MPH Alumni Spotlight Archives

Alumni Spotlight: Sarah Kilgore, RN, MPH ‘20

Sarah Kilgore is an RN in the Department of the Army in New York, and a recent UNE Online MPH graduate. Here, she talks about how her professional life has changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what encouraged her to earn her MPH. What encouraged you to get your master’s in public health? I became interested in public health while I was working with infectious diseases and research for the Army in Germany. I wanted to be involved on the policy level, working on public health initiatives with Army representatives and hospital directors. How has your graduate school experience been affected by the pandemic? I had my capstone and preceptorship all set up, I had a doctor…

Alumni Spotlight: Gail Callahan, MPH ‘18

Gail Callahan, MPH Alumni of University of New England 2018

Gail Callahan is a Registered Nurse in a family practice with more than 22 years of clinical nursing experience. She decided to earn her MPH as a way to expand her knowledge of public health and begin to transition her career from one-on-one clinical care to a position where she can make change on a broader level. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I earned my undergraduate degree in psychology, figuring I’d move on forward and go into counseling because I really enjoyed working with people. But after college, I struggled to find a job. I wasn’t able to really find anything that I felt comfortable with. I had always been interested in nursing because of the people…

Tags: Master of Public Health | Master of Public Health Alumni | MPH | MPH Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Monica Huelga, MPH

Monica Huelga, who completed her Master of Public Health practicum presentation on environmental health literacy

In celebration of our Graduate Programs in Public Health’s successful CEPH reaccreditation, we sat down with Monica Huelga, MPH ’18, who found herself at UNE Online rather serendipitously. Monica is passionate about the power of communication to promote global health and equality. She completed her applied practice experience on environmental health literacy at the non-profit MEarth Carmel while working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Congratulations again on graduating last year! What inspired you to go for your MPH in the first place? I’ve always been drawn to health and distance studies. I received my undergrad from University of Washington in medical anthropology and global health, and I was trying to look at health in the bigger picture, the cultural perspective…

Alumni Spotlight: Mae L'Heureux, MPH Program

Mae L'Heureux, Master of Public Health Program

Mae L’Heureux is a graduate of the Master of Public Health program. During her time in the program, Mae served as Membership Co-Chair of the APHA-SA, and Member of the Graduate Programs in Public Health Advisory Committee here at UNE Online. We had a chat about her experience in the program, how she liked the online format, and how getting her Master of Public Health enhanced her professional career in youth mental health management. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, and what encouraged you to pursue your Master’s in Public Health? I discovered my interest in public health in a somewhat roundabout way. I began working in the mental health field after experiencing my own mental…

Tags: Master of Public Health | Master of Public Health Alumni | MPH | MPH Alumni Spotlight | public health

Alumni Spotlight: Jesse Bell, MPH

Jesse Bell, MPH, is a UNE Online alumni of the MPH program and is currently working toward getting his Ph.D. We spoke to him about what compelled him to get his MPH, his experience as an online student including his practicum, and his advice for incoming online graduate students. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, and what encouraged you to pursue your Master’s in Public Health? For the past 15 years or so I worked in clinical mental health in the ER, seeing patients who are suicidal and homicidal and at general risk to themselves. Over the years I began to realize that the root cause of systemic issues was not being addressed, and I found the…

Tags: Master of Public Health Spotlight | MPH | MPH Alumni Spotlight | MPH Student Spotlight

Alumni Spotlight: Mansoor Shafqat, GPPH Program

Mansoor Shafqat is a public health graduate student at UNE Online, residing in California. He has had many life changes while enrolled in his program, including becoming a new parent, so he finds the flexibility of the online public health program to be essential to his success as a student. We spoke with him recently about his experience with the program. Can you tell me a bit about yourself, and what encouraged you to pursue your Master’s in Public Health? I received my Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior Health from the University of California, Davis, and I am currently more than halfway through the Master’s of Public Health program here at the University of New England. I…