Health Care Access

Jonathan Amos with US Capitol in the background

COVID-19 experience influences career in health policy and equity

Jonathan Amos, MPH ’24

Jonathan Amos, MPH ’24, has had a longstanding interest in social policy and politics. It was their initial experience as a professional navigating the complex US healthcare system that led them to understand the importance of health policy and public health to improve lives and advance equity. Amos will graduate in May with a Master of Public Health degree in Health Management and Policy from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Nichole Sorhaindo

Alumna sees public health at work in 'everything'

Nichole Sorhaindo, MPH ’09

As the senior director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Planning and Integration, American Psychological Association, Nichole Sorhaindo, MPH ’09, drives the strategic planning, development, execution and assessment of association-wide models to create an environment that is accessible, equitable and inclusive for all stakeholders within the organization and the field of psychology.

Wadad Itani

Beirut tragedy inspires graduate's public health mission

Wadad Itani, MPH ’24

After surviving Beirut's 2020 explosion, Wadad Itani decided to dedicate her life to helping others and prioritizing human health. Itani’s journey culminates in earning a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Aries Rutledge

Alumna addresses health disparities through career in public health

Aries Rutledge, BA ’19, MHSA ’23

Aries Rutledge, BA ’19, MHSA ’23, is an Administrative Fellow for MedStar Health, a not-for-profit, community-based healthcare system that has a network of 10 hospitals and 280 specialty, urgent and primary-care locations in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC.

Umaima Abbasi

From Pakistan to New York City: Alumna strives to improve vaccination programs

Umaima Abbasi, BA ’20

Umaima Abbasi, BA ’20, has encountered many reasons to care about addressing vaccine-preventable diseases. She grew up in Pakistan, where few immunizations were available and several infectious diseases ran rampant in her area, including malaria, dengue and polio. And in 2020, she lost her mom to the COVID-19 pandemic before vaccines were widely distributed.

Lloyd Lyons

Focus of alumnus is 'always on the people'

Lloyd Lyons, BA ’19

Even while wading through rafts of spreadsheets, profit reports, inventory assessments and analyses of retail store efficiencies, Lloyd Lyons, BA ’19, never loses sight of the real reason he is here, working as a manager of customer experience strategy for CVS Health. Lyons is one of the 95 students who made up the first cohort of public health majors at Michigan Public Health in 2019.