Catalyzing futures: Alumni Mentorship Program connects CPH students to graduates in structured mentorship program

With countless career possibilities in public health, students can benefit from seasoned guidance as they navigate toward their chosen profession. The University of Kentucky College of Public Health (CPH) hopes to help those students through the Catalyst Alumni Mentorship Program.

Under the guiding leadership of Dr. Sarah Cprek, Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Bachelor of Public Health program, the Catalyst Alumni Mentorship Program is a structured program that links 20 CPH alumni mentors with 20 current Bachelor of Public Health students. The one-on-one mentorship is designed to support students in enhancing their resumes and focuses on growth strategies to reach their career objectives.

"The program starts with exploring public health career paths, facilitates goal-setting, and incorporates fun ice-breakers to cultivate the mentoring relationship. Then, it builds on the goals they set by discussing topics such as job market trends, internship search advice, navigating organizational culture, networking skills, and an in-depth resume review,” said Anna Hallahan, CPH Senior Alumni Coordinator. "Through this guided mentorship program, students should enter the job market feeling confident about their next steps, knowing they always have a personal resource they can turn to for extra support."

Hallahan said, when matching mentors with mentees, every effort will be made to pair students with a mentor with a knowledge base in the student's career interests.

This year's mentors are (name, CPH degree, graduation year, current title, current employer):

• Ahmad Alexander, Master of Public Health, 2018, Chief, Department of Preventive Medicine (Public Health) – Retiring Army Officer
• Esias Bedingar, Bachelor of Public Health, 2018, Ph.D. Student, Harvard University
• Sydney Clark, Bachelor of Public Health, 2017, Disability and Emergency Preparedness Program Director, Tennessee Department of Health
• Rudrani (Ronnie) Ghosh, Master of Public Health, 2006, Senior Regional Epidemiologist, Jessamine County Health Department
• Dakota Halbert, Bachelor of Public Health/Master of Public Health, 2019, Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Physician Assistant, UK HealthCare
• Marco Hernandez, Bachelor of Public Health, 2019, Graduate Student, Yale University
• Marcus Hincks, Master of Health Administration, 2012, Fellow, Air Force Budget Program, United States Air Force
• Nahal Hosseini, Master of Health Administration, 2018, Growth Marketing Manager, Kyruus
• Alex Howard, Master of Public Health/Doctorate of Public Health, 2012, Vice President, Dogwood Health Trust
• Honour McDaniel, Bachelor of Public Health, 2019, Director of Maternal and Infant Health Initiatives, March of Dimes Alabama
• Chioma Okafor, Master of Public Health, 2013, Senior Technical Advisor, Local Capacity Strengthening, Global Communities
• Shalini Parekh, Master of Public Health, 2002, Assistant Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Health
• Olivia Ramirez, Master of Public Health, 2020, Director of Public Affairs, M Booth Health
• Pranav Rane, Master of Public Health, 2015, Public Health Analyst, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Charlie Rhea, Master of Public Health, 2018, Epidemiologist II, Kentucky Department for Public Health
• Lauren Seaton, Master of Health Administration, 2018, Director of Population Health, Ascension St. Vincent
• Courtney Toms, Bachelor of Public Health, 2017, HealthCare Safety Specialist, UK HealthCare
• Regina Washington, Doctorate of Public Health, 2006, Director of Rural Impact Networks, Partners for Rural Impact
• Jessica Wiard, Master of Public Health, 2011, Ambulatory Clinical Operations Director, UK HealthCare
• Rui Zhao, Master of Public Health, 2016, Epidemiologist, BluOmega Consultants

Individuals who have questions about the program may contact Anna Hallahan at anna.hallahan@uky.edu.