This Saturday, April 24 at 11:00am ET, people from across the country are invited to participate virtually in the annual Out of the Darkness Walk to remember those lost to suicide, and to encourage discussion around mental health. We sat down with Dr. Mark Macgowan, associate dean at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health […]
From COVID-19 first responders to Stempel College graduates
Ahmed Abousaleh never imagined going back to school— it was more than 20 years since he graduated from high school and entered the workforce. He worked as a combat medic with the Army, earned his paramedic license and later secured a job as a first responder with the City of Miami Fire-Rescue Department. He enjoyed […]
Stempel College Ph.D. graduate sets eyes on building next generation of dietitians and nutritionists in Ghana
Born and raised in Ghana, Justina Serwaah Owusu was the first in her family to come to the United States to pursue her academic goals. A talented and competitive student, Owusu graduated from one of Ghana’s top master’s nutrition programs and was determined to tackle malnutrition challenges in her country. After graduating from the program, […]
Stempel College Ph.D. candidate – a first-generation college student – shares a passion for research
Dietetics and nutrition science continues to evolve because people like Priscilla Clayton can’t stop seeking answers. A doctoral student in the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work’s dietetics and nutrition program, Clayton is passionate about research after developing a keen interest in nutrition and health as a teen. As she gained weight […]
Stempel MPH student says the degree will one day make her a better doctor
When the world turned upside down, Samantha Baudin took a leap of faith. Working part-time and studying for the MCAT, the 2019 alumna with a BS in biology lost focus amid the pandemic and social upheaval of last year. She doubted she could achieve the score she wanted on the all-important exam and felt stress […]
Stempel social work professor’s ambitious AIDS retrospective teaches history while memorializing the lost
Shed Boren has undertaken a labor of herculean proportions to fill in the gaps for young people who have little knowledge of the AIDS epidemic. “I just realized people don’t know this,” Boren says of those on FIU’s campus who inspired a new exhibition, now open at the Coral Gables Museum. “I meet some LGBTQ […]
Stempel social work professor looks to create first-ever holistic measure of youth sexual health
A Stempel College professor’s ongoing pilot project investigating teenage sexual health has already created positive research experiences for participants while yielding important data. Dr. Nicole Fava of the School of Social Work is only part way through the Sexual Well-being Among Youth (SWAY) Project, which is funded by FIU’s Research Center in Minority Institutions, but […]
Stempel College social work professor honored for pushing graduate students to excel in the research arena
Dr. Shanna Burke, social work professor at Stempel College, harbors a “secret” that ultimately earned her a top recognition. In March she received the Social Work Educator of the Year Award from the Miami-Dade County chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. A seasoned investigator, she has developed a tried-and-true approach to launch graduate […]
Stempel College Public Health graduate program vaults to No. 44 in the nation
The public health graduate program at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work at Florida International University has been recognized as the 44th best in the nation among public universities by U.S. News & World Report. Leaping five spots from last year, the Stempel College program is quickly moving up in the […]
In the midst of societal and personal challenges, a Stempel College MPH student prioritizes widening access to health care within the Black community
As the combined weight of a global pandemic and nationwide racial upheaval collided with her own personal suffering, eternal optimist Nandy Smith rose above. The now-32-year-old mother of a toddler could have seen her ebullient spirit seriously tempered in the public aftermath of George Floyd’s death and by the concurrent dissolution of her seven-year marriage. […]