UNC Department of Public Health Leadership and Practice

PHLP Assistant Professor Karl Johnson, PhD led a great conversation for our department and colleagues today about our involvement with Academic Health Departments! These partnerships bring incredible value by: ? Building the capacity of local health departments ????? ? Showcasing the impact of local public health ???? ? Strengthening evidence-based public health ???? … and so much more! We are grateful for theses collaborations and the commitment to advancing public health!

Shoutout to our very own Marie Lina Excellent, MD, MPH ??

?? New Faculty Alert?? Please join us in welcoming our new Research Assistant Professor, Dr. Ellison Henry, to the PHLP team! Ellison earned a Bachelor of Science, Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts, International Studies with a minor in Social Work from Western Carolina University in 2014.?In?2018, she completed a Master of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In 2020-2021, she was a finalist for both a U.S. Student Fulbright Scholar in the?Institute of International Education,?and a?Title VIII Research Scholar for the American Councils for International Education. She?graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy, Maternal and Child Health?with a minor in Leadership as an Implementation?Driver?at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in December 2024.?? ? Ellison leads the research team for Aim 1?of the Healthy Vets Project,?which focuses on improving data registries, and directs the evaluation for the overall project. She will serve as a mentor for graduate students in LIP and GH concentrations, support departmental committees, and engage in NCIPH and PHLP faculty research projects. Welcome to the team, Ellison ?? ????

Please join us in celebrating the appointment of PHLP Associate Professor, Dana Rice, Dr.P.H., to the role of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health! We are all so proud of you?? ????

?? MPH@UNC Spring Immersion ?? This past week, the Department of Public Health Leadership and Practice welcomed our MPH@UNC students to campus for their spring immersion! Members of our online Leadership in Practice cohort—the largest within the Gillings School of Global Public Health—got a taste of the on-campus experience, and we were so thrilled to connect with them in person! Opportunities like these remind us of the power of community, mentorship, and hands-on learning in public health. Looking forward to many more moments like this!

We're so proud to have amazing faculty like Marie Lina Excellent, MD, MPH on our PHLP team!

?? Alumni Spotlight ?? Meet Population Health for Clinicians '22 alum, Sarah M. Russel, MD, MPH! ??Tell us about yourself I’m largely from O’Fallon, Illinois, but I grew up with two Air Force parents and lived all over the country and overseas growing up. I was a varsity rower at Notre Dame before attending medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago (UIC). During my time at Notre Dame and UIC, I developed a passion for health equity and realized I wanted this to be a part of my career. Currently, I’m a fifth-year otolaryngology/head & neck surgery resident on the research track at UNC. I ultimately decided to pursue my MPH at Gillings during my research years in residency. Now, my research focuses on health inequities in otolaryngology particularly among the LGBTQIA+ community. When I’m not working, you can find me hiking, petting my cat, watching sports, playing piano, baking, or cooking with my girlfriend! ??Why Population Health for Clinicians? In undergrad, I minored in Science, Technology, and Values, in which I focused on medical ethics and public health. This provided my introduction into how systemic inequities disparately harm health for certain groups over others. In medical school, I witnessed these health inequities play out firsthand and wanted to feel empowered to advocate for change on behalf of my patients. The true tipping point came in 2020, the year I started residency. Every day, I saw how broken systems prevented our patients from getting the care they needed and deserved, which finally pushed me to pursue my MPH. I wanted to know how to help entire populations so that these patients wouldn’t continue to be failed by our broken systems. ??How has your MPH experience shaped your career? The MPH provided me with multiple skills that I use every day. I now feel much more confident reading and analyzing clinical practice guidelines and literature, which has shaped the way I incorporate evidence into practice. I have the tools to advocate for and implement broader interventions beyond the patient in front of me, and other otolaryngologists have sought my expertise on population health and health equity even though I’m still a trainee. My career would not be where it is today without Gillings. ??What are your future plans? I plan to continue advocating for and working towards improving representation in otolaryngology, and I want health equity to be a core research focus in my career in academic medicine. In particular, the LGBTQIA+ community is understudied across medicine and within my specialty, so I hope to slowly but surely start examining health inequities in sexual and gender minority patients. The first step to solving these is characterizing the problem, but my goal is to develop and implement solutions to improve the health of my community. I would not have the tools to do this without my time at Gillings, and I am forever grateful for the connections I made during my MPH!

??Does any of this sound like you??? ?? I think I’m interested in public health but not quite sure. ??♂? I’m interested in public health but do not have the time or finances to pursue an actual degree. ??♀? I currently work in public health and feel I could boost my knowledge and skillset with just a few courses. If so, consider applying to one of our Graduate Certificate programs! All our certificates are available in an online format and designed to be completed in just one year. Click the links below to learn more about each program! To apply: ??Field Epidemiology, deadline April 9, 2025 - https://lnkd.in/e__er5sp ??Public Health Leadership, deadline April 18, 2025 - https://lnkd.in/e_4thX_e ?? Global Health, applications will open in August for Spring 2026 term - https://lnkd.in/e__er5sp

????MPH to Med School: Navigating the Path from Public Health to Medicine ???? Today's PHLP Unplugged webinar featured an exclusive discussion with three Leadership in Practice alumni who earned their MPH before attending medical school! Dr. Robert Keenan ('00), Emma Comadoll ('23), and Brandon Glover ('22) provided firsthand insights on how their public health training: ? Strengthened their medical school applications ? Shaped their approach to patient care ? Continues to give them a unique edge in their careers This conversation was truly valuable for anyone considering the intersection of public health and medicine! Thank you to our speakers!