MPH Students’ Achievements
Hai Hoang, MPH, class of 2013. Born in Vietnam, Hai immigrated to the United States in 1992 with sponsorship from American Red Cross and UCLA under the unique criteria that he would be treated for Osteosarcoma. He started his academic career at Orange Coast Community College and graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a B.S. in Biology. The abstract “The Need to Disaggregate the Asian Population: A Look at California’s Vietnamese Population” was accepted for presentation at the 3rd Cross-Cultural Health Care Conference, in Honolulu, Hawaii, February 8-9, 2013. Hai also got accepted in the “Introduction to Cancer Research Careers Program” at the NCI office of Workforce Management and Development, National Cancer Institute, February 2-5, 2013.
During his free time, Hai teaches bible classes at his local parish and writes public health columns for the local Vietnamese’s newspaper. Hai spent half of his life in Vietnam and the other half in Van Nuys and Garden Grove. His hobby includes billiard, swimming, and videogames. Hai plans to pursue his dream of becoming a pediatric oncologist just like the doctor who saved his life.
Alberto Piña, MPH, class of 2012. The abstract “Mechanism for Change: Addressing Social and Health Inequities in Rural and Urban Slums” submitted by Alberto Piña, MPH, class of 2012, was accepted for a poster presentation at the 10th International Urban Public Health Conference, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, November 1-4, 2011.
Mr. Piña completed his undergraduate degree from California State University of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, CA in 2010 with a Major in Latin American Studies. While pursuing his MPH degree at Charles R. Drew University, Alberto simultaneously accepted a 2 year fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP). As a CDC Public Health Associate, Alberto was assigned to the Los Angeles Quarantine Station and Veterinary Public Health were his activities consisted of illness response, conducting disease outbreak investigations, contact investigation, surveillance on animal importation and quarantines and revisions to Animal importation protocols along with various projects.
Mr. Piña grew up in Long Beach and Rialto, CA and plans to peruse his Doctorate in Public Health.
Ms. Nichole A. Nicholas, MPH graduate, Class of 2012
Ms. Nicholas is co-author of “The Development and Evaluation of a Compassion Scale” and will present its poster in the 13th RCMI International Symposium on Health Disparities, December 10-13, 2012 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Despite her demanding class load, Nichole made time for on and off campus extra-curricular activities such as being elected as a Student Representative of the Charles Drew Student Government (CDSG), Vice- President of the Master of Public Health Student Association (MPHSA), Research Assistant for the Department of Clinical Research, and a Jump Start Intern for Mental Health of Americans, Los Angeles.
Nichole grew up in Vallejo, CA, completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology/Biology from Morgan State University in 2010, and plans to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology.
Ms. Raniyah Abdus-Samad’s, Class 2011, abstract “Mobilizing Civil Society for HIV Prevention in Resource-Poor Contexts within High-Income Nations: Three Case Studies of Black Mobilization in the Southern United States” was accepted for a poster presentation at the International AIDS Conference, Vienna, Austria on 8/2010, and her abstract “The Need for HIV/AIDS Scientific Literacy Programs in Black Communities: Lessons Learned” was accepted for a workshop at the United States Conference on AIDS-National Minority AIDS Council, 10/2010, Orlando, FL.
Clark
Honored for Commitment to Community, Leadership in Health
Denishia L. Clark wrote a thesis, analyzing state policy that has been accepted by the Athens Institute for Education and Research.
Ms. Clark, who's enrolled in the graduate Urban Public Health program, wrote an abstract titled, "Are School-based Health Centers Sustainable in California”? At the 10th Annual International Conference on Health Economics, Management and Policy will be held June 27-30 in Athens, Greece.
Ms. Clark completed her undergraduate degree in 2007, majoring in kinesiology at San Diego State University. Two years later, she joined CDU.
Despite her class load, she made time for campus activities. She is president of the Master of Public Health Student Association, and a certified HIV/AIDS testing counselor for the Charles Drew Mobile Testing program.
In addition, she was elected as the student affairs representative in the Charles Drew Student Government, after previously serving in the organization as a senator.
Ms. Clark, who grew up in Hayward, plans to pursue a doctoral degree in public health leadership and promotion. Someday, she hopes to own a preschool.
Ms. Alana Russaw , Class of 2010, was accepted to Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. Ferguson Fellows are engaged for eight weeks in a rigorous program of public health research and/or intervention at the CDC. In addition to laboratory research, students are exposed to issues concerning public health via bi-weekly seminars (Brown Bag Sessions) and networking activities (Rap Sessions). Fellows are required to submit a progress report, literature review, abstract and final report through the course of the program. Upon completion of all research, students are required to deliver a formal presentation for CDC researchers and AMHPS staff.
Alana Russaw, of Oakland, California graduated in 2006 from Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia, with a Bachelor of Science in Cellular and Molecular Biology. Ms. Russaw was the President for Charles Drew University Student Government (CDSG) and graduated the MPH program in May, 2010.
