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GeneratingSocial DNAAyman El Sheikh’s impact on health changed dramatically after studying at Rollins. Before he enrolled,he worked as an electronics engineer with IBM andas an IT manager for Save the Children in Sudan. Aftergraduating from the rsph, El Sheikh returned to his homeland, where he helped the Carter Center set up a databaseto better track progress toward guinea worm eradicationand secured a 15.8 million grant from the Global Fundto Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria to strengthen thenation’s TB program. He now works in Namibia to ensurethat 300,000 schoolchildren are receiving proper nutritionthrough the United Nations World Food Program.Graduates of the Foege FellowshipProgram inherit a passion for tacklingthe world’s greatest health challengesBy Pam AuchmuteyThe Foege Fellowsduring their 10thanniversary reunion,their first meeting asa group.El Sheikh 05MPH is amongthe first students to benefitfrom the William H. FoegeFellowships in Global Health at Rollins. Now in its 10thyear, the program has enabled 24 mid-career professionalsfrom 22 countries to become more effective leaders in globalhealth. For the first time this fall, 21 alumni and current fellows met at Rollins to share their successes and challengesduring their 10th anniversary reunion. Deborah McFarland,director of the Foege Fellows Program, has mentored all ofthe fellows since the initiative began in 2003.“You are the ones on the frontlines of public health,”fall 2013public health magazine5

taking prophylactic drugsMcFarland told the felwhen they have no visiblelows. “We want you tosymptoms of disease.use this meeting time toMartin Swaka 05MPH ofshare the skills, philosoSouth Sudan is pushing tophy, and values that driverebuild an effective healththe health decisions yousystem following years ofmake to enhance trainingcivil war. In the process,for future generations ofhe has learned the valueFoege Fellows.”of engaging governmentHer comments echoedand nongovernmentalthe sentiments of Billpartners in creating a straFoege, the smallpox eraditegic development plan tocation pioneer and formerachieve common goals.CDC director for whomSuch a plan, Swaka said,the fellowships are named.“allows us to stay focusedA decade ago, Melindaon the noble public healthGates was instrumentalgoal of reducing morbidin creating the Foegeity and mortality.”fellowships by providingOther workshop paran endowment throughticipantschanged careerthe Bill & Melinda Gatespaths after completingFoundation, where Foegetheir fellowships. Roseserves as a senior fellow.Wanjala 11MPH, onceIn 2012, the foundationa laboratory scientist inprovided another grantKenya, now coordinatesto increase the number ofa multi-site study there tofellowships and sponsor adetermine the economicworkshop.and health benefits of“Through the centuries,sweet potatoes for moththere have always beeners and young children.shining lights—peopleGilbert Boredison 11MPHwho keep us on theShown with William Foege (clockwise, top left) are Mark Rosenberg of theTask Force for Global Health, John Hardman of the Carter Center, Helenetransitioned to the privateright path in this comGayle of CARE USA, and Patricia Simone of the CDC. Their partner agenciessector to advocate forplex world,” said Foege,nominate candidates for Foege fellowships each year.health and communityPresidential Distinguisheddevelopment with theProfessor Emeritus oflargest mining company in Madagascar. He oversees a 24International Health at Rollins. “It’s gratifying to see howmillion investment in projects to improve health, education,you have changed lives and how people treat one another.”and the livelihoods of people who live along the company’sAlso attending the workshop were top leaders from thepipeline route.CDC, the Carter Center, the Task Force for Global Health,After graduating from Rollins, Senkham Boutdara 08MPHCARE USA, and Emory, which nominate fellows for the proplanned to resume his career with CARE in Lao pdr. He optedgram each year.instead to become the senior policy officer with the Western“A lot of what happens in public health happens becauseAustralia Department of Health, where he is the first seniorof the passion of a few people,” said Patricia Simone, deputylevel person to address the health of Aborigines in the region.director of the Center for Global Health at the CDC. “TheBoutdara often uses what he learned at Rollins to guideFoege Fellows are part of that. You are changing the culturethe region’s 43,000 health system workers in implementationto address public health problems in a scientific way.”As the fellows well know, improving health in underserved of the 2011 National Health Reform Agreement. A primarygoal of the law is to close the gap in health disparities incountries is not an easy road. Sadi Moussa 05MPH, whopartnership with Aboriginal leaders and communities.comes from Niger and now serves in Mali, has worked with“To improve health, we have to learn more about Aborigi18 different ministers of health in 20 years. Herty Herjatinal people and involve them in helping us make better policy12MPH manages efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis anddecisions,” Boutdara said.control helminthiasis in Indonesia, where people often resist6public health magazinefall 2013

Building capacityAdrina Mwansambo is aphysician in Malawi, wherethe nation’s first case of AIDSwas confirmed in 1985. Whenher brother died of AIDS in1998, the drugs that couldsave him were unavailable intheir country.“I couldn’t save my brother’s life, but at least I coulddo something to make drugsaccessible to other people,”Mwansambo said. In 2001,she joined the National AIDSCommission, a newly restructured government programto address the health andsocial aspects of HIV/AIDSin Malawi. During the past10 years, the commissionhas increased dramaticallythe numbers of HIV testingsites, people on antiretroviraltherapy (ART), and women inprograms to prevent diseasetransmission from mother tochild.In the course of her work,Mwansambo has formednetworks to achieve commongoals. She returned to Rollinsto build more by connectingwith other Foege Fellows.“This is continuous capacitybuilding for us,” she said ofthe reunion.Like Mwansambo, VictorAkelo 14MPH has lost familymembers to AIDS. In Kenya,Akelo was a coinvestigatoron HPTN 052, the groundbreaking clinical study whichshowed that ART dramaticallyreduces HIV transmission inheterosexual couples. Whenthe successful results of thestill ongoing study were firstannounced in 2011, Akelofaced his own “baptism byfire” in explaining the resultsto media and others outsidethe scientific community.The Deborah A. McFarland Global FieldExperience FundSenkham BoutdaraThe Deborah A. McFarland Global Field Experience Fund hasbeen established by the generosity of an anonymous donorto honor her lifelong commitment to global health education.Gifts to the fund will support global field experiences,enabling students to conduct summer research worldwide.The donor has pledged to match gifts made before December31, 2013. Gifts to date include generous support from theFoege Fellows honoring their mentor.To learn more or make a gift, please contact Kathryn Graves,associate dean for development and external relations, at404-727-3352 or kgraves@emory.edu.Martin SwakaShahed RahmanWhen he completes his MPH degree next year, he willbe more versed in communicating science to others. “I’vegained added value from my courses by learning to translate science in ways that policy-makers and villagers canunderstand,” Akelo said.New Foege Fellow Shahed Rahman 15MPH arrived atRollins this fall in search of the same skills and more. Rahman, who serves as the national nutrition coordinator ofmaternal and child health for CARE Bangladesh, wants toexpand his ability to work in a more systematic way.“I want to learn how to better navigate and improvehealth systems,” he said. “My dream is to influence peopleand policies and translate knowledge more effectively formass populations to protect their health.”Next stepsAdrina MwansamboVictor AkeloAt the end of the workshop, McFarland asked the fellowsto suggest ways to strengthen the fellowship program. Theyoffered numerous ideas: Continuing education throughdistance learning. Adding courses in management and leadership to the fellowship. Serving as mentors to incomingfellows. Launching a collaborative research project. Connecting more with mentors at the CDC and other agencies.Helping fellows re-enter the workforce. And more.As alumni fellows prepared to return home and currentfellows began their RSPH classes, they did so armed withthe support and advice of leaders from their nominatingagencies. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA,encouraged the fellows to spread their “social DNA”—aterm often used by Bill Foege—throughout the world.“How do we use our experience to address poverty,malaria, or polio?” she asked. “Each of us has a responsibility to use what we know and take it to the next level. It’slike a relay race—taking the baton and moving forward. Ifind hope and inspiration from being here with you.” fall 2013public health magazine7

in the community. AlekShybut found his niche atthe RSPH after serving withTeach for America in Seattle.He is preparing for PeaceCorps service as a studentin the Master’s Internationalprogram. Here he assistsnew students preparing totake part in Rollinsteer Day,the school’s annual day ofcommunity service.l esson si n Pu b l ic Hea lt hB y P am A uchmutey8public health magazinefall 2013Hands-on learningprepares students forreal-world challengesof the 21st century

. or in the classroomWhichever department theymay choose, Rollins studentslearn skills and methods in theclassroom to solve real-worldproblems. Many gain practicalexperience by working withpractitioners and scientistsat the CDC and other publichealth partners throughoutAtlanta and the state ofGeorgia.In Atlanta today,the average monthly food bill for afamily of four is 754. That’s 86 morethan the 668 maximum monthlybenefit a family of four receives forfood stamps. Georgia now ranks sixthnationally in the number of food stamprecipients, up considerably from 15thplace in 2007 before the economicrecession occurred late that year.Such statistics hit close to home,not only for Georgia families but alsofor public health practitioner RachaelKane 13MPH, who manages a weeklyfarmer’s market for the refugee, immigrant, and American-born families inClarkston, Georgia, just a few mileseast of Emory. Her student experiencesin and outside of the classroom at Rollins qualified her for the role.While taking a directed study courseon food policy and security, Kane andother students limited themselves to 200 a month for food—the sameamount allotted to an individual forfood stamps. “You realize firsthandthat cheap food is not good food,” saysKane, who received a 2013 Humanitarian Award from Emory last spring.During her first year at Rollins, sheapplied for a position through theschool’s Emory Public Health TrainingCenter and began working with theClarkston Community Center, whereshe developed a food cooperativeinvolving local churches and organizations. That led to a summer internshipin Clarkston, where she partnered withGlobal Growers Network, a projectthat teaches refugee farmers how togrow and market vegetables and fruitsthat thrive in the Georgia climate, andBurundian women who tend a localfarm in Decatur, Georgia, to growproduce to feed their families andsell locally. She continued working inthe Clarkston community during hersecond year of study, this time throughthe Rollins Earn and Learn program,which provides students with paidwork experiences in public health.This past summer, Kane and KatieClifford, a second-year MPH studentand president of the Rollins StudentGovernment Association (rsga), beganto assess the Clarkston CommunityCenter’s food security initiatives andother local food sources. They usedskills they learned at Rollins to developa survey and collect and analyze data.“We want to know more about howeffective the programs are in eradicating hunger and food insecurity,” saysKane. “We also want to find ways tobring more refugees and nonrefugeestogether to further strengthen the community in Clarkston.”Working with communities andpopulations is the bedrock of publichealth education at Rollins. The schoolgrew up next to the CDC, regarded byfall 2013public health magazine9

many as the mecca for applied public health.“Our founding fathers came from the CDC, state government, DeKalb County, and the city of Atlanta,” says KathyMiner 79MPH, associate dean for applied public health. “Itwas instrumental to have this nexus of people and agenciescome together. Along the way, we formed new relationshipswith the Carter Center, CARE International, the AmericanCancer Society, and otherpartners who were attracted bywhat Emory and Atlanta had tooffer.”A curriculum evolution“We want to knowmore about howeffective the programsare in eradicatinghunger and foodinsecurity”— R achael K a n e 1 3 M P H10public health magazinefall 2013In recent years, some U.S.schools of public health haveexamined their curricula torethink how to better preparestudents for public healthpractice in the 21st century.Older schools like those atJohns Hopkins, Harvard, andColumbia universities evolvedin a different era of publichealth in the early 20th century. They followed a model setforth in the Welch-Rose Reportof 1915, which recommendedpublic health education forprofessionals trained in medicine and hygiene. When Emoryestablished the School of PublicHealth in 1990, the MPH degreehad become the avenue to public healthpractice for professionals with baccalaureate degrees.Since 2011, Rollins has had thehighest number of MPH applicants inthe nation and also ranked first in thenumber of MPH applicants in globalhealth, epidemiology, and environmental health. What then makes the rsphstand out?Like other schools accredited by theCouncil on Education for Public Health,Rollins requires its students to takecore courses in five areas: behavioralsciences, biostatistics, epidemiology,environmental health, and health policy.Two years ago, the RSPH added a sixthcore course developed by faculty in theHubert Department of Global Health.“The course has been a tremendousaddition,” says Carlos del Rio, HubertProfessor and department chair. “Themost important thing is that studentslearn to speak the language of globalhealth. Global health is not a discipline.It’s an approach. It’s a way of thinking about and working on problems.Teaching students to think that way isimportant in this globalized world welive in.”“The new world of public health isabout cooperation and collaboration,”he adds. “It requires us to think horizontally across disciplines to provide measurable outcomes to improve health.”Whether students choose to majorin global health or another core area,all have multiple opportunities to gainpractical experience in and outside ofthe classroom. As students, faculty, andalumni attest, hands-on learning is Rollins’ forte.“You can learn about public healthanywhere,” says Kristin Unzicker02MPH, director of leadership andcommunity engaged learning. “But ifyou want to do public health, you cometo Rollins.”Worlds of experienceAfter graduating from the University ofNebraska–Lincoln, Alek Shybut 14MPHdid marketing for a small communitybank and quickly learned the businessworld wasn’t for him. “I wanted to dosomething more service-based and lookfor a way to open up my soul,” he says.His realization led him to Seattle,where he served two years with AmeriCorps as a counselor to middle schoolstudents. The experience immersed himin community service and piqued hisinterest in mental health and healtheducation. While in Seattle, Shybutapplied to the Peace Corps, followingin the footsteps of his father, a formerPeace Corps volunteer in Malaysia.He also applied to the rsph Master’sInternational program, which preparesstudents for Peace Corps service.Now a second-year student at Rollinsand vice president of the rsga, Shybut

More than 70 students conduct research in othercountries each summer through the GlobalField Experience program. Left: This year, PaulaStrassle conducted a study on water qualityand sanitation practices in Malawi. Below: ToriCowger led the epidemiological investigation ofa small outbreak of typhoid fever in AmericanSamoa. Both of their projects helped addresshealth issues that affect young children.has spent numerous hours learningand working in the community. Lastyear, he volunteered with the Centerfor Pan Asian Community Services totutor elementary school students inEnglish. His students lived in a motelapartment complex in Clarkston. Healso secured a field placement throughthe Emory Public Health TrainingCenter to coordinate the CommunityHealth Ambassador (CHA) program atGood Samaritan Health Center in WestAtlanta. Founded by former Rollinsstudent Julie Straw 12MPH, the CHAprogram helps teens learn to recognizeand address health issues among theirpeers.This past summer, Shybut completeda practicum in Orange County, California, at Grandma’s House of Hope,which provides services for youth andhomeless women. His practical experiences and his coursework have provedinvaluable. “I need that combinationof classroom training and communityinteraction,” Shybut says. “It allows meto see the faces of those I am serving.”Lessons in the fieldEpidemiology major Tori Cowger14MPH didn’t plan to make headlinesduring her summer practicum in American Samoa. When the island experienced a small outbreak of typhoid fever,Cowger led the epidemiology investigation since the main surveillance officerwas off-island at a conference. At thetime, the outbreak was limited to threecases, and island health officials urgedresidents to take precautions in consuming food and water to prevent morecases of the disease, especially amongyoung children.“It felt like I was living a real-lifecase study like in EPI 540,” wrote Cowger in an email to her adviser, epidemiology professor John McGowan, fromAmerican Samoa. “We even made newsin the local newspaper.”Cowger is one of the many Rollinsstudents who conduct research in othercountries each summer through theGlobal Field Experience (GFE) program.Supported by three endowments—theEugene J. Gangarosa Scholarship Fund,the Anne E. and William A. FoegeGlobal Health Fund, and the O.C.Hubert Fellowships in InternationalHealth—the GFE program enablesstudents to plan, develop, and implement research projects by working withhealth partners in different cultur

2 public health magazine fall 2013 13-RSPH-DEVEL-0001 Emory Public Health is published by the Rollins School of Public Health, a component of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University (emoryhealthsciences.org). Please send class notes, observations, letters to the editor, and other correspondence to Editor, Emory Public Health, 1762 Clifton Road, Suite 1000, Atlanta, GA 30322 .