MeTa Series
MeTa Series 15
Thursday, October 9, 2025
This in-person event will include networking with public health leaders, breakout sessions, fun activities, raffles, prizes and free food.

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).
- 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
Previous MeTa Gatherings
Careers in Public Health Communication
Sam Fahmy is the Director of Communications for the Georgia State University School of Public Health. In this role, he leads the development and implementation of a multi-platform communication strategy that leverages digital marketing, websites and social media, print pieces and media relations.
He joined the GSU School of Public Health in 2022 and has held several leadership positions in higher education communications. He began his career as a newspaper reporter covering health and medicine. He holds a master’s degree in Science and Technology Journalism from Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Georgia. His honors include awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, The Tennessee Press Association, the Louisiana Press Association and the Louisiana Public Health Association.
Global Health Emergencies and Response: Vaccines and Infectious Diseases
Mahmud Sheku, MPH, MS, is a doctoral student in epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. His research interests include population-level vaccine impact evaluation, infectious disease modeling, and vaccine clinical trials.
Prior to starting his PhD at Emory, Mahmud worked as an epidemiologist for EpiDriver, covering the African region. Mahmud has previous experience in large-scale vaccine clinical trials in Africa and Latin America, supporting clinical operations for Covid-19, influenza, chikungunya, dengue, RSV, and Ebola vaccines. He has also supported the design of health and demographic surveillance studies for the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS).
How to Navigate Travel & How Executive Orders Work
Annette Burris is the new Director of International Student and Scholar Services at Georgia State University. She has over 21 years of experience in the field of international education, working with international students and scholars, as well as numerous aspects of international education administration. Prior to joining GSU, Annette served as the Director of International Services at Louisiana State University and A&M College and contributed her leadership and talents in a variety of capacities to ISSS teams at Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Annette holds a B.A. in Spanish and French from Saint Louis University and an M.Ed. in Adult and Higher Education Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In her free time, she enjoys playing the guitar and spending time with family and friends. Ask her about her cats!
Successful Scholarship Application Tips: Local and International
Caroline Phelps serves as a Study Abroad Advisor at Georgia State University. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of West Georgia in 2020 and will be starting her Master's of Business Administration in Fall 2025 at Georgia State. During her undergraduate journey, Caroline’s curiosity for cross-cultural understanding led her to study abroad in Heredia, Costa Rica and Vienna, Austria. These experiences altered her perspective on the world we live in and opened her eyes to the importance of empathy and cross-cultural communication. Inspired by the profound impact of her own international experiences, Caroline assists students in identifying international opportunities that align not only with their academic path, but also with their personal aspirations, and aims to help them do it affordably. Her aim is to empower students to embark on their own life-changing journeys abroad, fostering a deeper appreciation for global perspectives.
Commissioned Officer Job Opportunities with the United States Public Health Services
Mark Otto is a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps. He is an Environmental Health Officer with over 16 years of experience, 7 years in the USPHS and prior to changing services, 9 years in the US Navy. LCDR Otto serves as the Recruitment Officer and Readiness/Deployment Coordinator for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). In this role, LCDR Otto 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. He provides support to Active-Duty PHS officers with maintaining basic readiness and manages deployment requests for PHS officers stationed at 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!
Brian Barger, Research Associate Professor GSU SPH/ Mark Chaffin Centers for Health Development/Center for Leadership in Disability
Dr. Brian Barger is a Research Associate Professor of Population Health Sciences and hosted by the Georgia State University’s Center on Excellence and Developmental Disabilities (Center for Leadership in Disabilities). His research focuses on understanding the sources of inequities in the early identification of psychiatric health conditions such as autism.
ORISE Fellowships: Opportunities and Application Tips
Henricles Jeudy, originally from Haiti, is a passionate Medical Doctor (M.D.) and public health professional, deeply committed to advancing health equity and improving community health outcomes. He earned his M.D. from the Escuela Latino Americana de Medicina in Cuba and later enhanced his expertise with a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, with a concentration in Health Management and Policy, along with a Graduate Certificate in Maternal and Child Health from Georgia State University School of Public Health (GSU SPH.)
After completing his medical training, Dr. Jeudy returned to Haiti in 2013, where he served as a primary care provider and led various health initiatives aimed at delivering sustainable and affordable healthcare to underserved populations. His notable work includes managing antiretroviral clinics and coordinating significant projects funded by The Global Fund and USAID, which focused on strengthening healthcare systems and preventing the spread of HIV and tuberculosis.
In recognition of his impactful work, Jeudy was awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship to pursue his MPH at GSU SPH, where he continued to excel in his commitment to public health. Following his graduation in 2023, he joined CentraCare in Minnesota, bridging cultural and socioeconomic gaps between the Hispanic community and healthcare services. He now continues his impactful work as an ORISE Fellow with the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention, specifically the HIV Research Branch focusing on the social determinants of health.
TaMiko Condoll is a native of New Orleans, LA and proud transplanted Georgia Peach. She holds a master’s degree in health informatics from Morehouse School of Medicine. As an ORISE Fellow in the Immunizations Systems Branch of the CDC’s Global Immunizations Division, TaMiko supports the Demand for Immunization Team with its efforts in identifying evidence-based solutions to strengthen immunization systems and inform the development, introduction, delivery of, and demand for safe and effective vaccines.
In this role, she is currently coauthoring various manuscripts including a scoping review on gender-related barriers to immunization demand and uptake; a systematic review of interventions impacting caregivers’ perceptions of vaccine safety in routine childhood immunizations; and an evaluation of a family-focused intervention to improve vaccination uptake in Accra, Ghana, to name a few. Her goal as a public health professional is to improve patient-facing health information technologies and to advance health equity and access to quality healthcare for all communities.
Career Readiness: Never too Early to Think About Launching Your Career
Evalye Alexander has 14+ years of robust experience in the Higher Education industry in Career Development, Student Affairs, Student Services, Admissions, and Financial Aid. She’s an advocate for providing individuals with the resources necessary to succeed and has successfully cultivated platforms for students to network with employers, obtaining various job opportunities within the health industry at large. She’s hosted many career readiness workshops and has developed hundreds of professional documents for 40+ industries. As an extension of her enthusiasm to bolster community and resources, Evalye sits on the board of two non-profit organizations that address food insecurity amongst underserved communities, transitional assistance for domestic violence survivors, and teenage pregnancy.
Alumni Public Health Career Journey: How to Find a Job with a Public Health Degree - Maha Karim
Maha Karim completed her Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a Pre-Med track at the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. Her primary interests in public health are investing in clinical and community-based research and helping promote community health. Maha currently works as a tier-two Clinical Research Associate for ERMI LLC. Ermi is a medical device and program that helps patients recover from severe motion loss.Maha is a MeTa Series alumnus. She has experience working with both qualitative and quantitative research. She also recently published an article with Dr. Elizabeth Armstrong Mensah in the European Medical Society Journal. In her free time, Maha enjoys sleeping and being with her family!
Commissioned Officer Job Opportunities with the United States Public Health Service - Lieutenant Commander Darion Smith
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!
Compassion in Global Health - Dr. David Addiss and Amy Richards
David Addiss, Director of the Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics (FACE), is a public health physician whose work has focused on the prevention and treatment of neglected tropical diseases, both at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1985-2006) and the Task Force for Global Health (2011-present). From 2006 to 2010, he directed the Fetzer Institute’s research program in science and spirituality. He completed the lay chaplaincy training program at Upaya Zen Center in 2014. His current interests include compassion and ethics in global health practice.
Amy Richards, Data Analyst with the Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics (FACE), is a public health professional and medical anthropologist. Her work focuses on the social dimensions of wellbeing and health systems. Amy is also a certified Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT®) instructor and works part-time with the Social, Emotional, and Ethical (SEE) Learning program at Emory University’s Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics. Her interests include health impacts of othering and belonging, asset-based community development, and participatory methodologies.
Academics and Work: How to Maintain a Good Balance - Kelsey Francis and Delia Mendez-Valdez
Kelsey Francis is a Graduate Advisor in the Office of Academic Assistance in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. Kelsey earned her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Clayton State University, a master’s degree from Strayer University in management and leadership, and has 12 years of experience in higher education. She has previously served as an Academic Advisor in the University Advisement Center, the School of Nursing and Health Professions, and an Enrollment Services Assistant in Undergraduate Admissions at Georgia State University. Before coming to Georgia State University full-time, Kelsey worked in different departments as a student at Clayton State University and formerly Georgia Perimeter College.
Delia Mendez-Valdez graduated with a BSPH degree from the School of Public Health at Georgia State University in the summer of 2023. While taking her last courses as a student, she studied abroad in Ghana and worked as an Atlas Scholar with Dr. Armstrong-Mensah. Delia currently works as the Programs and Communications Manager at We Love Buford Highway, a nonprofit organization in metro Atlanta focused on preserving the multicultural corridor of Buford Highway in Brookhaven, Chamblee and Doraville. Delia has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 6 years, the majority during her tenure as a college student. Her interests are community health and community development programming for underserved and minority communities.
Building Your Own Brand through Entrepreneurship
Phillip Karaya, Karaya Consulting, 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
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!
Student Mental Health, Academics and Work-Life
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.
The Role of Informatics in Public Health
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.
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
Building Your Own Brand through Entrepreneurship
Phillip Karaya, Karaya Consulting, 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
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!
Student Mental Health, Academics and Work-Life
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.
The Role of Informatics in Public Health
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.
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


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].