We are excited to serve as your student representatives to the Epidemiology Section this year. We are here to be a resource to you, serving as a conduit between students and the rest of the Epidemiology Section. By communicating and advocating for student interests and concerns, we hope to promote full integration of student input and innovation in the development and expansion of the Epidemiology Section. Read on to meet your student representatives and learn more about how to get involved in the Section.
Hello, my name is Lutheria Peters, a Section liaison to the APHA Student Assembly from East Stroudsburg University. I am really passionate about the study of the spread of disease and the ways we as the public health workforce can contribute to national and international health. Currently, I am actively involved in the use of Geographical Information Systems to assess HIV/AIDS case management service gaps. In the near future I hope to learn how the bridge the use of GIS with evaluation. Please feel free to contact me so that we can begin to network and share ideas. My e-mail addresses are: <lpp3450@esu.edu> and <lutheria.n.peters@hotmail.com>.
Hi, I'm Arpi Terzian, a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at Johns Hopkins. I received my MPH in Epidemiology at Emory in 2002. I am examining the effect of HIV and drug use on physical functioning among HIV-infected women in the United States. I am also using my epidemiology background in more applied settings – building in-house capacity for community-based organizations, for example. As a Johnson and Johnson Community Health Care Scholar, I have helped develop a program evaluation plan for a school-based dental clinic in rural Texas. I also served as a student shadow to one of the Epidemiology Section's Governing Councilors during an APHA Annual Meeting a few years ago. Given my more than five years as a graduate student, I humbly offer my thoughts and experiences on the following: 1) student opportunities in the Section; 2) how to get a NIH dissertation grant (receive and offer advice, that is!); 3) epidemiology curriculum at Emory and/or Hopkins; and 4) ASPH internships at the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. I am also interested in engaging and brainstorming with students on various topics such as current health care policy, community health, and social epidemiology. I'd also like to promote initiatives that improve our student voice within APHA. If any of this appeals to you or you just want to share what is on your mind, please e-mail me at: <aterzian@jhsph.edu>.
Hi, my name is Azadeh Tasslimi and I am excited to serve as a student co-liaison and help advocate for student opportunities within the Section. I am an MPH student in epidemiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and am very interested in evidence-based research and its imperative role in influencing public health policies and initiatives. As part of a statewide initiative in New Jersey, I have helped develop a county-specific cancer capacity and needs assessment which identified persisting and new cancer issues affecting the county’s residents, health disparities, and available resources and lack thereof for prevention, screening and treatment. Currently, I co-coordinate a diverse community coalition, whose members are working to implement recommendations from the cancer capacity and needs assessment at the local level. I look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions and working with you to promote student involvement in the Section! My e-mail address is: <tassliaz@umdnj.edu>.
One of our current goals is to create a system of regular communication and response between students in the Epidemiology Section and the Epidemiology Section as well as routine communication between Epidemiology Section students and students in other APHA sections. To support such communication and keep you informed on APHA-wide student issues, we work with the APHA Student Assembly and other student section representatives. We are also developing a fact sheet, which will introduce students to APHA and its Epidemiology Section.
How you can get involved:
· Communicate with your Epidemiology student representatives (Please e-mail us what you are thinking, e.g. any questions about the Section or APHA you may have, issues you believe need to be addressed within the Section or the Student Assembly!).
· Contribute to the Epidemiology Section's newsletter.
· Volunteer for Section activities! Students are more than welcome to respond to announcements that are sent through the listserv seeking volunteers; these announcements are NOT just reserved for senior level members.
· Help plan the Section Social at the 2006 APHA Annual Meeting in Boston.
· Attend Section business meetings at the APHA Annual Meeting – you may very well walk away with a lifetime mentor and/or great ideas and insights from senior epidemiologists!
· Attend the Section Social. A primary purpose of the Section Social is for students to meet and speak with senior epidemiologists in an informal setting.
· Serve as a student shadow to our Governing Councilors (stay tuned to your e-mail for an announcement about this opportunity).
· Participate in the upcoming Epidemiology Section student survey.
The next Epidemiology Section business meeting will be held in person at the 2006 Congress of Epidemiology meeting in Seattle: Friday, June 23 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (Pacific) in Cascade Room A at the Westin Hotel <http://www.epicongress2006.org/>. All students are encouraged to attend. There is still time to register for the conference if you have not already done so. Visit <http://www.epicongress2006.org/reginfo.html>.
We encourage the participation of all students in APHA's Epidemiology Section and ask that you check out the new Epidemiology Section Web site <http://www.apha.org/extranet/epi/default.htm>. Remember that your involvement with the Section is a great way to network and meet new people. Welcome, and please feel free to contact any of us!
Pass the Good Word
Pass on the word to your peers! Encourage them to join the Epidemiology Section! Remember as student members you receive a free subscription to the American Journal of Public Health and The Nation's Health, and access to the Student Assembly-sponsored National Mentoring program plus much more.
Submitted by Student Assembly Section Liaisons:
Lutheria Peters
Azadeh Tasslimi
Arpi Terzian