Dr. Laura Smith first developed an interest in toxin exposure and the concept of “anti-nutrients” while working on a Cornell collaboration with the Great Lakes Cassava Initiative in 2009. Cassava, a starchy root vegetable that can be grown with relative efficiency, was encouraged by the international community as a source…
When Nyaradzo Sirewu and Avni Patel saw that Cornell’s Center for Health Equity (CCHEq) was looking for MPH students to build and pilot training that would help anyone take action against racism, they jumped at the opportunity. “After the George Floyd killing, people were reaching out to CCHEq, asking how…
When Anabella Pinton was first looking into public health programs, she was drawn to Cornell’s unique epidemiology concentration. “The specific focus on infectious diseases was special and intriguing,” she remembers, especially with its emphasis on animals, agriculture, and the environment. She also appreciated the smaller program size “to make connections…
Drawn to the MPH Program’s focus on sustainability, equity and engagement, Dr. Kate Dickin joined Cornell’s MPH faculty in 2021 after over a decade as a researcher and mentor with the Division of Nutritional Sciences. There, she led multiple international and U.S. research projects, and taught a class for undergraduates…
When she was still an undergraduate student at Cornell, Victoria Montero co-founded the College and Career Readiness Initiative (CCRI), which helps underserved high school students prepare for college. “I always wanted to be involved in a project I was very passionate about,” says Montero, who shifted from a pre-medical track…
“Cornell’s combination of public health and ecosystem health is a perfect fit—it marries all the elements of my research into one,” says Dr. Raina Plowright, a world-renowned ecologist and epidemiologist who joined Cornell in 2022 as a Radical Collaboration hire, Cornell Atkinson Scholar, and MPH Program professor in the new…
One of the main reasons for creating Cornell’s MPH Program was to help spur national conversations on the links between climate change and health. “The field as a whole just wasn’t doing this yet,” says Dr. Alexander Travis, the MPH Program’s director. To make this goal a reality, the MPH…
Since the age of five, Dr. Kevin Cummings knew he wanted to become a veterinarian. He grew up playing with his dogs and watching birds outside of Buffalo, New York. Pursuing his dream years later at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and then in clinical practice, he was always…
In 2022, Cornell and Weill Cornell Medicine announced the new Cornell Center for Pandemic Prevention and Response (CCPPR). Addressing something as far-reaching as a pandemic requires close collaboration across historically siloed disciplines, and Cornell’s strengths position it to develop the transdisciplinary teams of faculty, students, and organizational partners necessary for…
The Pandemic Response Officer (PRO) Program was first launched in 2020 by Cornell’s COVID-19 Response Team. Co-led by the MPH Program’s associate director, Dr. Gen Meredith, the campus-wide initiative set out to limit transmission and ensure that any Cornellian with COVID-19 would feel supported. “Early on,” says Dr. Meredith, “Cornell…