USC Master of Public Health Students and Alumni

USC Department of Preventive Medicine

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Master of Public Health

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Student Ambassadors

Master of Public Health student ambassadors serve as peer resources and advisors to students interested in the program and in the field of public health. Please feel free to contact our ambassadors; their information can be found below.

Samantha Barragan is a second year MPH student in the Community Health Promotion track. She completed her undergraduate degree at California State University, Fullerton in Health Science in 2019. During her undergraduate studies, she discovered a passion for reproductive health and health disparities specifically among racial minorities. Her goal is to work towards health equity and promote the idea of universal healthcare. During her time at USC, she has actively participated in various MaPHSA events, and hopes to continue building lasting connections with her professors and peers. In her free time she enjoys trying new food, going to concerts, and playing soccer. After her graduation in May of 2021 she hopes to remain in her native city of Los Angeles and work in health education or project management.

"Gilbert Orta Portillo is a second-year MPH student in the Community Health Promotion track driven to assess social and environmental conditions that can influence an individual’s health behavior. He is passionate about advocating for socioeconomic and health equity and the recognition and inclusion of marginalized communities. He is experienced in health education, analyzing qualitative and qualitative data, and conducting ethnographic work. During his undergraduate career at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, Gilbert’s work focused on analyzing social influences and their effects on perceived social hierarchies, particularly within the queer and people-of-color communities. His thesis, “Aiding the Epidemic: The Effects of PrEP, PEP, and TasP on the Historical Stigmatization of HIV & AIDS” introduced him into public health, and he has since then emphasized an empathetic approach for interventions towards vulnerable communities. As of Spring 2020, Gilbert joined the Public Health Career Services office as an administrative assistant for event planning and marketing. Additionally, he is a peer adviser where he continues promoting empathetic listening while guiding his fellow Trojans to become effective public health professionals."

Kinzah Khurram is a second year MPH student in the community health promotion track. After graduating in 2019 with a degree in Psychology, she started working as an ABA therapist but shortly after realized she wanted to make a change on a broader scale. Upon deciding this, she applied for the MPH program within the next year to further her knowledge in the public health world. She is driven to improve quality within health education and advocacy for areas such as mental health. She also hopes to work on improving quality care within different spheres of the health systems. She is passionate about advocating for mental health awareness and resources especially seen in minority and low SES populations. Her goal is to help bring about change in conversations and thus, improve health and accessibility. Throughout her time at USC, she has met amazing Trojans, peers and professors, and hopes to continue to meet more of her amazing Trojan family. Kinzah’s sociable and passionate nature allows her to build connections and is always looking for new ways to share her experiences and knowledge of the MPH program to anyone seeking guidance.

Jane Lam is a second year MPH student with a biostatistics and epidemiology concentration. During her academic journey, she explored a variety of different health fields including research, health promotion and education, pharmaceuticals, and technology. After completing her undergraduate studies in biological sciences at UCLA, she worked full-time at an evidence-based medical tech company in Santa Monica, CA as a data analyst and project manager. She decided to return to school to pursue a Master’s degree in public health to expand her knowledge on data analysis in a health policy context. She hopes to participate in revolutionizing the health care industry, whether it be by creating solutions to lower service costs or developing interventions to ease the accessibility and use of health care services for under-served communities. Currently, she is a data analyst for the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (SC CTSI) at the Keck School of Medicine. She enjoys meeting new people and listening to their unique stories and is excited to help current and prospective students reach their goals and expand their network.

Master of Public Health Student Association (MaPHSA)

MaPHSA was created in 2000 to represent students in the Master of Public Health program at USC. Later in fall 2002 MaPHSA introduced its constitution, identifying the purpose of the organization and its structure, and subsequently received recognition as an official USC student association from the Graduate & Professional Student Senate (GPSS).

Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health

Delta Omega is the honorary society for graduate studies in public health. Founded in 1924, there are dozens of chapters throughout the United States and abroad. The USC MPH program established the Beta Lambda chapter of Delta Omega in 2008. Election to membership is intended to not only recognize merit, but encourage further excellence in, and devotion to, public health work. Membership in Delta Omega reflects the dedication of an individual to quality in the field of public health and to protection and advancement of the health of all people.

The chapters elect new members each year from four groups:

Students who are candidates for a graduate degree in public health,
Faculty members at the school of public health, and
Alumni actively engaged in public health work
Honorary members possessing exceptional qualifications

Election from all three groups is based on outstanding performance: scholarship in students, teaching and research in faculty members, and community service in alumni.

How to become a member:

Each year during the spring semester, the MPH program invites students who have completed at least one full year of academic courses, or those who are in their final semester of the program and who represent the top 25% in class standing to apply for election into the Delta Omega Honorary Society.

Applications are reviewed by the Delta Omega review committee and up to 10 students are elected to membership each year. Those elected into Delta Omega are deemed to be those who have demonstrated real or potential qualities of leadership in public health in addition to academic excellence.

To learn more about the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health please visit the link below or contact mphinfo@usc.edu.

DELTA OMEGA INDUCTEES:

STUDENT & ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Meet our scholarship recipients: Cassidy Hernandez-Tamayo

Preventive Medicine students share their work in award-winning videos

The disaster artist

My Public Health Career: Sara Schubert, MPH ’18, CPH

My Public Health Career: Jennifer Rodriguez, LCSW, MPH ‘18

Pictured: Hayley W. Sayrs. Image by Andrew Zaw.

#2020Trojan: Meet Hayley W. Sayrs, Master of Public Health program graduate

Contact & Visit

USC Master of Public Health Program
Department of Preventive Medicine
Keck School of Medicine
Soto Street Building
2001 N Soto Street, Suite 205
Los Angeles, CA 90032-3628

Campus Mail:
USC Master of Public Health Program
SSB 201-D, MC 9234
Phone: 323.442.7257
Fax: 323.442.8297
Email: mphusc@usc.edu

Accreditation

The USC Master of Public Health Program received full accreditation from the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH) on June 2, 2003 and re-accreditation on June 2008.