Class Notes Summer 2011
- Published on Monday, 21 November 2011 20:49
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Sharon Coleman (’04) is a research manager at the Data Coordinating Center at BUSPH and has collaborated on numerous public health projects, including Children’s HealthWatch research, which analyzes the impact of public policy on the health, nutrition and development of children from birth to three years of age. She has worked as a research manager and analyst on 10 research projects since 2004 and has published 20 journal articles, serving as first author on two of them. She has presented study results at several national meetings, including the APHA annual meetings. She also is involved in several HIV secondary prevention projects in South Africa, India and Russia.
Emily (Yuan Yuan) Lo (’09) reports that she is enjoying her work at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston on a clinical trial for rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Dick Clapp (’89) retired from the active faculty of BUSPH in 2010 and became Professor Emeritus, continuing to guest lecture and advise students in the Environmental Health Department. He is also an adjunct professor at UMass Lowell in the Department of Work Environment. Dick continues to be a member of the Camp Lejeune Community Assistance Panel for the Centers for Disease Control, where he advises on health studies of Marines who were exposed to contaminated drinking water while stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He also edited a new book called, "From Critical Science to Solutions."
Juli Martha (’10) works as a clinical research associate at the New England Research Institutes, Inc. in Watertown, Ma. She also works on a registry study in Europe that is examining prostate health in men with low testosterone levels. Since graduation, Juli obtained her Clinical Research Professional certification. “I miss BUSPH!” she writes.
Arthur Ensroth ('04) , the Project Director for Clinical Programs and Quality Measurement at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, is making a "pay it forward" gesture to BUSPH. He is donating the cash equivalent of his 25th anniversary gift from Harvard Pilgrim to the BUSPH Community Scholars Fund, he says, because "when the tuition benefit (from Harvard Pilgrim) had to be reduced, and I was thinking of dropping out of the program, BU stepped in with a merit partial scholarship to make up the difference. I will always be grateful for their confidence and support and feel I owe them something in return. Now, I'd like to support opportunities for people who don't have such a generous employer."
Health Law
Heather Pierce (’02) recently joined the Association of American Medical Colleges as Senior Director, Science Policy and Regulatory Counsel. In her new role, Heather serves as the AAMC’s leader on issues related to conflicts of interest, human subjects' protection, regulatory compliance and other matters related to biomedical research. Heather comes to the AAMC from Ropes & Gray LLP, where she was an attorney in the firm’s health care group in New York.
Health Policy and Management and Health Services
Nancy Weiland Carpenter (’95) is currently serving as executive director of the Massachusetts Association for School-Based Health Care, a statewide, not-for-profit educational and advocacy organization based in Boston. The group represents the 58 school-based health centers in Mass. These centers are primarily located in schools serving low-income, disadvantaged students. The epidemic of students dropping out of high school is an important public health concern, given that education is the best predictor of good health status, Nancy says.
Jackie (Harvey) Harder (’09) is working in corporate strategy and marketing for the healthcare analytics firm,Verisk Health.
Chris Wilterdink (’10) now works as a business and strategic planner at Winchester Hospital in Winchester, Mass.
International Health
Fanny Figueroa (’06) has oriented her public health career towards support programs for kids, with a particular passion for children that face preventable problems. Her work in implementing programs to help kids overcome these obstacles makes her very proud of her professional life, she says.
Ellen Church (’03), her 4-year old son, Marley, and husband, Jason, welcomed their second son to the family this summer. The new addition came after Ellen spent a busy year participating in the social justice leadership program, LeadBoston, volunteering with the Newton Tanzania Collaborative, and working with BUSPH IH Professor Taryn Vian as a teaching assistant in Financial Management for International Health. This fall marked Ellen’s fifth year in administration at the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center.
Maternal and Child Health
Renata Koziol (’10) has been working in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute for the past two years. After finishing her MPH degree in December 2010, she was promoted to a Research Associate position on a study examining the effectiveness of electronic medical record alerts on pediatricians' care and treatment of obese children. Her primary task is assisting with the development and implementation of a comparative effectiveness study of health information technology in the pediatric primary care setting for the treatment of childhood obesity. She also assists with grant writing, analysis, data management and evaluation.
Social and Behavioral Health Sciences
Jessica Ansong (’09) completed a brief internship in Nigeria after graduation. She then moved to Richmond, VA, for an evaluation specialist position at The Balm in Gilead, Inc., a small, faith-based, international non-profit, where she honed and expanded her public health skills. Her assignment has ended, she says, and she is relocating back home to Atlanta, GA. She is looking forward to continuing her public health career in Atlanta and to spending more time with her family.
Class Notes Fall/Winter 2010
- Published on Monday, 13 December 2010 20:24
EPIDEMIOLOGY/BIOSTATISTICS
Mary Keville ('79) moved with her husband to Belgium, where she works for GSK in the Global Quality Organization for their vaccines division, located outside of Brussels.
Beth Sommers ('89) has been serving as Co-Chair of the American Public Health Association's group specializing in complementary and integrative care for the past several years. She writes that she "remains committed to ensuring that health care that includes wellness is a right, not a privilege," and she thanks BUSPH "for opening so many doors!"
Bryan Eustis ('04) was on vacation in South Africa over the summer for the Comrades Marathon and the World Cup. He writes: "Back in Boston, things are going well, working with local and state health departments focused on emergency-preparedness planning and response."
Jackie Johnson ('05) started nursing school at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore at the end of August. She is also working part-time as a field interviewer for a research study evaluating stress on women who have recently given birth and on the effects on pregnancy outcomes.
Naomi Goodman ('06) spoke at Emerson College in March on developing and teaching a Parkinson's Disease (PD) dance class. Her presentation focused on the efficacy of dance as a treatment modality for PD, discussed how the classes address the challenges of PD, and included an abridged version of the class.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Jennifer Allard Zilinski ('03) is practicing small animal medicine on Cape Cod at a clinic in North Falmouth. She and her husband recently had their first child, a baby girl named Emma.
HEALTH LAW, BIOETHICS & HUMAN RIGHTS
HEALTH POLICY & MANAGEMENT
Sharyn Perpall ('95) has been the director of Midwifery in South Florida since 1997, and she writes that "I miss Boston every day. I utilize my education daily, as I am in [a] practice which serves the less fortunate than I am."
Shreya Patel ('09) writes "I currently work in Boston at the Department of Health and Human Services at the Office of Inspector General. In my free time, I love to travel. My most recent trip was to Italy this past summer where I toured Rome and Venice!"
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH
Joe Woodring ('02) writes that he is currently serving as the Preventive and Occupational Medicine physician consultant for all of Iraq. He also serves as the Preventive Medicine physician for the United States Division Center in Baghdad. "I completed a combined Preventive and Occupational Medicine residency program through Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and earned a Masters of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Currently, I am mostly tracking infectious diseases in soldiers, national and contracted workers, and developing preventative med policy for the Iraqi theater of operations. Love this work, surprisingly enough!"
Emily Bearse ('09) writes that since graduating in 2009, "I completed a one-year Global Health Corps fellowship. Global Health Corps is an organization that aims to mobilize a community of young leaders for global health equity by connecting young professionals to year placements with organizations working on the frontline of global health issues. As a Global Health Corps fellow, I worked with the Clinton Health Access Initiative in rural Malawi on a PMTCT and Pediatric HIV/AIDS project supporting a peer-counselor program within community health centers. Now, I am back in the United States on staff with Global Health Corps. GHC fellowships are excellent opportunities for BUSPH grads to develop professionally and personally, while making an impact in under-served communities and developing a strong professional network.
MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH/SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Abbie Green ('08) worked over the summer on the "Move4Health" program, which provides both work opportunities for Cambridge youth and a community health-promotion initiative encompassing physical activity, nutrition, and environmentalism.
Ali (Conway) Weihofen ('08) is now living in Zürich, Switzerland, working for the Swiss School of Public Health Foundation as a scientific assistant. The foundation's mission is to establish a national school of public health in Switzerland over the next few years. Ali recently married a Swiss man and enjoys "skiing, hiking and eating chocolate (in moderation of course) in the Alps."
Leah Mycoff ('09) writes: "I am currently working in a molecular medicine lab. I am excited to use my MPH in a future career change, to fulfill my passion for social and environmental justice."
Mary Kate Allee ('10) works in Washington, DC, at the National Association of County and City Health Officials. She trains health departments across the country to conduct community health assessments and to use the data to implement public health programs. Mary Kate also works with health officials, new to their positions, to enhance their skills and knowledge related to their new jobs.
Class Notes Summer 2010
- Published on Wednesday, 16 June 2010 15:46
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Christine White Goldberg ('93) writes: "I am a practicing attorney, specializing in healthcare and antitrust law. In 1999, I married BU Law '93 classmate Dan Goldberg. We have two children, Hannah (8) and Emma (3). We live in Port Washington, NY."
EPIDEMIOLOGY/BIOSTATISTICS
Mariam Hakim-Zargar ('97) has opened a practice, New England Orthopedic Center, LLC, in Torrington, Connecticut. Dr. Hakim is an experienced orthopedic surgeon who treats all musculoskeletal problems and is one of only nine orthopedic surgeons in Connecticut to specialize in the treatment of foot and ankle disorders.
In a story by The Register Citizen, she was quoted as saying, "It's a true privilege and I'm very excited to have the opportunity to stay in Torrington and continue to care for my patients and this community."
Ali Noorani ('99) is a leading advocate for immigration reform and is the executive director of the National Immigration Forum in Washington, DC. He was a guest on PBS News Hour on March 22, 2010. He was interviewed by Ray Suarez on immigration reform and emphasized that the issue is not about immigrants -- it's about America, and what kind of country it wants to be. He met with President Obama recently, and was the second speaker at the immigration reform rally in Washington, DC, in March.
Christin Dematto ('07) is currently working for a small biotech company in Connecticut that is working to get a FluBlok vaccine licensed by the FDA this year. The influenza vaccine is insect-cell based, as opposed to egg-based, so it is more hypoallergenic and can be generated more quickly. She is also getting married this summer to Stephen John Gondar of Coventry, Conn.
HEALTH LAW, BIOETHICS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Sarah Linville Kollmer ('99) has been working in the healthcare industry since leaving Boston in 2003. She is currently the director of reimbursement for a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers which serves the rural communities of the Southern Adirondacks. Prior to this position, she was a network manager for Aetna, where she negotiated contracts with hospitals, health systems and large physician groups. She lives in Burnt Hills, NY, with her husband, Jim, whom she married in October 2008.
Joshua Boxer ('01) became the proud father of Julius Benjamin Boxer on Nov. 16, 2009. He writes: "The kid will not stop eating and has become a fat little guy. So much fun. Yes, Julius is wearing my law school team apparel, but once a Hurricane, always a Hurricane."
HEALTH POLICY & MANAGEMENT
Sharyn Perpall ('95) has been the director of Midwifery in South Florida since 1997 and writes: "I miss Boston every day. I utilize my education daily, as I am in a practice which serves the less fortunate than I am."
Barbara Lamagna ('97) continues to teach at Bristol Community College, bringing public health perspectives to Health Science courses. She thanks the great professors at BUSPH for their inspiration in teaching.
Jared Kutzin ('07) writes: "I recently graduated with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. I am the Associate Director of Clinical Simulation at the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Institute for Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning, the first multidisciplinary simulation facility in New York City."
Kelly O'Keefe ('10) reports: "Right before graduation, I accepted a full-time position at Brigham and Women's Hospital: Project Manager of the Department of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics."
Chris Wilterdink ('10) has been working as a Business Development Planner at Winchester Hospital, north of Boston, since he graduated in January.
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH
Heather Robinson ('02) writes: "At Peace Corps Botswana, I direct our program and training arms, where we design and implement programs with over 110 volunteers working to address HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment issues. A fellow BUSPH alumni just completed her two years of service here, and one other is finishing up year one of service."
Krishnamurti Rao ('08) is currently at Saba University School of Medicine, completing his MD degree. He started in the fall of 2009.
Katherine Horan ('08) will be presenting a poster, "The Feasibility of Implementation and Systematic Evaluation of a Structured Global Health Curriculum," in Cuernavaca, Mexico, at the annual Global Health Education Consortium conference. She was awarded a travel grant to present her research. She is currently a second-year student at the collaborative Ben-Gurion University-Columbia University Medical School for International Health.
MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH
Beth (Dervin) English ('99) of Natick, MA, is the deputy program manager of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Immunization Program. One of the projects she is working on is the development of a web-based, statewide Immunization Registry. She is also getting married in July 2010. She invites fellow alums to re-connect with her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Erica Streit-Kaplan ('01) continues her work in injury and violence prevention at the Children's Safety Network, a project of the Education Development Center in Newton, MA. She is married to James (BU Law '00), and the couple has two daughters, Anna and Eleanor. In her spare time, she is involved in women's health and environmental health advocacy, and says she tries to make time for exercise, relaxation, family and friends.
Laura Anatale Tardiff ('09) writes: "I got married in September 2009. I am now working as Project Manager of the Growing Up Today Study -- a longitudinal study of over 26,000 adolescents/young adults who are the children of Nurses' Health Study participants."
SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SCIENCES
Brent Pimentel ('05) writes from Ft. Worth, Texas, that he is "really enjoying my work, but also missing Mass. more and more. Thinking I might want to get involved in the same line of work there and have the best of both worlds. Right now, I am monitoring and assisting programs receiving Ryan White funding for HIV/STD testing, counseling and services. I also serve as the (TX) state liaison for the Ryan White Planning Council of Greater Dallas and help determine policy and planning for the Council."
PUBLIC HEALTH
Marjorie Reiter ('84) writes: "Greetings from hot (and dry) Arizona! I am now the Manager for Ambulatory Specialty Services at Maricopa Integrated Health System (formerly the County health system) and Program Director for Telemedicine. I am also the Regent for Arizona of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and finally, working on my PhD in Public Service Leadership with a concentration in Healthcare Administration. My daughter is beginning junior high in July, so life will become much more interesting, I expect."
Class Notes Winter 2010
- Published on Tuesday, 12 January 2010 18:44
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Heidi Porter ('00) is the new City of Everett Public Health Director. Read about her in the Everett Independent: "New Public Health Director Joins Administration."
EPIDEMIOLOGY/BIOSTATISTICS
Kristin Greenaway ('97) lives in San Francisco, CA, and has twin girls, born in August 2008. She writes, "We are very excited and enjoying every minute of them."
Jean-Francois Chenot ('01) is working part-time as a general practitioner, and part-time as a senior researcher and lecturer at the medical school of Göttingen, Germany. He is doing research in the field of clinical guideline development and quality indicators. Currently, he is working on a drug safety project, he reports.
Paula Quatromoni ('01) was promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure at Boston University's Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, with a secondary appointment in the Departments of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences at the BU School of Public Health.
HEALTH LAW, BIOETHICS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Heidi Henderson ('98) writes: "I am embracing my current full-time job as stay-at-home wife and mama. Our daughter, Andra, was born in August of 2008. We think she's the most incredible thing in the world!
"After graduating from BUSPH, I spent one year working at a law firm in Los Angeles and nine years at Eli Lilly & Company. My work at Lilly allowed me to educate MDs, nurses, and other health care providers regarding new treatment options and disease state information for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, and ADHD."
HEALTH POLICY & MANAGEMENT
Kate Rardin-Leahy ('90) lives and works in Twin Cities, MN. She writes, "I was recently married and gained three wonderful kids."
Michael Ladouceur ('91) lives in Hamilton, Ontario, and writes: "I am still teaching at McMaster University School of Nursing, and each year we send about 15 students overseas to do an international clinical placement. The experience is transformative for them, as it was for me. Best wishes to the class of '91. You are unforgettable."
Carmen Roy ('93), RN, MPH, is the sole proprietor of her own business -- Elder at Home, LLC, geriatric care management. She assists older adults and their families with experienced care coordination and advocacy. Carmen resides in Providence, RI, with her husband and adopted daughter, Lily.
Heidi Hoffman ('94) reports that she will celebrate her 10th year as principal of her company, Heidi Hoffman Consulting, in March 2010. Serving hospitals, government, community-based organizations and academic institutions, her services include process facilitation, grant writing and other project management services.
Laura Housman ('94) began a new job as executive director of market access and pricing with Novartis Molecular Diagnostics in August 2009. She reports that she is enjoying the work and her quarterly travel to Switzerland. Her daughter, Mia, is 5 and in kindergarten, and her husband, Ken, is doing well with his business, ElderCareLink.com. She writes that she is enjoying life in Framingham, MA, and looking forward to doing more with the BUSPH community in the new year.
Kimeli Chepsiror ('95) writes: "The knowledge acquired from the BUSPH program has been quite useful in my work over the years and remains so even today -- not to mention the many unforgettable images and experiences gained from living in Boston."
Aimee Kindorf ('06) has been promoted to the position of finance director of geriatric programs at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. She welcomes hearing from current and former SPH students working in the field of community health and geriatrics. Contact her on LinkedIn.
Maria-Thelma Pena ('07) is employed in the Bureau of Primary Health Care at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She joined HRSA through the HRSA Scholars Program and has rotated through several bureaus within HRSA and been placed in the Bureau of Primary Health Care as a Project Officer within the Northeastern Branch, Eastern Division. The Northeastern Branch monitors grant activities at community health centers in the New England area and New York.
INTERNATIONAL HEALTH
F. Kennedy Roberts ('00) lives in St. George's, Grenada. He is a Member of Parliament in the Grenada Senate and the Shadow Minister, responsible for Economic Development and Planning.
Davis Omanyo Wangiri ('00) is living in Kenya and works as the regional director for the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee. He writes, "I am happy and proud of being a BU alumnus. Let us walk the talk as we reach out to many nations worldwide."
Andrew Stein ('09) has been serving in the Peace Corps in Swaziland since June 2008.
MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH
Since May 2009, Tricia Tillman ('99) has been serving as the director of the Office of Multicultural Health and Services in the Department of Human Services in Portland, OR. The office is focused on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health and human services and promoting a more diverse workforce.
SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Julie Ross ('00) started a new job in December with the HIV/AIDS Bureau at Health Resources and Services Administration/ the US Department of Health and Human Services in Rockville, MD, where she works with grantees who receive funds as part of the Ryan White grant program to provide services to people living with HIV and AIDS.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Larry Schor ('82) currently lives in Chicago, IL, and recently assumed responsibilities for corporate development and new markets for HealthCare Insight, a provider of clinically validated pre-payment fraud and billing abuse prevention.
Jonathan Jiya ('83) currently lives in Nigeria and writes: "I shall be disengaging from service of the federal civil service in the next week. I hope to establish a private consultancy firm to advise government on matters related to public health."