MeTa Series
MeTa Series 11 Panelists and Presentations
Phillip Karaya, Karaya Consulting
Phillip Karaya is an entrepreneur with experience in finance, real estate, and technology. He earned his undergraduate degree in public health and an MBA in finance from Georgia State University. He has worked in pharmacy, has taught business analysis at GSU, and has participated in international programs in Greece and the Dominican Republic. Phillip has also served on boards focused on public health and country relations such as the Model African Union. Along with running a consulting company, Phillip invests in real estate development in Atlanta. He serves as the chapter president for the US Africa Chamber of Commerce, which helps facilitate business between US, African, and Caribbean businesses. Phillip's Foundation, a 501c3, is dedicated to supporting children's education, particularly in Kenya and the US. Phillip has ownership interests in other companies focusing on short-term rentals through Airbnb/VRBO and vehicle rentals via Turo. Additionally, Phillip sits on the board of the Atlanta Friendship Initiative, which works to combat racial injustice in the Atlanta community. Phillip has worked in the technology space for two years as the CFO of a software engineering company that helps to create an environment where code and culture align.
Commissioned Officer Job Opportunities with the United States Public Health Service
Lieutenant Commander Darion Smith, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
Darion Smith is a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps. He is a registered dental hygienist with over ten years of experience in the private and public sectors. LCDR Smith is now the dedicated recruitment officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). In his current role, LCDR Smith provides leadership and guidance for prospective candidates interested in commissioning to the USPHS Commissioned Corps, Active-Duty Public Health Service (PHS) officers interested in serving at the CDC/ATSDR, and Active-Duty PHS officers seeking reassignments within the CDC/ATSDR. His goal is to educate others about the USPHS Commissioned Corps, assisting in accession and retention towards fulfilling the USPHS Commissioned Corps mission: to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of the nation!
Denise Gouveia, Director Office of Academic Assistance, GSU SPH and Aishat Olanlege, MPH Student, Georgia State University
Denise Gouveia is the Director of the Office of Academic Assistance for the School of Public Health. She has served as Assistant Director of the Office of Academic Assistance, Administrative Specialist, and Admissions Coordinator for the School of Public Health since 2005. Before coming to the school, Denise was an Admissions Counselor in Undergraduate Admissions at Georgia State University. She has also served as Graduate Admissions Coordinator, Interim Registrar, and Funding Coordinator at the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Cornell University. Denise received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from York College, City University of New York, and her Master of Education in Counseling and Psychology from Troy University. She has over 20 years of experience in higher education administration.
Aishat Olanlege is a second year GSU SPH student pursuing an MPH with a concentration in Health Management and Policy. She has a keen interest in health startups, big data and technology as a tool to fill major gaps and opportunities in healthcare and population health. Aishat's clinical interests include young female contraception, sexual and reproductive health, and prevention of unsafe abortions in women. Her research interests are health and human behavior, especially related to social determinants of health and sustainable primary care models in low- and middle-income countries.
Sanita Hooper, Project Manager, Public Health Informatics Institute and Piper Hale, associate Director of Communications, Public Health Informatics Institute
Santita Hooper serves as a Project Manager at the Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII). In this role, she manages PHII’s ongoing data modernization initiative. Prior to joining PHII, Santita managed a population-based maternal and child health program at the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH). At GDPH, Santita provided technical assistance to local public health districts and stakeholders, ensured program compliance with state and federal guidelines, and supervised database modifications and enhancements. Santita has over 10 years of experience leading cross-functional teams, administering programs and managing projects in state agency and non-profit settings. She brings a wealth of experience within the areas of continuous quality improvement, contract management and project management. Santita holds a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University and earned her Project Management Professional certification in 2021.
Piper Hale serves as the Associate Director of Communications for the Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII). In this role, Piper manages the communications team and is responsible for supporting the mission of PHII through the coordination and creation of written, visual and digital communications. She is the co-creator, host and producer of PHII’s podcast, “Inform Me, Informatics.” Piper originally came to PHII and the Task Force for Global Health as a Communications Specialist, a role she served in for two years before transitioning to a Communications Manager and later the Assistant Director of Communications. She brought to this position several years of experience working in newspapers, literary journals and higher education communications. Her nonprofit work includes a two-year teaching and writing fellowship with the Deep Center, an award-winning Savannah-based organization recognized in 2015 by the White House for its commitment to promoting literacy and creative expression among public school students. Piper enjoys distilling complex concepts into clear, easily digestible writing to promote accessibility to information that may serve the public good. She has a double B.A. in journalism and anthropology and holds a Master of Public Health in prevention science from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
About the MeTa Series
The MeTa Series was launched in 2018 by Dr. Elizabeth Armstrong-Mensah, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Science, in response to former dean Dr. Michael Eriksen’s desire for the creation of an environment within the School of Public Health where students and faculty can interact outside the classroom. The MeTa (Meet and Talk) Series is a social mixer that brings students, faculty, staff, and alums together every semester in a social forum to get to know one another and to network. MeTa Series activities include fun ice-breaker games, team events, breakout sessions with leaders from the public health community, raffles, prizes, and refreshments. Dr. Armstrong-Mensah is assisted by a committee of students, faculty, and staff to plan a MeTa Series event every semester.
MeTa Series is backed by research conducted on the effect of student-faculty interaction on the college experience, which shows a positive influence of faculty on the cognitive development of students and on student overall satisfaction with their college experience (Kuh & Hu, 2001; Astin, 1993; and Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). Additionally, the researchers found that interactions that were characterized as friendly had the most significant impact on student outcomes. They also found that the frequency of friendly student-faculty interaction positively affected overall satisfaction with students’ college experience. The outcomes that were most affected were intellectual outcomes, as opposed to personal/social outcomes (Endo & Harpel, 1981).
Previous MeTa Gatherings
- To create an informal academic platform, environment, and forum for students and faculty to interact
- To facilitate and boost student-faculty connectedness and, in the process, create a sense of community
- To positively influence student cognitive developmentTo enhance student satisfaction with their college experience
- To create an environment that enables students to get to know faculty in the School of Public Health beside those who teach them and vice versa
- To encourage student-faculty discourse outside the curriculum, but on topics relevant to public health
- To create a pathway for students to obtain first-hand information from faculty on career paths, options, and opportunities
- To create a pathway for students to obtain mentorship and information from faculty on campus opportunities to augment their formal course of study and future careers
- To allow students to identify and talk with faculty whose field of concentration they are interested in outside of class
- To allow students to obtain diverse information on several issues from faculty in one place and within a short span of time
- To allow students to establish links with faculty for potential present/ future collaboration in research or academic activities
Navigating Internships and Job Opportunities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Julie Fishman, MPH, is the Director of the Office of Library Science within the Office of Science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Julie has over 26 years of experience at CDC across multiple programmatic areas including chronic disease, environmental health and global health. Julie came to CDC in 1993 as a health policy analyst in the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) and later became Associate Director for Policy. At OSH, she co-authored several publications on state tobacco control legislation and prepared the first State Tobacco Control Highlights, a state-by-state summary of tobacco-related data. She served in a detail position in the CDC Office of the Director in 2001 immediately following the 9/11 and anthrax attacks. She also has worked in policy and strategy director positions at the National Center for Environmental Health’s Division of Laboratory Sciences (DLS) and the Center for Global Health’s Division of Global Health Protection. Her prior CDC positions also included serving as Deputy Branch Chief of the DLS Emergency Response and Air Toxicants Branch and Associate Director for Program Development at the National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, where she led several projects to enhance environmental health workforce capacity, including developing the Collegiate Leaders in Environmental Health summer internship.
Julie received a B.A. from Columbia University and an MPH from the University of California, Berkeley in Health Policy and Administration. Before joining CDC, she held several positions, including health policy analyst in the University of California’s Office of Health Affairs, education assistant at the New York City Commission on Human Rights AIDS Discrimination Division, and project associate at the AIDS Treatment Registry.
Commissioned Officer Job Opportunities with the United States Public Health Service
Darion Smith is a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps. He is a registered dental hygienist by training with over 10 years of experience in the private and public sectors. LCDR Smith now serves as the dedicated recruitment officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). In his current role, LCDR Smith provides leadership and guidance for prospective candidates interested in commissioning to the USPHS Commissioned Corps, Active-Duty Public Health Service (PHS) officers interested in serving at the CDC/ATSDR, and Active-Duty PHS officers seeking reassignments within the CDC/ATSDR. His goal is to educate others about the USPHS Commissioned Corps, assisting in accession and retention towards fulfilling the USPHS Commissioned Corps mission: to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of the nation!
Transitioning from Undergraduate to Graduate School: How to Apply, Experiences and Lessons Learned
David-Praise Ebiringa is a Georgia State University alumnus with Summa Cumme Laude honors and a recent MPH graduate from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He is a published research author in the International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS. Currently, David-Praise works as a healthcare IT consultant for Oracle Cerner and is passionate about healthcare management to increase patient access to quality care that will enhance population health.
Sahil Jiwani is a Consultant in the Public Health sector at Guidehouse, where he performs strategy and operational effectiveness work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Before joining Guidehouse, Sahil held numerous internship and student positions focused on data analysis and research. Last May, he graduated from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health with an MPH in Epidemiology. Prior to that, Sahil attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated with a degree in public health in 2020. Sahil was born and raised in California but currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Balancing Mental Health and a Healthy Work Life
Dr. Ruschelle M. Leone received her Ph.D. in Psychology (Clinical) from Georgia State University. She completed her clinical internship at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she focused on substance use treatment. Dr. Leone is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences within the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. She is affiliated with the Center for Research on Interpersonal Violence and the Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development.
The overarching aim of Dr. Leone’s research program is to inform and develop evidence-based intervention programming to reduce interpersonal violence, with a particular focus on sexual aggression. She is particularly interested in identifying individual-level predictors (e.g., masculine norms, empathy, gender identity) and situational-level factors (e.g., acute alcohol intoxication, peer norms) that are associated with violence. Additionally, Dr. Leone is interested in developing and evaluating prevention programs for interpersonal aggression and substance use in underserved and high-risk populations. Dr. Leone’s research has been funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Department of Defense, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
GSU Student and Alumni Poster Session Presenters and Topics
- David-Praise Ebiringa, Jake Coldiron, and Kaleb Whitfield.
- Genital Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection: Prevalence, Risk Factors and Adverse Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes in Children and Women in sub-Saharan Africa
- Niha Mitha and Aireona McNair
- Mental Health of Syrian Refugees in the United States:Risk Factors and Barriers to Mental Health Care
- Daima Machang’u, Elise Fernandez, Henricles Jeudy, Misgana Misamo, Natalie Santana, and Ahsan Manji
- Social Determinants and International College Students in Georgia: Implications for Health Outcomes and Academic Success
- Lizbeth Reyes and Rebekah Bills
- Culture, Depression and Coping Mechanisms Among African Americans
- Nina Rasheed, Darylisha Williams, and Keianna Moyer
- Implicit Racial Bias, Health Care Provider Attitudes, and Perceptions of Health Care Quality Among African American College Students in Georgia, USA
- Priya Srinivasan, Dawood Azeemy, and Fayja Habib
- COVID-19 Stressors and Maternal Mental Health in Georgia, United: Sources, Effects and Recommendations
- Morelia Torres Diaz
- Maternal Opioid Abuse and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in the United States
Getting Job Ready Post Pandemic
Sahil Jiwani is currently a consultant in the public health sector at Guidehouse, where he performs strategy and operational effectiveness work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prior to joining Guidehouse, he held numerous internships and student positions focused on data analysis and research. He graduated from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health with an MPH in epidemiology. He earned his bachelor’s degree in public health from the University of Texas at Austin. He was born and raised in California but currently resides in Atlanta. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking and running, exploring coffee shops around the city, and watching football.
Cristy T. Jones is a second Year Ph.D. student studying educational administration and policy at the Mary Frances Early College of Education at the University of Georgia. As a K-12 education policy researcher, Cristy’s primary research interests are the impact of equity and inclusion programming on retention and recruitment, the professional development and adult learning of district administrators and school board members, and how the adult learning of school personnel impacts student growth outcomes in urban school districts. She is also the Founder and Principal Consultant of CTJ Equity Solutions, a consulting firm in South Fulton, Georgia that provides career coaching, grant writing, non-profit management consulting, and small business development consulting. Cristy’s long-term career aspiration is to become a college president. Originally a native of South Fulton, she received her Bachelor of Arts in international studies from Spelman College in 2017 and a Master of Public Administration with a Non-Profit Management Certification from Cleveland State University in 2020.Grad School 101: What to Consider
Angelique Willis an M.P.H. student with a concentration in environmental health at Georgia State University. She received a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Georgia State in 2020. She is interested in preventing human injury and illness and promoting well-being by identifying and evaluating environmental sources and hazardous agents in the environment that may adversely affect human health. She was awarded the 2022 GSU School of Public Health M.P.H. Achievement Award.
Erin McDonald= is a Technical Analyst and a U.S. Air Force Veteran. She is an undergraduate student at the GSU School of Public Health. Erin has experience working in the fast-food industry, the military, retail, early childhood development and in the healthcare system as a Labor and Delivery Registrar. The skills Erin has gained along the way have equipped her to contribute to the public health world. Erin’s passions are education, planting, music, beauty and wellness.
Maternal & Child Health
Dr. Carmen McGee, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist who is passionate about women’s health. She first fell in love with obstetrics during her first delivery and gained equal affection for gynecology throughout her surgical training. Dr. McGee ensures each woman she treats receives personalized attention and feels well educated about her unique conditions and treatment options. Her past experience includes serving on the Medical Executive Committee as OB Department Chair. Dr. McGee has been voted CREOG Teaching Attending of the Year in 2005 for an obstetrics and gynecology residency. She often provides the OB lectures for the Gwinnett County Fire Department and EMS students/trainees. In addition, she is often asked to speak nationally and locally at various women’s retreats and conferences. In her personal time, Dr. McGee can be found with her son, riding bikes in the park, choreographing a new dance routine, catching a movie or attending a sporting event. She also enjoys exploring museums, shopping and entertaining friends and family at her home.
Student Committee Members
Faculty Committee Members
Contact
For more information on the MeTA series, please contact Dr. Elizabeth Armstrong-Mensah at [email protected].