HRSA Trainees
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Public Health Traineeships support students in graduate educational programs in accredited schools of public health for training in public health fields with a severe shortage.
2012 Hopkins HRSA trainee recipients
Tess Gilbert
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Resume Highlights
- Optimized methods for statewide tuberculosis cohort review at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
- Research assistant at the Office of Public Health Practice and Training at JHSPH.
- Evaluated a substance abuse prevention program for Native American youth in New Mexico
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: epidemiology, biostatistics, infectious diseases, and public health practice
Benefits of the HRSA grant: The HRSA grant has allowed me to gain practice experience while pursuing my MHS. The opportunity to apply my skills to real-world public health problems has greatly enriched my graduate training and expanded my interest in public health practice.
Anne Lilly
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Resume Highlights
- Served as a teacher trainer and health educator in Peace Corps South Africa from 2007-2009:
- Collaborated with school leaders and teachers to implement the new curriculum
- Founded and facilitated Bokgoni Girls Club, a life skills and reproductive health education project for 8th Grade students
- Crafted grant applications and assisted with research projects as the Executive Intern at Family Health and Birth Center in Washington, DC.
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: I have mainly focused on Child Health, particularly on how a child's health, early environment and development impact her school readiness and later school performance.
Benefits of the HRSA grant: I was honored to be chosen as one of the HRSA Public Health Traineeship Grant recipients. Winning the award has enabled me to more fully dedicate myself to my studies and has motivated me to pursue leadership positions in the field of Public Health.
Marian Homan Dickinson
Hometown: New Knoxville, OH
Resume Highlights
- Researched, wrote, piloted, and published a curriculum for low-risk drinking in adults titled Minimize Risk~Maximize Life.
- Volunteered at peace and reconciliation center in Northern Ireland for one year, facilitating cross-community groups.
- Developed, coordinated, and delivered alcohol, tobacco, other drug, and violence prevention for middle school and high school students as an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist.
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: Sustainable food systems, faith-based food youth curriculum, and program evaluation.
Benefits of the HRSA grant: The HRSA grant has opened me up to additional learning opportunities. I have been able to accept an internship position that will provide me with the training and job experiences I need to move forward in the field of community food systems.
Paul Messino
Asheville, North Carolina
Resume Highlights
- Abell Award in Urban Policy Recipient
- Regional Director, North Carolina Jaycees
- Dolores Aubrey Sullivan Award in Public Policy
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: Policy of Health Information Technology and its role in improving health systems.
Benefits of the HRSA grant: The HRSA grant allows me to fulfill the DrPH program requirements at JHSPH while also pursuing HIT-focused classes throughout the Johns Hopkins system. Without the additional monetary support, I would not be able to simultaneously be exposed to classes on health policy and HIT systems.
Allison Zucker
Hometown: Glen Ridge, NJ
Resume Highlights
- Coordinator of the Growth & Nutrition Clinic at the University of Maryland for toddlers with feeding difficulties.
- Health Educator for an obesity prevention, health promotion research study for middle school girls in Baltimore City Public Schools.
- Research Assistant at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: Environmental Sustainability, Food Systems, School Food, Nutrition and Program Evaluation.
Benefits of the HRSA grant: The HRSA grant helped fund my MPH and allowed me to focus on gaining the skills and experience to improve health and reduce disparities in urban communities.
2011 Hopkins HRSA trainee recipients
Liz Coleclough
Memphis, TN
Resume Highlights
- Coordinator of Footsteps In Hope AIDS Walk in Jackson, MS
- Outreach worker with an Orphan Vulnerable Child (OVC) project and Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center (VCT) in Zimbabwe
- Rollins School of Public Health MPH Merit Scholar
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: Psychosocial intervention and harm-reduction.
Benefits of the HRSA grant: It encourages my interest in public health practice and application. I am passionate about working in real-world settings, interacting directly with communities / clients, while handling the challenges of limited resources and complicated environments. This award supports my goal to expand public health beyond the clinical trial and to bring it into the community.
Kevin Fain
Washington, D.C.
Resume Highlights
- Public health attorney with 15 years experience in the Office of Chief Counsel (OCC) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Litigated enforcement cases against food and drug manufacturers violating FDA laws and counseled FDA on policies, regulations, and legislation for human and animal drug safety, manufacturing, and approval standards
- MPH degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2011) and Fellowship with the Center for Livable Future
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: For my MPH studies, I focused on policy analysis as well as the risk sciences, including quantitative methods for assessing public health policies and risks. For my doctoral studies, I am concentrating further on epidemiology and biostatistics for public health policy, particularly those analytical methods used in assessing drug safety and effectiveness.
Benefits of the HRSA grant: The HRSA grant has greatly assisted me in continuing my public health studies on a full-time basis in the epidemiology DrPH program. In this way I can pursue my classes and research more thoroughly, which significantly enhances my learning and strengthens my pursuit of these public health goals.
Laura Flamm
Columbus, Ohio
Resume Highlights
- Evaluated a rural Ohio farmers market’s EBT (food stamps) program.
- Identified potential partners and venues for community outreach by the American Diabetes Association of Maryland.
- Facilitated participatory material development, collected data for evaluation, and analyzed baseline data for the Healthy Bodies, Healthy Souls church-based diabetes prevention intervention.
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: Health education & health communication and community-based public health
Benefits of the HRSA grant: The HRSA grant enables me to continue my public health practice in Baltimore while pursuing my MSPH. Combining practice-based work with class work encourages collaborative learning in both realms.
Lisa Goldberg
Oakland, CA
Resume Highlights
- Worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as Public Health Analyst (PHA) on the 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Implementation Task Force.
- At the University of California at Berkeley functioned as the Center for Infectious Diseases and Emergency Readiness (CIDER) project manager for the California Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Prioritization and Implementation Projects.
- Received Assistant US Secretary of Health and Human Services Special Recognition for Technical Assistance to Department of Health and Human Services, National Vaccine Program Office.
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: Epidemiology, biostatistics, public health policy formulation & evaluation, risk assessment and communication, strategic management and leadership, and public health emergency preparedness and response.
Benefits of the HRSA grant: I am very fortunate to be the recipient of the HRSA Public Health Training Grant award, which partially funds my tuition and has allowed me to attend this university. Receiving this award has enabled me to continue my academic goals of addressing health disparities among vulnerable populations in the hopes of saving and improving their lives.
Jessica Ladd
San Francisco, CA
Resume Highlights
- Assisted in the development of sexual and reproductive health policy at the White House as a Domestic Policy Council Intern
- Analyzed sexual health policy and educated Congressional staff on HIV/AIDS policy matters as the Public Policy Associate for The AIDS Institute
- Founded and facilitated a female sexuality empowerment group at Pomona College
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: Sexual and reproductive health, epidemiology, health communication, adolescent health, infectious diseases
Benefits of the HRSA grant: The HRSA grant helped me to fund my Masters of Public Health, in which I concentrated in Epidemiology. The funds enabled me to continue to pursue my interest in this area, and in Fall 2011, I will begin her PhD in Epidemiology (Infectious Diseases). While pursuing my PhD, I plan to develop, disseminate, and evaluate new media sexual health interventions.
Paul Messino
Asheville, North Carolina
Resume Highlights
- Abell Award in Urban Policy Recipient
- Regional Director, North Carolina Jaycees
- Dolores Aubrey Sullivan Award in Public Policy
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: Policy of Health Information Technology and its role in improving health systems.
Benefits of the HRSA grant: The HRSA grant allows me to fulfill the DrPH program requirements at JHSPH while also pursuing HIT-focused classes throughout the Johns Hopkins system. Without the additional monetary support, I would not be able to simultaneously be exposed to classes on health policy and HIT systems.
Jeffrey Moon
Haddonfield, NJ
Resume Highlights
- MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a HRSA traineeship for public health practice
- 7-year Accelerated Joint BA/MD Program at Rutgers University and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
- 2008 Health Policy Fellow of the New Jersey State Senate
Public health topics of focus while attending JHSPH: Translating research into public health practice, quantitative health policy analysis, organizational leadership, and injury prevention
Benefits of the HRSA grant: The HRSA award imbues me with greater confidence and drive to be a leader in public health. It facilitates the freedom to take risks—not with money but with time and commitment. In turn, I am able to more deeply pursue research and networking experiences.