What I'm Doing on My Summer Vacation

The weather is warm, the honeysuckle is in bloom, and with the droves of mortar-board clad students walking around campus today, it's only fitting that we start thinking about summer. The work for public health never really ends, so we thought it might be a nice idea to share what SPH students and faculty will be doing over the summer--in a fitting post entitled "What I'll Do on My Summer Vacation."

We'll continue positing summer plans through Friday, so feel free to submit yours to the address in the email you should have received. Without further adieu, here are a collection of the summer plans...

Updated 5/22/09

Dr. Betty Dabney (MIAEH) will be researching, teaching, and writing two papers and one grant. The papers will address the relationship of air pollutants and autism and the general theory of environmental health, respectively, and the grant will be to continue and expand the work on autism.

Jody Sheely (PCH, MPH student graduating May 2010) will serve as a Baltimore City Mayoral Fellow. In her words, "I will be working the the Department of Recreation and Parks to help build an information infrastructure for managing the department's allies and donors throughout the city, helping with the Tree Baltimore initiative, as well as doing some social marketing for departmental programs."

Jared Frank (PCH, student graduating in May 2010) will hold a 12-week summer internship in the Benefit Integrity Management Operations Division of the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services. He will also work with Dr. Cheryl Holt on research addressing Religion and Cancer-related behaviors in Black Americans‏ as well as with Dr. Muhiuddin Haider
on various global health projects.

Blakely Pomietto (Dean's Office), will be working on campus during the summer from her post at the Student Services Director. While not in the office, she will be gardening, working on her home, grilling and other related summer-time activities. There may also be an outside chance that she will get a new puppy.

Stephanie Briguglio (PCH, student graduating today) will hold a fellowship at the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, located in College Park. She will also train for a half-marathon--hopefully running it by the end of July. As summer ends, she will begin pursuing an MPH at the University of South Florida, focusing on Epidemiology and Global Health.

Dylan Podson (FMSC and PCH, student graduating May 2010), will hold a full-time internship at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Woodlawn.

Rashida Ali-Mubarak (PCH and FMSC, student graduating Spring 2010) will participate in the McNair Scholars Program's Summer Research Institute investigating self-identification patterns of American-Muslims in post 9/11 America. She will also present and publicly defend her research, hoping to submit it to a peer reviewed journal, as well as begin a cardiovascular rehabilitation exercise and diet modification program.

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Thanks to all those who submitted their plans!