APEx Student Profiles
Sarah Frances
Certificate: Comparative Effectiveness and Outcomes Research
APEx Site: The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute
APEx Position: Research Intern - Parkinson’s Disease Team
Tell us a little about your APEx and the work you did. As a laboratory research intern, I worked on a multidisciplinary team focused on applying induced pluripotent stem cells to neuroscience. I worked with the Parkinson's team, looking at the effects of Parkinson's mutations on astrocyte morphology, which are key neurons responsible for protection and support in the brain. Such research will ultimately help develop targeted therapeutics for those with incurable diseases through personalized medicine.
What made you want to apply to this practicum? At Mailman, my thesis examines the intersection of concussions and social determinants of health, and I am aware that concussions may increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Given that there is no cure for Parkinson's Disease, I wanted to understand new biotechnology therapies and their potential for improving the quality of life of those with Parkinson's Disease. The first step to treating diseases is to understand their mechanisms, and my practicum allowed me to hone in on scientific skills related to Parkinson's disease pathology.
How has your APEx furthered your career goals? I have developed an even deeper desire to pursue a medical career, particularly in neurology. My practicum has reinforced how crucial research is to medicine and the importance of interdisciplinary learning. I recognize how regenerative medicine can offer promising results to patients and communities who struggle with incurable diseases and whose quality of life is heavily affected. It has also made me recognize how neurodegenerative diseases not only impact.
Why were you interested in applying for this practicum? Before starting my MPH at Mailman, I studied neuroscience and public health and became interested in medical innovation. I was fascinated by how you could use human skin or blood cells and transform them into induced-pluripotent stem cells, which can then be turned into neurons. I was also aware of the health disparities specific to Parkinson's disease regarding race/ethnicity. I wanted to understand how biological and/or genetic phenomena may play a role in such a finding. Having served as a hospice volunteer and interacted with patients with life-limiting illnesses such as Parkinson's, I further developed a desire to understand the mechanism of the disease to then tailor therapies based on individual experiences with the illness.
What are some unexpected things you’ve learned? I have learned to develop a positive relationship with failure and to continue troubleshooting when experiments do not go as planned. I also learned how crucial coding and artificial intelligence software skills are in medical biotechnology.
Allison Hoag
Certificate: Social Determinants of Health
APEx Site: Moxley Public Health
APEx Position: Public Health Intern
Tell us a little about your APEx and the work you did. I supported the Moxley team in collecting and analyzing data for Community Health Assessments, which are reports delivered to counties and hospital systems providing information on the current state of health in a locality and evidence-based recommendations for improving community health. I conducted countless individual interviews with community leaders and members from diverse areas nationwide. Additionally, I had the opportunity to meet with community health stakeholders and co-lead trainings on addressing social determinants of health.
What made you want to apply to this practicum? I wanted to get direct experience working in community health. This opportunity stood out because I could contribute to data collection and analysis for Community Health Assessments. Additionally, because this job was remote, I got experience working with incredibly diverse populations, including rural ones. I was also excited to work at a smaller company and gain direct experience.
Has your APEx work changed your view of politics and policy work? It further solidified my views on proposing and providing upstream solutions to pressing public health issues. I worked extensively with rural communities grappling with challenges related to poverty, housing insecurity, and substance abuse. I discovered that many individuals in these communities were dedicated to offering direct assistance and immediate support; however, they were severely overworked and unable to tackle the upstream causes of poor health outcomes. This experience underscored the necessity of addressing structural issues of poverty, inequality, and racism as essential determinants of individual health.
How has your APEx furthered your career goals? This experience supported my career goals by enabling me to utilize quantitative demographic and survey data as a foundation for community interviews and focus groups. Specifically, it helped me develop my qualitative research skills while guided by quantitative data. I was able to practice much of the mixed-methods work I had done in my first-year courses effectively. Additionally, collaborating with the team on Community Health Assessment-related deliverables taught me valuable lessons on how to communicate complex data and information in a way that is understandable to those who aren’t public health professionals but who will be directly affected by the recommendations made in these reports.
Has the experience changed or influenced your long-term career goals? It helped me confirm that I want to work in roles where I can speak directly with and engage communities and individuals impacted by my work. I have found immense joy in the community and relationship-building aspects of public health, and I hope to continue working within and fostering community in the future.
What are some unexpected things you've learned? I was pleasantly surprised by how open and honest people were about their community's challenges. I was concerned that, especially in rural areas, it might be difficult to establish that initial connection with individuals who viewed me as an outsider from an Ivy League school in New York and might be hesitant to share ways their community was struggling. However, by building rapport and emphasizing our shared goals for their community, I found that people were incredibly forthcoming. I felt they genuinely trusted me to receive information on potentially sensitive topics and use that information to support the health of their community.
Mina Kwon
Certificate: Public Health Research Methods
APEx Site: Wellness Equity Alliance
APEx Position: Research intern (Remote)
Tell us a little about your APEx and the work you did. I contributed to two major projects. On the administrative side, I played a key role in planning an annual health event. However, my primary focus was co-leading a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) project for Bernalillo County. The goal was to identify optimal locations for mobile health vans serving elementary school students in underserved areas. To achieve this, I conducted stakeholder interviews with school faculty, parents, and students across four schools, performed a Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) analysis, and created a heatmap using statistical indices and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in RStudio. This evidence-based approach helped pinpoint where these resources were most needed. My experience was both challenging and rewarding, allowing me to apply my academic background in geography to real-world public health interventions.
What made you want to apply to this practicum? I was particularly drawn to this practicum because it combined hands-on community work with data analysis, allowing me to engage in evidence-based interventions. The hybrid remote structure was also appealing, providing flexibility and meaningful collaboration.
How has your practicum furthered your career goals? Participating in meetings with Bernalillo County health officials gave me insight into how public health decisions are made. Seeing data-driven interventions influence real policy discussions made me appreciate the complexity and importance of this work.
Has the experience changed or influenced your long-term career goals? I found joy in using evidence-based approaches to identify and assist at-risk populations throughout this practicum. This experience confirmed my passion for public health research and interventions, shaping my future career aspirations.
Why were you interested in applying for this practicum? What stood out about this opportunity was the emphasis on analysis rather than only data collection. Many APEx projects focus on gathering data, but this practicum allowed me to take an active role in decision-making, making it a unique and valuable experience.
What are some unexpected things you’ve learned? One of the most surprising aspects was experiencing an American corporate work environment for the first time. Adjusting to the subtle cultural differences in workplace interactions presented a learning curve, but overall, it was exciting to contribute to meaningful public health initiatives.
Medine Sekeza
Certificate: Sexuality, Sexual, and ReproductiveHealth
APEx Site: United Way of New York City Health, Health Equity Team
APEx Position: Health Programs Evaluation Fellow
Tell us a little about your practicum and the work you did. CHL is a faith-based, multi-sectoral partnership that deploys church-based health navigators to help local communities across NYC’s five boroughs access comprehensive clinical screenings and referrals for health-related social needs. One of CHL's most innovative features is its personalized health booklets, which translate patient health panels into accessible language to enhance communication between patients and providers in primary care settings. My role involved monitoring and evaluating this program’s implementation, identifying key successes and areas for improvement, and contributing to efforts that strengthen community-clinical linkages.
Why were you interested in applying for this practicum? I chose this practicum to expand my understanding of community-based approaches to health promotion. I have always been fascinated by what makes community programs sustainable and how local networks can be leveraged to improve public health outcomes. Growing up in the Congolese community in North Carolina, I witnessed firsthand how informal networks and faith-based institutions play a crucial role in supporting immigrant and refugee communities. The CHL fellowship felt like a natural extension of the values with which I was raised. It allowed me to work at the intersection of grassroots organizing, public health, and multi-sector collaboration, which have always shaped my perspective on care.
Has your APEx work changed your view of politics and policy work? Before my practicum, I viewed public health policy as a top-down process driven by government initiatives, research institutions, and national campaigns. Working with CHL showed me that community work and policy are not separate forces but in constant conversation. Community work fills the gaps where policy falls short, but without policy change, community work becomes an endless cycle of treating symptoms instead of causes. Through this experience, I have seen policy not as an opposing force to grassroots work—though it can be—but as a necessary companion. The question is not whether policy matters but how we build better relationships between community expertise and political structures. That realization is shaping how I move forward.
How has your APEx furthered your career goals?
This practicum strengthened my skills in program evaluation, stakeholder engagement, data management, and health equity strategy. I worked extensively with quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the effectiveness of CHL’s interventions, analyzing both community engagement metrics and patient health outcomes. Beyond technical skills, this experience reinforced my belief that community-based models are not just adjuncts to public health—they are central to it. This realization will guide my future work in program development, evaluation, and cross-sectoral collaboration to ensure that policies and interventions are designed with and for the communities they serve.
Has the experience changed or influenced your long-term career goals? My long-term goals have not shifted entirely but are now more refined. This practicum provided me with a clearer understanding of how to leverage my skills and lived experiences in ways that create tangible results. In philanthropy, policy, and program development, I envision my future work as creating sustainable, high-impact pathways between larger health infrastructures and the communities they serve. While I have consistently acknowledged the effectiveness of faith-based institutions in public health, this experience has deepened my appreciation for their role as genuine health infrastructure—trusted messengers, resource hubs, and essential drivers of policy implementation. I am now more intentional about seeking opportunities that connect institutional resources with grassroots initiatives and organizations.
What are some unexpected things you’ve learned? I’ll never forget taking an Uber home from a focus group meeting in Queens, carrying several large bags of pistachios. A staff member from the church handed them to me as we left the qualitative data collection session, and I brought them home without thinking much about it. Later, when I tried one, I realized I had been missing out on something I loved all along. That small moment made me reflect on how often our assumptions, no matter how deeply ingrained, can limit our experiences. I entered this practicum aware of the importance of community work, yet I was still surprised by how often relationship-building exceeds institutional power. A well-connected faith leader or trusted community member often drives more engagement than an entire public awareness campaign. It also wasn’t the first time I had left a church or community meeting with food in hand—whether it’s Girl Scout cookies, a platter of fruit, or, in this case, pistachios. I once read a quote stating that practicing generosity means having an open hand—one that is ready to give as well as to receive. That sentiment stayed with me throughout this practicum because generosity here wasn’t transactional; it reflected something deeper: the principle of reciprocity in a community’s promise to ensure that no one leaves empty-handed. This experience reinforced for me that the most effective health initiatives are not merely about delivering services; they emphasize investing in people in a way that recognizes their full dignity.
Brian T. Shaw
Certificate: Health Promotion Research and Practice
APExSite: Center for Community Alternatives (CCA)
APExPosition: Assistant to the Assistant Executive Director for Special Initiatives
Tell us a little about your APEx and the work you did. As an extension of the partnership between the Center for Community Alternatives, Westchester County, and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University (Pace Law School), my practicum involved working on the ATI/Reentry Mapping Project. This mapping and qualitative research initiative focused on identifying existing alternatives to incarceration (ATI) programs and re-entry services throughout Westchester County. We utilized ArcGIS software to create a comprehensive map of community and government programs serving justice-impacted individuals. Furthermore, our process of identifying and compiling information on programs and services included assessing their needs, gaps in service, and the effectiveness of resource delivery. This information was gathered through interviews with service providers and justice-impacted individuals. The goal of the ATI/Reentry Mapping Project is to identify opportunities for program development and coalition building.
What made you want to apply to this practicum? My involvement in this practicum was an extension of my work as a Partnerships Coordinator for the Center for Community Alternatives. Furthermore, as a justice-impacted person, I wanted to contribute to conversations surrounding what justice is or is not and help identify points of intersectionality between those who have and seemingly have not been impacted.
Has your practicum changed your view of politics and policy work? In light of recent events—the un-aliving of Robert Brooks—and my empirical understanding of the system's dimensions, I have developed a deeper appreciation for efforts to make the system more human-centered. Given the perceived lack of community engagement, hearing about overt and covert change makers is always refreshing.
How has your APEx furthered your career goals? Working with the Center for Community Alternatives deepened my community organizing passion. In addition to working as a public health consultant, I aim to build intersectional coalitions, employing critical listening and thinking skills.
Has the experience changed or influenced your long-term career goals? Frankly, working in carceral or justice-impacted fields can be exhausting. It’s not for the faint of heart. This isn’t to say that other types of employment are any less tiring; however, one must firmly ground themselves in patience when navigating the justice system. While I don’t want to be a poster child for what it means to be justice-impacted, my life experiences enable me to engage in various public health discussions. Coalition building is crucial in every aspect of life.
Why were you interested in applying for this APEx? I was primarily interested in applying for this position because it would allow me to further hone my understanding of GIS, which I learned about in a course taken in the spring of 2024. Ivery much enjoy creating maps to offer a topographical illustration (richer picture) of community resources, and the maps can be used to address community-based and evidence-based conversations.
What are some unexpected things you’ve learned? The most important lesson I learned was that having an in-person or hybrid practicum is optimal. Most of my work was remote, which prevented me from developing substantial relationships within my department and beyond. This also limited my ability to engage actively.
Meredith Steinberg
Certificate: Applied Biostatistics and Public Health Data Science
APExSite: Strategies for High Impact
APExPosition: Summer Intern
Tell us a little about your APEx and the work you did. Long COVID Justice is a project by Strategies for High Impact (S4HI), an organization of activists, organizers, researchers, and communicators that seek to address health inequities and complex chronic illness through policy, research, and action. The purpose of this APEx was to further explore my passion for health education and advocacy by contributing to their Needs Assessment and Action Plan (NAAP) for people living with long COVID and associated diseases (LCAD) and creating health communication materials/curricula to increase awareness of people with LCAD particularly among people living with HIV, children/youth, and transgender people.
What made you want to apply to this practicum? COVID had a huge impact on the way I had to learn about conducting advocacy and outreach in my previous position as an undergrad education director for a mentor program for middle school girls. I was also very interested in strengthening my skills in advocacy, health communication, and the creation of health education materials. This was an incredible opportunity to learn from the lived experiences of the team of researchers, activists, and communicators in the Long COVID Justice project who are living with long COVID and other related conditions.
Has your practicum changed your view of politics and policy work? II enjoyed seeing how one can impact politics and policy through a non-profit lens. I was able to engage with and know the importance of bridging research, advocacy, and community organizing to push for policy change.
How has your APEx furthered your career goals? I want to explore a career in the non-profit world, and this experience at LCJ has validated and furthered my interest in community-based health advocacy.
What are some unexpected things you’ve learned? I learned the importance of collaborating with organizations from other health-oriented movements (e.g., LCJ often collaborates with ACT UP) to advocate for policy change and community organizing. Additionally, I had the chance to learn and gain hands-on experience in developing an online health curriculum.
Hana Suliman
Certificate: Health Communication
APExSite: The Brotherhood Sister Sol (also known by their members as BroSis)
APExPosition: College, Career, and Wellness (CCW) Intern
Tell us a little about your APEx and the work you did. Brotherhood Sister Sol is a community-based organization that serves Black and Latin youth in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood. I was assigned to create a community asset map for their CCW program. This involved producing deliverables such as a community asset map and an interactive whiteboard, as well as curated Google Maps lists to effectively distribute necessary and relevant resources within the community that BroSis proudly serves. After conducting a needs assessment for the CBO, I customized my community asset map to address the unique challenges their target populations faced while considering language diversity and health literacy barriers.
What made you want to apply to this practicum? This practicum was part of the FORWARD Community APEx Fellowship, a component of the FORWARD Initiative. Through this Fellowship, students contribute to anti-racist health initiatives focused on health access, service delivery, program enhancement, sustainability, and health education within marginalized communities. My main interests lie at the intersection of race and health, and being able to work on an anti-racist initiative in collaboration with a local community-based organization sounded like something that was in total alignment with both my interests and my future career goals.
Has your practicum changed your view of politics and policy work? Definitely! My practicum has allowed me to view politics and policy work as fundamental cornerstones of public health. The experience has led me to understand public health more comprehensively and holistically. Public health is interdisciplinary, and working with a CBO like BroSis has allowed me to adopt a more encompassing perspective of public health as both a discipline and a practice.
How has your APEx furthered your career goals? My practicum provided me with incredible hands-on experience in an organization where I can envision myself working and collaborating in my future career. It has been an amazing learning opportunity that has informed me about the tasks and responsibilities I feel most confident handling while also providing invaluable insight into areas I could improve. My practicum has further motivated me to continue building my skillset and participating in interprofessional collaborative education and practice (IPE/IPP). As a result of my practicum experience, I am much better equipped and qualified to be the public health professional I aspire to become!
Has the experience changed or influenced your long-term career goals? Absolutely! I've gained valuable insights about the area I want to work in (the public sector instead of the private sector), the type of work environment I prefer (in-person or hybrid models rather than fully remote or virtual), and the importance of aligning with the personal values of my coworkers, colleagues, mentors, and superiors. Working for the social good of marginalized communities has always been a career aspiration of mine, and my practicum has reinvigorated my passion for making the world a better place for everyone, especially those who have historically been neglected and unjustly treated.
Why were you interested in applying for this APEx? I was interested in applying for this practicum because I wanted to continue doing public health-related work within the greater New York City, especially in collaboration with a CBO that serves communities I identify with and have a vested interest in. As someone who identifies as Black and has done my undergraduate studies in both Global Public Health and African and African American Studies, I felt that my own identities, lived experiences, and interests perfectly aligned with the missions and goals of BroSis in providing greater social, educational, and economic opportunity to Black and Latine youth. The mission statement of BroSis was in complete agreement with my aspirations to further my community's social and financial health and contributing to that mission was profoundly inspiring and fulfilling for me.
What are some unexpected things you’ve learned? Some surprising insights include: discovering the sector I want to work in; understanding the significance of IPP/IPE in public health, especially in community-based work (highlighting how interdisciplinary the field of public health truly is); and realizing how non-linear career paths can be (my APEx mentor began at New York Presbyterian Hospital before transitioning to become a licensed social worker for BroSis — she has been at the CBO ever since, but her journey demonstrated to me that career paths are fundamentally non-linear and unpredictable, which has eased my mind during the job search this semester!).
Anthony Windley
Certificate: History, Ethics, and Law
APExSite: New York Presbyterian Hospital
APExPosition: Qualitative Analyst (Remote)
Tell us a little about your APEx and the work you did. My APEx was a thematic analysis of data from Columbia Medical School students who participated in a survey on their approaches to providing Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) to formerly incarcerated individuals titled: “An Innovative OB/GYN Curricular Approach to Educating Medical Students About Patients in the Carceral Legal System”. The primary question was: How do we balance curricular time constraints with the necessity to learn trauma-informed care (TIC) for returning citizens (RCs)?
What made you want to apply to this practicum? I applied because I wanted to master my skill set and pursue a career as a Qualitative Analyst and Evaluator after graduation.
Has your practicum changed your view of politics and policy work? Yes. By understanding how policies impact how students learn and apply what they have learned as professionals, I believe TIC should be required to generate a more harmonious experience between patients and providers.
How has your APEx furthered your career goals? My practicum has allowed me to work as a research assistant with Dr. Giovenco and do excellent work; it has also allowed me to be more proficient at assisting other groups with understanding data collected.
Has the experience changed or influenced your long-term career goals? It has definitely influenced my long-term goals by making me more confident in doing qualitative work in any professional space.
What are some unexpected things you’ve learned? I have learned about the various perceptions that new students, both from across the nation and around the world, have toward individuals returning from carceral settings. Through conducting two workshops for medical students, I have realized that my extensive lived experience can be invaluable in helping them provide quality care to those who have spent time in carceral environments.