News
For Associate Professor of Practice Dr. Elizabeth Fox, centering equity in public health means changing who gets to shape the conversation. A registered dietitian, Dr. Fox has long focused on the intersections between nutrition, health systems, and lived experience. Her work spans global and local contexts, from Port-au-Prince to Nairobi to Tompkins County, NY. Along the way, she has received honors for both research and teaching, including the Faculty Champion Award for inclusive mentorship and the Trevor Pinch Innovation Award in Qualitative Research…
Despite decades of public health messaging about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, cases continue to rise, doubling nationwide since 2005. Now, a new paper from Cornell suggests that there is opportunity to improve how researchers and public health officials engage with communities about ticks, especially the types of questions asked about prevention…
As a health economist for over 20 years, Associate Professor Dr. Todd Olmstead is dedicated to answering a fundamental public health question: ‘Is it worth it?’ His work considers “who wins, who loses, and by how much,” helping agencies allocate scarce resources more effectively. After earning a PhD in public policy at Harvard University, Dr. Olmstead worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company where he experienced the practical realities of using data for decision-making. He learned that clients often lack the time or resources to pursue the high level of proof demanded in academic research, and that clients need clear, actionable data and insights rather than economic theory…
As part of our Notes from the Field series, we spoke with Cheyanna Frost, Manager of Workforce Development with the Cornell Health Impacts Core (CHIC), about her work that focuses on collaborative partnerships for rural health improvement. Some 97% of the U.S. land mass is classified as rural. Communities and resources in these areas are often geographically distanced, which can influence how residents access essential services. Rural communities have fewer health care services, and residents have lower rates of health insurance and health care access. Furthermore, compared to those living in urban centers, rural residents experience higher rates of chronic diseases and risk factors…
On our latest podcast episode, Dr. Anna Bento, assistant professor in the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, talks with show host Michelle Moyal, D.V.M.’ 07, about her career as a quantitative disease ecologist, from chasing crazy sheep to tracking cute monkeys, to answering the million-dollar question: when and where the next pandemic will occur. Discover how one tricky variable — human behavior — can make all the difference in how a disease does, or doesn’t, spread.
Larkin Podsiedlik, Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County (CCE Madison), built her career across food systems and the nonprofit world, from community nutrition and garden education to philanthropy and SNAP-Ed. She started her most recent position with Extension in 2021. She sees CCE as a natural place for integrative work across agriculture, environment, and health, the fields where she has formal training and is most passionate. “I work here because I love ag and food systems,” she says. While she holds two master’s degrees, including an MPH, “I like to joke that I got my degree in ‘Extension’ because that’s what we are—agriculture, food, and public health.”
Growing up on Long Island, Taylor Rijos experienced firsthand both the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and the community resilience that followed. “That’s what first sparked my interest in how human and environ-mental health systems connect,” she recalls. Later, the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced for her how closely human, animal, and environmental health are intertwined—a concept known as One Health. “I was drawn to Cornell because One Health isn’t just a buzzword here—it’s really embedded in the MPH Program’s curriculum and philosophy,” says Rijos. “It shapes how students and partners think about public health and sustainability.” During her time at Cornell, Rijos dove into projects across many disciplines. She…
For Cole Jamal (they/she), working on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is more than a dream job in federal policy—it’s personal. “At one point in my past, I was on SNAP,” they recall. “Now, I get to help ensure the program is run with integrity—and that people get benefits in a timely way when they need them.” As a SNAP Management Analyst with the USDA’s Northeast Regional Office, Jamal supports SNAP operations across eight states and territories, helping to administer one of the nation’s most critical safety net programs. They serve as a connector across the region’s multiple branches—coordinating logistics, streamlining communications, and strengthening oversight…
The federal research funding supporting the development of a pediatric heart pump has been restarted, seven months after it stopped. But those lost months of work will add at least a year to the wait for the device. “It’s frustrating; it’s unfair,” said James Antaki, the Susan K. McAdam Professor of Heart Assist Technology at the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering in Cornell Engineering, who has spent more than two decades working on the PediaFlow pump. “However, I accept that you make do with what life has given you. So we’re going to try to make the best of our current situation and count our blessings. We’re grateful that we have the federal funding, and we’ll do our best…
For the first time, the President’s Awards for Employee Excellence united Cornell employees across time zones and continents, as staff gathered in the Statler Ballroom and tuned in from New York City and Qatar to celebrate the achievements and contributions of their colleagues. More than 75 employees were honored in this year’s ceremony on Dec. 3, representing Cornell’s Ithaca campus as well as Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City and Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. This year also marked the first time nominations were open to all three campuses…
Explore the 2025 Cornell Public Health Magazine, a collection of stories celebrating the amazing accomplishments of our students, faculty, alumni, and partners!
