ASPPH is pleased to welcome seven new fellows who will engage in practice-based training assignments through the ASPPH/CDC Public Health Fellowship Program. The Program aims to support a culturally relevant and applied mentored learning experience for early career professionals with graduate degrees in public health. For the next 12 to 24 months, Fellows’ training will follow two tracks in five different CDC Centers/Institutes/Offices (CIOs).
This next generation of public health leaders will have an opportunity to round out their academic training and gain practical public health experience through exposure to state-of-the-art technology and databases, acquisition of skills and knowledge to enhance their careers, and interaction with technical experts in their chosen fields.
The separate tracks will allow the fellows to strengthen their capacity in the focus areas that interest them most. Ultimately, upon completion, fellows will have made useful contributions to projects of national public health importance related to CDC’s mission while gaining a significant skillset that will set the foundation for their own public health careers.
ASPPH/CDC Fellow Darby Gallagher, MPH (University of Pennsylvania Master of Public Health Program) shares, “I enthusiastically accepted the fellowship to apply my public health education experience while learning from esteemed experts in the field. This opportunity not only enables me to advance community health through evidence-based initiatives but also commits me to making a meaningful impact on public health at a larger scale and paves the way for a future of continued influence and achievement.”
ASPPH/CDC Fellow Islam Khalil, MPH, PhD (Florida International University Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work) adds, “The ASPPH/CDC fellowship will allow me to strengthen my public health skills and knowledge through practical experience. It will also provide a crucial opportunity to establish myself within the CDC, paving the way toward a permanent position by demonstrating my capabilities and building professional relationships.”
ASPPH would like to thank our partners at the CDC for supporting this important training program. Learn more about the ASPPH/CDC Public Health Fellowship Program or email TrainingPrograms@aspph.org for additional information.
Representing various ASPPH-member schools and programs, the Class of 2024 ASPPH/CDC Public Health Fellows includes:
| Fellow | ASPPH-member School/Program | Track | Host CIO |
| Rosemary Carlson | Temple University College of Public Health | Core Public Health | National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce (PHIC) |
| Simona Smolyak | George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health | Core Public Health | National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce (PHIC) |
| Kristin Bakerville | Boston University School of Public Health | Health Education | Center for Global Health |
| Darby Gallagher | University of Pennsylvania Master of Public Health Program | Health Education | Center for Global Health |
| Karina Gonzalez | Emory University Rollins School of Public Health | Core Public Health | National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) |
| Islam Khalil | Florida International University Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work | Health Education | Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics |
| Isabel Ramos | University of California, Davis MPH Program | Core Public Health | National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) |