Niamh Tierney

My name is Niamh (Neeve) Tierney and I am from Dallas, Texas! In 2021, I received a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Texas A&M University, where I was exposed to a number of different social science and public health topics, including health promotion, behavioral science, epidemiology, population health, and environmental science as it relates to public health. Because my growing interest in the social sciences as they relate to public health and health promotion, I then decided to pursue a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences from UTHealth School of Public Health of Houston at the Austin, TX campus, where I focused on childhood health promotion program design, implementation, and evaluation for nutrition education, physical activity, obesity prevention, and active commuting programs. Prior to this fellowship and during my master’s program, I also worked as the Coordinator of Aquatics Programs at the Greater Austin YMCA where I organized and led the implementation and evaluation of drowning prevention programs for preschool and kindergarten children, and I still (and will always) remain a huge advocate for drowning prevention!

My motivation to study public health stems mainly from my belief in prevention over treatment. I realized that through public health, I could aid in the prevention of numerous health issues plaguing society, and ultimately improve future health outcomes. I am interested in working in public health because I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a happy, healthy, and safe life despite their circumstances, and as a public health professional, I can positively influence policy, programs, and decisions that help to make that happen. Through this fellowship, I hope to develop professionally and learn as much as I can about public health at the federal level. Additionally, I am excited to transfer and continue to develop my evaluation skills in the field of environmental health, as well as for the opportunity to have an impact on public health at such a high level!

The scope of my participation in this fellowship is to enhance my professional and practical skills in program evaluation methods and evidence-building activities at EPA. Throughout the fellowship, I will work with OCFO’s Evidence & Evaluation Team to enhance my understanding of data, measurement, reporting, and evidence building, and develop a portfolio that demonstrates skills related to measurement, development of program theory, and evaluation design, methods, and analyses.