2021 BSPH Commencement And Awards Ceremony Program

2021 Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH)Commencement and Awards CeremonyJune 11, 2021

2021 Bachelor of Sciencein Public Health (BSPH)Commencement andAwards CeremonyJune 11th, 2021 (9:00 am)PROGRAM9:00 am - Herbert Wertheim School of Public HealthDean’s Commencement Address and Opening RemarksCheryl Anderson, PhD, MPH, MSFounding Dean, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science,UC San Diegowith special guests:Sonia Angell, MD, MPHDr. Angell is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Vagelos College of Physicians andSurgeons in the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Her previous roles include serving asstate public health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health and deputycommissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She was also aSenior Advisor for Global Noncommunicable Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC). In 2020, Dr. Angell was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, one ofthe highest honors bestowed in the field of medicine.George W. Rutherford, MD, AM, FAAP, FACPM, FIDSADr. Rutherford is a Salvatore Pablo Lucia Professor of Epidemiology, Preventive Medicine,Pediatrics and History; Division Head of Infectious Disease and Global Epidemiology in theDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in School of Medicine at the University ofCalifornia, San Francisco (UCSF); and is Professor of Epidemiology and Health Administration inthe School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. He leads the Global StrategicInformation group within UCSF’s Institute for Global Health Sciences and is Principal Investigatorof a series of CDC projects examining epidemiology and control of infectious diseases, with aparticular emphasis on HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries.Sylvia Trent-Adams, PhD, RN, FAANRear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams is the Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at theUniversity of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) at Fort Worth, and former US PrincipalDeputy Assistant Secretary for Health. Her previous roles include Acting US Surgeon General(April 2017 to September 2017) and Deputy Surgeon General of the US Public Health ServiceCommissioned Corps.2021 BSPH Commencement and Awards Ceremony Program2

2021 Bachelor of Sciencein Public Health (BSPH)Commencement andAwards CeremonyJune 11th, 2021 (9:00 am)9:30 am - Break9:45 am - BSPH Commencement and Awards CeremonyDennis Trinidad, PhD, MPHDirector, Bachelor of Science Program in Public Health, UC San DiegoWelcomeVirtual Celebration VideoPresentation of Awards and RecognitionsPresentation of the 2021 GraduatesVirtual “Cheers” and Closing RemarksCONGRATULATIONSThe Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diegowould like to recognize all of our graduating students from the Bachelor of Science in PublicHealth Program (BSPH). The department is proud of the hard work that you have put forwardin your studies, and looks forward to seeing the great work you will do in promoting healthylives and communities in your future endeavors.2021 BSPH Commencement and Awards Ceremony Program3

2021 Bachelor of Sciencein Public Health (BSPH)Commencement andAwards CeremonyJune 11th, 2021 (9:00 am)AWARDSHerbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human LongevityScience Distinguished Teaching Award 2021Nancy Binkin, MD, MPHThe HWSPH Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes faculty members’ exemplary teaching and servicewithin the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. The Dean of theHerbert Wertheim School of Public Health recognizes Dr. Binkin based on the quality of content in hercourses, her course evaluations, and her extraordinary level of service to the HWSPH. Dr. Binkin hastaught the BSPH Honors Practicum since Fall 2017, and is the instructor for the advanced epidemiologycourse, “Field Epidemiology and Outbreak Investigations”. She has been described by students as “one ofthe most kind-hearted, influential, and thoughtful professors at UC San Diego.” Golden Apple Excellence in Teaching Award 2021The HWSPH created the Golden Apple Excellence in Teaching Award to recognize faculty for their outstanding workas instructors. Nominees were solicited from BSPH students, and award recipients were selected based on thecontent of student nominations. Nominations for the recipients testified to their excellence in classroom instructionand their passion for public health education.Rebecca Fielding-Miller, PhD, MSPHDr. Rebecca Fielding-Miller is the sole instructor of FMPH 155: Qualitative Methods in Public HealthResearch . In nominating Dr. Fielding-Miller, several students identified her as one of the best professors atUC San Diego, and valued her genuine compassion and care for their well-being. She was described as“extremely kind-hearted and an all around empathetic person who has broadened my interests in publichealth through research and has been a marvelous professor to have”. Brinda Rana, PhDDr. Brinda Rana began teaching FMPH 102: Biostatistics in 2019. I n a short timeframe, she has beenrecognized by her students for showing a genuine passion for biostatistics, and effectively explainingcoursework in a way that is interactive and enjoyable. She was described as “an amazing professor whoknows how to engage students and help them learn. She explained SPSS and biostatistics in different waysuntil I wasn't intimidated anymore”. 2021 BSPH Commencement and Awards Ceremony Program4

2021 Bachelor of Sciencein Public Health (BSPH)Commencement andAwards CeremonyJune 11th, 2021 (9:00 am)Excellence in Teaching in the BSPH AwardOur programs reflect university-wide values for academic excellence in teaching, research, and service. Inhonoring our students’ achievements, we want to recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions ineach of these three pillars of academic excellence. This year we recognize two of our Teaching Assistants,nominated by our BSPH students and faculty, for exemplary support of our Bachelor of Science in Public Healthcoursework.Ricardo Enrique FloresRicardo served as the teaching assistant (TA) for FMPH 110 in Fall 2020 and FMPH 194 in Spring 2021. Healso quickly stood out to faculty as a leader in the UGIA/TA collaboration, taking initiative by mentoring 2UGIAs and orienting them to their roles. Ricardo was recognized by faculty and students for having afriendly and positive attitude, and being an integral part of easing the transition from in person to onlinelearning.Yuwei ChengYuwei served as the teaching assistant (TA) for FMPH 102 for all three quarters during the 2020-2021academic year. Yuwei was recognized by many students and faculty for her commitment to studentlearning and qualities as an effective teacher. In their evaluation of Yuwei, students commented that she“was very helpful when explaining difficult concepts, and makes them very easy to understand”. 2021 BSPH Commencement and Awards Ceremony Program5

2021 Bachelor of Sciencein Public Health (BSPH)Commencement andAwards CeremonyJune 11th, 2021 (9:00 am)Independent Study in Public Health Research AwardStudents are given the opportunity to work on independent study projects with faculty members for academiccredit. These students were selected out of many who were nominated by their faculty advisors for theirexceptional research projects.Manar AlkuzwenyManar’s project examined hospital bed availability during the COVID pandemic. She obtained data,performed analysis, and wrote up two manuscripts on COVID-19 that were both published inEClinicalMedicine. These manuscripts were important contributions to our understanding of surgepreparedness across the country. Daniah Hazim KareemDaniah contributed to several health-related research projects associated with Camille Nebeker’s labReCODE Health. Described by her mentor as an “essential asset of the team”, she participated in researchdesign, data collection and analysis, and scientific writing. These contributions lead to one co-authoredmanuscript submitted to Frontiers Responsible Digital Health and a presentation at the UCSD Design LabStudent Symposium.Public Health Community Service AwardThe community service award is based on dedicated service to others as well as breadth, quality, and timecommitted to community service. Activities must be performed without receiving pay or academic credit.Isabel Celeste Nguyen - Crisis Counselor (Level 6), Crisis Text LineAfter extensive training, Crisis Counselor volunteers receive and connect with incoming texters in crisis,and work with them through stages of de-escalation, to empower them to seek long-term support andpractice coping mechanisms. With over 275 hours as a counselor, Isabel has crossed physical distances,time zones, and personal differences with compassionate text messaging to connect with individuals incrisis: “Nearing a year of service, I have learned valuable lessons about myself, others, and life.” Donna Diem Pham - Health Practices Initiative Intern, Just in Time for Foster Youth Donna coordinated the healthy practices initiative program for former foster youth, which involvedbuilding health-based programming, and coordinating with community resource partners to offerresources to transitioning foster youth participants. She also spearheaded the online classroom initiativeby reaching out to professionals and professors, interviewing individuals for the modules, and coming upwith activities to supplement the modules. 2021 BSPH Commencement and Awards Ceremony Program6

2021 Bachelor of Sciencein Public Health (BSPH)Commencement andAwards CeremonyJune 11th, 2021 (9:00 am)Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award in the Bachelor of Sciencein Public Health MajorThe students receiving this award have displayed academic excellence in their coursework within and outside thePublic Health major. Each of them has a major GPA of 3.85 or higher, and a UC San Diego GPA of a 3.5 or higher.Manar Alkuzweny, Jasmine Panganiban Almeria, Annamarie ElisabethBucknum, Sabina Burkic, Gabriella Siwei Busco, Jasmine Wendy Canedo,Cho Ching Rachel Chan, Erica Chan, Andrew A Charlton, Pooja K Chitle,Kylie Amber Clark, Kayla Jane Cooke, Ruby Corral, Danielle Mae Dietrich,Vincent Nam-Kha Duong, Tina Tian Geng, Perjuhi Christina Halajyan,Parsa Hamidein, Marah Hasan, Aaron Michael Hoffer, Natalie GeneHofmann, Carissa Rayshin Hwu, Amanda S Keng, Jiwon Kim, Samuel SungMin Kim, Jamie Jimin Kwak, Holly Hoi Ching Lung, Cindy Ly, Wenshuai Mu,Madeleine Isabel Myers, Sahana S Narayan, Umesh Narayan, Anh DucNgo, Stephanie Nguyen, Omar Nofal, Kiana Miranda Padilla, Keely SorelleMarie Paris, Aliyah Nicole Parker, Joshua Minh Quan Pham, Celine EllicePhan, Natalie Joanna Romero, Nicole Palmira Santoyo, Rabia Rahim Syed,Kevin Jeffrey Taggart, Clara Voong, Derrick Li Wei, Melanie Chien WenWong, Hareth Hasan Yousef, Lucy Yu, Scout Amy Marie Zweifler2021 BSPH Commencement and Awards Ceremony Program7