Relicious Eboh

In one sentence, what is public health to you?

Public health is the intersection between society and health to aid in preventing diseases.

What inspired you to study public health?

My inspiration behind studying public health began in earnest during my freshman year of undergraduate studies when I was required to take a health disparities course through a research program called ReBuilDetroit. ReBuilDetroit is an initiative that provides underrepresented minorities with access to mentored experiences in biomedical research. One day during lecture, my professor introduced me to the story of Henrietta Lacks. The misuse of her cells while she was seeking treatment for her ovarian cancer eventually led me to the yearning desire to make sure that I honor her by alleviating health disparities within my own communities.

What has been the single most rewarding experience of your career/studies so far?

The single most rewarding experience of my career so far was having the ability to present my public health research to Congress on Capitol Hill.

Advice:

I wish someone told me how many different sectors of public health an individual could pursue.

What do you think is the biggest challenge that the public health field should be focusing on?

Public health field should focus on racism and alleviating health disparities.