PhD student Amy Lu is fascinated by the art of discovery – understanding the need and the problem, and probing beyond the obvious answers to find creative solutions.

Erica Lokken graduated from the UW with a PhD in Epidemiology. 

At 14 years old, Erica Lokken spent hours on weekends in a warehouse in Houston’s south side sifting through bags and boxes of donated medical supplies. She counted unused urine cups and bandages, tinkered with prosthetic legs and sorted syringes.

What are you most passionate about in public health?

The intersection of food waste, hunger, food insecurity and food access. As an undergrad at Cornell, I helped to recover food from college dining halls and deliver it to a nonprofit in downtown Ithaca. They would distribute the food to people in the community who needed it. This sparked my interest.

What motivates you about public health?

Why did you choose biostatistics?

Why did you choose the UW?

The UW is strong in both public health and health administration. My first love is public health, so I wanted to ensure I was associated with an institution with similar values.

Why did you decide to study health administration?

How did you find your way to the UW?

I got my BS in animal science from the University of California, Davis, and then worked in a lab there while taking evening classes to get my MPH. After, and as part of my practicum, I worked for a nonprofit that helped disadvantaged communities to access safe drinking water. For my thesis, I developed a 12-week water justice curriculum for community leaders to learn more about organizing around the topic.

What research are you working on?

My thesis is looking at disaster resilience for older adults in King County. I’m planning to interview senior center directors about how their organizations can support older adults’ health and safety during and after a natural disaster. I’ve also been working with my adviser, Nicole Errett, on a project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that looks at how state laws address public health during disaster recovery.

Ali N’Simbo graduated from the UW with an MPH in Community-Oriented Public Health Practice (COPHP).

Why did you choose the UW?

It has one of the best public health programs in the United States. It’s also a great place to meet people who care about community health.

Why did you choose the COPHP program?

Why go back to school to study nutrition?

I studied nutrition as an undergrad at Boston University. Tuition wasn’t cheap, so I joined the ROTC to pay for school. When I graduated, I went into the Navy and spent six and a half years on active duty. I knew that I wanted to go back to nutrition. It was always the end goal.

What motivates you about public health?

Alicia Yang is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She graduated from the UW with an MPH in Nutritional Sciences.

Why did you decide to get an MPH in nutritional sciences?

Francisco Rios Casas grew up in the Los Angeles sprawl in an area known as Santa Ana. As he spent more time exploring the city during high school, and later at the University of Southern California, Francisco became more aware of the impact the built environment can have on physical and mental health, especially in low-income Latino communities like the one he grew up in.

Military pilots are often responsible for the lives and safety of others, but they, too, face a variety of unique health risks.

Marian Hyatt, a physician in the United States Army, recalls a helicopter pilot who had partial numbness and weakness on the top of his left foot. The condition was most likely due to nerve damage resulting from frequently resting his knee against a lever that controls the ascent and descent of the aircraft.

Helping wounded warriors on the road to recovery

Francis Haegil Kim had only been at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan for three weeks before a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device on base during a Veterans Day 5K. Four Americans were killed and 16 others were injured in the attack.