program Coordinator o Organization: Outside In, Portland, Oregon • Brady Garrett – Psychologist o Organization: Cherokee National Behavioral Health, Tahlequah, Oklahoma
• Julian Drix – Asthma Program Manager o Organization: Rhode Island Department of Health
• Kelli McIntyre – Physical Activity Coordinator o Organization: Philadelphia Department of Public Health
• Mila Neyra – Diabetes Program Coordinator o Organization: Institute for Family Health, New York City
• Mónica Guerrero Vázquez–– Program Coordinator o Organization: Centro SOL- Center for Health & Opportunity for Latinos, Baltimore, Maryland
• Katherine Vander Tuig – Senior Program Specialist o Organization: Futures Without Violence, California
The Bloomberg American Health Initiative aims to improve health and save lives in the United States. Launched with a transformational gift of $300 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Initiative aims to tackle five complex and urgent health challenges that threaten American lives: drug addiction and overdose, environmental challenges, obesity and the food system, risks to adolescent health and violence.
Adolescent HealthMónica Guerrero Vázquez– Centro SOL- Center for Health & Opportunity for Latinos – Baltimore, MD
Guerrero Vázquez’s passion for human development arose from her personal experience as an immigrant from Ecuador. She has worked as the program coordinator for Centro SOL since it was founded in 2014. She oversees programming serving families in Baltimore, with a primary focus on coordinating youth programs. They include the Scholars Program that identifies promising Latino teens, regardless of their immigration status, and exposes them to career paths in health care at Johns Hopkins, and the Teen Testimonios program, which provides support groups for newly arrived immigrant students to assist them in the transition to life in Baltimore.
As a Bloomberg Fellow, Guerrero Vázquez will gain the tools to evaluate these and other programs from a public health perspective, and to develop innovative new programs to support young people and their families in the community.
Centro SOL works to promote equity in health and opportunities for Baltimore’s Latino community. Being a part of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative network will allow Guerrero Vázquez and Centro SOL to tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience as it continues to grow.
Guerrero Vázquez holds a Master of Science in Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Engineering
For more information on the Bloomberg American Health Initiative: http://www.jhsph.edu/about/bloomberg-american-health-initiative/
Full announcement https://assets.jhsph.edu/email/releases/2017.05.04-bloomberg-fellows.pdf
