Loading

Introduction

The Public Health Student Group (PHSG) is for UMD students who are interested in learning more about and developing leadership skills in public health. Our goal is to communicate, promote, and advocate for health, health education/promotion, and the public health profession. As a group, we provide students with different programming, advocacy, and networking opportunities both on campus and in community settings.

sPRING 2020 aCCOMPLISHMENTS

  1. Since the PHSG is only one year old, the main focus this semester was focused on building a bigger community and creating connections between faculty and students who are passionate about the field of Public Health
  2. The PHSG collaborated with the SOPHE Collegiate Champion on branding for UMD Public Health apparel and other public health promotional efforts
  3. As a group, we worked on improving our advertising/promotional techniques using email and by creating our own social media platforms
  4. We started working on branding for the group as well by creating a brand identity and logo
  5. The PHSG adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the Spring 2020 semester by hosting weekly leadership meetings and group meetings via Zoom
  6. The group's leadership team elected future leadership members for the 2020-2021 academic year

How we adapted to virtual methods

This semester we hosted weekly meetings every Thursday. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we have switched to remote meetings. We still host weekly meetings, but now they are done virtually using Zoom. Below you can check out some fun photos taken during those meetings!

Virtual PHSG Zoom Meetings
PHSG Leadership Team Meeting
Weekly PHSG Meeting

fUTURE dIRECTIONS

  1. The Public Health Student Group plans to continue efforts towards building a community comprised of faculty and students with a passion for Public Health topics
  2. Next year will be an opportunity for the future leaders to grow and thrive within their new positions
  3. The group would like to discuss topics relating to UROP, CHES, advising, and internship opportunities during the weekly group meetings
  4. Potentially participate in fundraising and volunteering opportunities
Meet the PHSG Leadership Team

President

My name is Jade Moorse (They/she). I am a senior Public Health and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies double major. I will be finishing up my last semester at UMD with an internship with Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains in Denver CO! After that I have accepted a position for the Minnesota Reading Corp in my home town, with plans to start working on grad school applications and all of those fun things! I am currently the president of the Public Health Student Group at UMD, which means I help plan the meetings, work with other organizations here on campus and in the community, and help create partnerships between all of us. I love many facets of Public Health, but my absolute passions are reproductive health, health equity, and global health. My hobbies include, reading, having a plant obsession, and hanging out with all of the animals that are at my house (three cats, two dogs, and fifteen chicks)!

Vice President

Hello everyone! My name is Jade Hipp (she/her) and I am a junior at UMD studying Public Health with a minor in Psychology. My role within the Public Health Student Group is Vice President, which means I help fill in when the President is absent, assist with leading weekly meetings, and take part in creating partnerships with other organizations. Some of my health topics of interest are community health, mental/behavioral health, epidemiology, and environmental health. My plan after graduation is to work for a county as a Community Health Specialist. This role would allow me to work with multiple health topics for various projects which is perfect for me since I love to keep myself busy and involved. In my free time I enjoy camping, hiking, hammocking, swimming, and watching movies. Some fun facts about me: I have moved houses over 20 times, I am a first generation college student and I have a cat named Arlo :)

Secretary

Hi there! I’m Melissa Peirson, but I go by Mel (she/her). This is my last official semester as a Public Health undergrad student. I will be completing one more course and an internship this summer with the Lincoln Park Children and Families Collaborative. After that, I have plans to stay in Duluth and try my hand at working with different non-profits in the area. I may even head back to school at some point as I never want to stop learning. During the 2019-2020 academic year, I have had the pleasure of being the secretary for the Public Health Student Group. This means that I send many emails, keep track of agendas, and take minutes during the weekly meetings. Basically, I get to communicate with lots of individuals and keep people in the loop, which I LOVE. I am quite passionate about health in general, however, my top interests lie with holistic health, art and health, environmental health, reproductive health, mental health, and community engagement. In my free time, I keep myself busy with photography, painting and reading. I also have a dog named Liverton which means we spend lots of our time outside hiking and swimming in Lake Superior.

Public Relations

Hello! My name is Mya Ngo (she/her) and I’m a junior at UMD studying Public Health. Unfortunately, I will no longer be apart of the PHSG as a leader for the upcoming fall. However, I will still be attending weekly meetings whenever I can! The health topics that interest me are mental/behavioral health, holistic medicine, and nutrition. In my free time, I love going on hikes, hanging out with friends, and getting together at a bonfire. After graduation, I’m not too sure what I want to do. I know I want to either work in a hospital or school with kids. A fun fact about me is that I’ve never broken a bone in my body.

Future PHSG Leadership Members

Future vice President

This is Cassidy Crump (She/Her). Next year she will be taking over Jade Hipp's role as the Vice President. When it comes to health topics she is most interested in epidemiology, global health, nutrition, and holistic health. Cassidy likes to spend her free time cooking. In her future, she has plans to attend graduate school. Some fun facts about Cassidy include that she has a twin sister and her favorite place she has traveled to is San Diego, California.

Future Secretary

This is Cassaundra (Cassie) Mohawk (she/her). She will be the future secretary for the PHSG! Cassie is most interested in Maternal and Child health. Her favorite hobby is gardening; well being a plant mom. She has over 30 of them:) As of right now Cassie's future plans are to get her Masters in Maternal and Child Health at the U of M. A fun fact is that she and her boyfriend have a dog named Bear!

Future Treasurer

This is Mary Parsatoon (she/her) and she is a Public Health major with a minor in Latin American studies. Mary will be the next treasurer of the Public Health Student Group. She expressed that she is looking forward to getting to know the public health staff and more fellow UMD students. Mary is interested in several health topics such as environmental health, women’s health and genetics. In her free time she enjoys traveling and hiking. Mary's goal after her time at UMD is to continue her education by obtaining a PhD in Public Health. A fun fact about Mary is that she rarely goes a day without a cup of green tea.

Future PUblic Relations

Samara Plotz (she/her) is the new Public Relations officer for the Public Health Student Group. She is a junior at UMD and is passionate about Women & Children’s health, Holistic health approaches and Reproductive health. After graduation she intends to move west and pursue a career helping individuals, families, and communities live long, healthy lives. In her free time she enjoys cooking, drinking coffee, and working out. A fun fact about Samara is that she has a twin brother and comes from a family of 9 children.

Our Amazing Faculty Advisors

Dr. H. Mitzi Doane

Dr. H. Mitzi Doane has just finished her 42 year at UMD. During her tenure at UMD, she has been the Chair of the Department of Psychology, Director of Graduate Studies for the Educational Psychology Program and Dean of the College of Education and Human Service Professions. When the counseling program was closed in the psychology department, she transferred to the health education program. As a licensed psychologist, she brought those skills to the public health program. She teaches the following classes: Sex Ed, Drug Ed, Women's Health Issues, Facilitating Healthy Lifestyle Change, Encountering Death and Grief: A Multicultural Journey, and Health Coaching. She and Dr. Marzell have submitted a proposal for a new minor in health coaching. As a licensed psychologist in Minnesota, she developed the first eating disorder recovery program in Northern Minnesota at St. Luke's Hospital. She was a member of the committee to write and evaluate the diagnostic criteria for eating disorders for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th ed. She helped to develop a treatment program of special needs adults who had committed sex offenses. She is also one of the recognized experts in the region for those considering gender reassignment.

Dr. Marzell gray

Dr. Marzell Gray is one of the Assistant Professor in the Public Health Program. The topics that interest him are public health, global health, epidemiology, holistic health, SCT, motivational interviewing, TTM, and appreciative inquiry for wellness, physical activity/exercise. A few of his hobbies are lifting weights and hanging out at the beach. A fun fact about Dr. Gray is that he loves buying new shoes.

Thank You For visiting our page!

Stay in the Loop with PHSG!

Instagram: @umdpublichealthsg