INTERNATIONAL MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION.
2016 - 2017 Graduating Class
Academic excellence with a personal touch ישיא סחיב הליחתמ תימדקא תונייוצמ MPH IN GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION (non-thesis program) Director: Prof Manfred S. Green Co-director: Prof Richard J. Schuster http://globalhealthleadership.haifa.ac.il/
Program Mission and Objectives: The primary mission of the Global Health Leadership and Administration program is to produce public health professionals who will become leaders in both academic and practice roles in global health. Our students will have integrated knowledge and training in epidemiology, biostatistics, social sciences, health and environmental sciences, health services management, public health policy and other disciplines, and be capable of applying this knowledge to a diverse range of public health issues in multicultural environments.
The program objectives are: • To prepare students to work in public health practice in general and global health in particular. • To produce a cadre of future leaders in global health and administration and endow students with theoretical knowledge and practical tools to deal with multi-cultural issues in public health. • To prepare students with the skills to plan, implement, and evaluate policies and programs to address these needs. • To provide students with an opportunity to learn about health inequalities • To strengthen the public health research environment with knowledge exchange and translation. • To help students understand the conditions for the protection and promotion of the health of communities and their environments. • To develop in students the capacity to organize, analyze, interpret and communicate knowledge in an applied manner. • To develop and enhance personal and organizational leadership skills. • To familiarize students with the knowledge of the international organizations involved in public health (WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, ECDC, CDC, Red Cross and Civil Society Organizations, CSOs).
Application Requirements: Prospective students with a bachelor’s degree and a minimum GPA of 3.0, 80%, or the equivalent from an accredited university may enroll in the Global Health Leadership & Administration MPH Program.
Program’s structure: The program consists of 44 credits including 6 core courses, 7 concentration courses, a practicum and a capstone project, and 4 elective courses. Coursework is completed over three consecutive semesters from October through September. The program is full-time with on-campus instruction. Courses will mainly be held three days per week each semester. Please note that the curriculum is subject to change without notice. In addition to fulfilling the other requirements of the MPH degree program, students have the option to complete a thesis. Students who complete their thesis later than one semester after the completion of their coursework may be expected to pay an additional fee as detailed by the Graduate Studies Authority. Interested students may want to take advantage of the International School’s Hebrew and/or Arabic courses, although it is not required and is not included in the tuition. Intensive language courses are offered during the summer (July and August) and throughout the course of the semester. Please see the International School website for more details (www.uhaifa.org).
2 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class
Global Health Leadership and Administration (MPH) Credits Core Courses 13 Global Public Health (including Social Determinants of Health) 2 Theories and Models of Health Behavior 2 Environmental & Occupational Health 2 Epidemiology 3 Biostatistics & SPSS 2 Decision making in the health system 2 Concentration Courses 18 Research Methods 2 Global Health Systems 3 Health Economics 3 Organization & Management 2 Leadership & Management 3 Leadership Seminar Series 3 Ethical Dilemmas & Human Rights in Public Health 2 Practicum & Culminating Experience 6 Practicum 3 Capstone 3 Elective Courses (Choose 4) 8 Vaccines 2 Global Strategies in Maternal & Child Health 2 STDs & HIV/AIDS 2 Sociology of Health & Illness 2 Sociology of Health & Illness 4 Practicum Elective 1-3 Total Credits 45
3 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class DIRECTOR OF THE MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM IN GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP & ADMINISTRATION, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA, HAIFA, ISRAEL
BIOGRAPHY MANFRED S. GREEN MD,MPH,PHD
Prof. Manfred Green is a physician epidemiologist and Professor of Public Health at the University of Haifa. He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Mathematical Statistics from the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) and an MSc degree in Operational Research from the University of Cape Town. He then completed his studies in medicine at the University of Cape Town Medical School. Subsequently he completed MPH and PhD degrees in the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following residency training, Prof. Green was board specialized in public health, occupational medicine and medical administration.
He was the founding director of the Israel Center for Disease Control, and was a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the Tel Aviv University where he held the Diana and Stanley endowed chair in Cancer Prevention and Control.
In 2008, he took up the position as head of the School of Public Health at the University of Haifa. In 2015, at the end of his tenure as head of the school, he was appointed director of the International MPH program in Global health Leadership and Administration. Research interests include epidemiologic methods, health disparities, compliance with vaccination and the immune response to vaccines, and the prevention and management of potential pandemics and bioterrorism incidents. He heads the Israeli National Verification Committees on the eradication of polio, measles and rubella, and is a member of national advisory councils on cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases and immunization. He is chairman of the scientific committee of the Research and Development Center in Kfar Kara, Israel.
E-mail: [email protected]
4 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class CO-DIRECTOR OF THE GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP & ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA
BIOGRAPHY RICHARD SCHUSTER, MD, MMM, FACP, FRCP (EDIN)
Richard Schuster, MD, MMM, FACP, FRCP (Edin) is the Co-Director of the Global Health Leadership and Administration MPH program. He is a Professor of Public Health at the University of Haifa. He is currently the President of COSEHC, the Consortium of Southeast Hypertension Control, an international organization dedicated to reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by reducing disparities in populations and improving the management of cardio metabolic risk factors. He is a former Professor and Director of the Center for Global Health at the University of Georgia in the US. Prior to the University of Georgia, he held the first endowed chair, the Oscar Boonshoft Chair of Health Systems Management, at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in the United States. He was also director of the Center for Global Health Systems, Management and Policy, and MPH program director at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. He received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania, his MD from the University of Rochester, and a Master of Medical Management (MMM) from the Tulane University School of Public Health. He completed a residency and served as Chief Medical Resident in Internal Medicine at the University of Rochester in the US. He is board certified in internal medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians in the US and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
His research interests include global health systems, implementation of practice guidelines, cardiovascular risk factor reduction, health care disparities, physician office microsystems, leadership development.
He is married to Barbara Schuster, MD, has one son, and three grandchildren.
5 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class INTERNATIONAL MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN GLOBAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATION.
Student Biographies BIOGRAPHY ALEXANDRA INSLEE
My name is Alexandra Inslee. I grew up in the rural foothills of California and received my Bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a minor in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2013. I am passionate about global leadership and cross- cultural communication and have studied at universities in Costa Rica, Morocco, and Israel. I continue to pursue international experiences at every opportunity. After working in the insurance industry for several years, I decided to pursue a career in global health leadership, which brought me to the Masters in Public Health program at the University of Haifa. When I’m not studying or working I enjoy traveling, dancing (especially Ballet), exploring the outdoors, and learning more about foreign languages and cultures. [email protected]
7 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY ARIELLE TANDOWSKI
My name is Arielle Tandowski. I’m 28 years old and originally from New York City but currently living in Israel. I have a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. I have always had an interest in behavior, societal values, and institutions, as well as a fascination with medicine and diagnostics. I also have inherited my mother’s interest in mental health (she’s a forensic psychiatrist). I have been looking for a way to combine these interests, which is how I focused in on public health. More specifically my area of interest in public health is mental health and drug policy. I moved to Israel about a year and a half ago with the intention of returning to school, and was thrilled to find the Global Public Health program at the University of Haifa. Through the program I have been exposed to and become interested in various aspects of public health that previously I did not know much about, such as vaccines and biostatistics. I’ve also had the opportunity to assist in medical cannabis research. I plan to continue the program next year to complete a thesis on this subject. [email protected]
8 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY RACHEL BENEZRAH
My name is Rachel Benezrah and I am currently a Master’s of Public Health Candidate at the University of Haifa. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto in June of 2016, where I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology. Following graduation, I began working in administration at a wellness clinic in the core of Toronto. However, enrolling in a master’s program was always my short-term goal. Throughout my degree I was able to develop a strong passion for preventative medicine (especially in terms of the importance of physical activity), and health promotion. As the scope of my interest moved beyond just the individual and towards population health trends I knew I had to expand my knowledge to the field of public and global health. My interest in this area was primarily sparked in my last year of studies, where I focussed on aging and health care, mobile health innovation and ethics in practice. With these topics in mind for my future career, along with my interest in research and business management, finding a degree in public and global health was my priority.
The MPH program in Haifa was very intriguing to me not only because it is an intensive Master’s in Public Health that is one year in duration, but also because it is a program that prides itself on creating an international community out of our cohort of students in order to build on the network of global health leaders in the future. In addition I strongly value studying abroad as it allows one to grow in an unfamiliar country, and luckily I had a strong connection to Israel already, so choosing to enroll was an easy choice.
Following the completion of my Master’s in Public Health I hope to continue a career of academia focussing on aging and innovation, ultimately with the goal of creating a digital health solution to improve quality of life and mitigate the fast-approaching burden of the elderly on global health systems. [email protected]
9 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY YASMIN SULTANI
My name is Yasmin Sultani and I am originally from Istanbul, Turkey. After graduating high school, I moved to Canada where I completed my undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. Following that I worked with one of my professors helping to build an online education website to aid healthcare workers. After living in Canada for 5 years, I moved back to Turkey and started working for a private hospital in Istanbul. I was working in the International Patients Department, under a marketing position. The department’s main focus was medical tourism. We had patients coming in from all over the world, especially from Arab nations, as the health care services are comparatively more advanced in Turkey. I worked there for one year and after that I moved to Israel. I have been living here for around 2 and a half years now. I first learned Hebrew at a language school in Jerusalem and then I moved to Tel-Aviv and started working as a claims manager for a medical consultation company that worked with health insurance companies and hospitals. Following that I started my master’s degree at the University of Haifa. I am hoping to work at International health organizations after I complete my degree. [email protected]
10 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY JENNIFER GELFAND
I’m Jennifer Gelfand and I’m from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In 2016 I graduated from Western University in London, Ontario with a BSc in Kinesiology. I wanted to learn more about community health and preventative interventions that could target the health of large groups of people. This is why I pursued my MPH. In the future, I plan on attending medical school and specializing in obstetrics gynaecology. One day I hope to work with women in Latin American and South East Asian countries to promote sexual health and maternal care. [email protected]
11 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY DAVY RAN
My name is Davy Ran. I am a current student of the University of Haifa’s I-MPH program and a future medical student and aspiring surgeon. My background includes two Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Fine Arts, a minor in Art History and a completed pre-medical track from Hunter College in New York City. I have worked as an advocate, educator, and counselor for survivors of abuse and those struggling with PTSD since 2011. After graduating in 2015 I attended King’s College London for a Master’s in Global Surgery, where I co-founded the Graduate Peer Support Network, a counseling and resource center dedicated to improving and maintaining the mental health of students on university campuses in London. While my love of both surgery and mental health remains to this day, I realized during my course of study at KCL that it was very important to get an overarching understanding of global and public health across multiple categories and intersecting axes of care. It has been my goal for many years now to eventually work with medical programs that address need in underserved communities internationally, and it was for this reason that I sought out a second Master’s in Public Health at the International School at the University of Haifa.
This program has only increased my passion and dedication to this goal as it has taught me the intricacies of intercultural similarities, differences, and collaboration, the ins-and-outs of leadership and public health administration, the pros and cons of various healthcare systems around the world, and more. My ever-increasing respect for and understanding of Public Health is crucial for my future as a humanitarian doctor committed to sustainable health and healthcare reform and I am excited to see where my experiences from this program take me. [email protected]
12 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY DIEGO JOYA
My name is Diego Joya. I am 29 years old, and born in Neiva, Colombia. I am married and expecting my first child soon. In terms of my background I am medical doctor and surgeon working at the University Hospital Health Sciences San Jose in Bogota, Colombia since 2013. My education was international and includes clinical practice at the Pediatrics and Gynecology departments at the University of Chile in Santiago de Chile in 2013 as well as courses like the 8th Rostock at Brown University and a course at the East Tennessee University Summer School entitled “Growing old and aging and its Medical challenges” (Rostock, Germany, 2012). Spanish is my mother tongue and in 2004 I learnt English as a second language in London, England. During my time in England I also learnt Italian at an intermediate level.
I have a range of work experience in many different areas, from informal jobs like volunteering for the UN in the program UNIFEM in 2010 and working as a medical doctor for a rural area called Guatavita in Colombia overseeing many births and emergencies from 2013-2014. After that exceptional experience I joined one of the most important and prestigious clinics in Latin America called the Shaio Foundation, where I worked as the Chief Doctor for the International Center starting in 2014. One of my duties was to establish relations with other countries like Ecuador, Panama, Curacao, Dominican Republic, USA and some others for the treatment of their patients in our institution. In 2016 I worked with Mapfre Foundation-Spain as the scientific editor to help create their magazine for Prevention in Cardiovascular Diseases, a campaign made for Colombia. With all this international experience I understood that health progress is not just about the treatment of a disease but also about preventing and promoting health, understanding the needs of a community, observing how a disease spreads, knowing how to control it, and being able to formulate assertive questions, all to lead to the ultimate goal of positive, valuable outcomes. This knowledge is what I was looking for when I began the 2016- 2017 Master’s degree in Public Health at University of Haifa, which has really opened my mind to new fields of knowledge and, most importantly, opened up a vision of a globalized world. [email protected]
13 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY ESSABELA FEWO
I am Essabela Fewo from Cameroon. I work as Senior Nurse under the Ministry of Public Health and have 14 years of experience in diverse spheres. In the past 5 years my job position as the District Coordinator of the HIV/AIDS management unit and also as resource personnel for surveillance of Diseases of Epidemic Potential in Ndop Health District in Cameroon has broadened my knowledge and skills ranging from clinical to leadership to research perspectives. Responding to globalization and the resulting challenges stemming from changes in the health situation of the population, I decided to further my education by obtaining a Master’s degree in Child Development 2016. Presently I am a graduate student completing a second Master’s in Public Health (MPH) with a focus on Leadership and Administration at the University of Haifa. I intend to use the knowledge acquired to render high quality services with greater expertise, so that I may manage prevailing challenges faced by both the health sector in Cameroon and the world at large.
From the MPH program I have acquired various competencies such as those related to leadership, communication, global health management, public health and health care systems, evidence–based approaches to public health, planning and management to promote health, and more. Within the program period, I have been able to use the skills and knowledge acquired to assess a population’s needs as well as design, implement and evaluate health promotion activities for women in a “middle way home” in Israel. I addition I engaged in identifying gaps and re-enforcing evidence-based practices for health care workers in an infection prevention program at Emek medical Center in Israel. I feel empowered to be able to critically examine the current health situation globally and particularly in my country so that I can adequately serve ever-changing and complex societies and manage cross-cutting, multi-sectoral, top- down/ bottom-up comprehensive programs within and beyond the health sector. Last but not least I am also able to advocate for programs and political, social, and economic policies that will improve health in diverse populations, as well as propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes overall. [email protected]
14 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY KRIS RONSIN
My name is Kris Ronsin and I am from California, USA. I am passionate about many different aspects of Global Health and have worked in multiple sectors such as work in clinical environments, in- the-field work, malnutrition research, maternal and child health work, global health journalism, communications, gender equality interventions, eHealth, health systems, and health-related conflict. My primary interest is in the intersections between nutrition, vulnerable populations, and the effects of conflict on health systems and individuals. I graduated university with a Bachelors of Science in Nutritional Science with an emphasis in Nutrient Metabolism and Biochemistry. After practicing nutrition in a hospital, I decided to leave the clinical setting to focus on field work and explore a career in Global Health. I began by leading undergraduate pre- medical students at UC Berkeley, California in malnutrition and oral health studies on research trips to India and Nepal. I simultaneously worked in global health communications, serving as Operations Director of the streaming global health news broadcast, “This Week in Global Health”.
My most recent position was as a consultant in Health Information Management for the World Health Organization Emergency response in Ukraine. During this time, I had the opportunity to gain valuable experience working with private and public sector partners in Ukraine to coordinate efforts and work toward sustainable outcomes. Over the last two years I have also co-founded and served as Operations Director for Women in Global Health, a movement and organization which seeks equal gender representation in the ranks of global health leadership. Our aim is to elevate and support the role of women in this discipline, using collaborative involvement of all genders, raising awareness and creating gender-responsive leaders in global health. My experiences in program and organizational management and a desire to grow personally and professionally is what brought me to University of Haifa to obtain my MPH in Global Health Leadership and Administration. As the health sector broadens and changes, we need to evolve to meet the needs of the global community and can best do that through innovative leadership and programs that invite collaboration and real progress. My other interests include travel, yoga, and all things culinary. [email protected]
15 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY KINGDOM MUFHANDU
I am a South African born in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. I hold a National Diploma in Biomedical Technology from the University of Johannesburg. I also studied Brand Communications at Vega Brand Communications School in Johannesburg. After the sudden passing of my father while I was working and studying for a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the University of Rochester in upstate New York, USA, I returned to South Africa. A few years later, I decided to resume my goal of studying my MPH abroad and enrolled in the University of Haifa International MPH program. My diverse work experience spans areas such as medical research, health communications, e-learning, health promotion, marketing and strategic brand communications. Earlier in my medical research career, I worked at the NIH- funded HIV Vaccine Trial Network’s (HVTN) Immunology Laboratory in South Africa; I then worked at the South African National Department of Health in the European Union-funded Health Promotion Directorate. I later worked at the HVTN Clinical Research Site at the University of Rochester, NY, USA. In the communications field, I co-hosted a radio show on social determinants of health in Rochester. In South Africa, I developed and implemented strategic brand communications strategies for The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, The Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital, and the Gauteng Provincial Government. In addition, I am developing a mobile application called Mpilo Radio, that aims to prevent mother and child deaths in developing countries through health promotion and edutainment (education and entertainment). In 2016, Mpilo Radio was a runner up in the LaunchPad Start-up Competition at the 26th Annual Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference in Orlando, Florida, USA.
Being a Social Entrepreneur, upon graduation I plan to combine skills and knowledge that I have gained from the International MPH and from studying communications, with the aim to start a health communications organization that will focus on social marketing, health promotion intervention design (mobile apps and face-to-face), and policy research and analysis. Living in Israel has allowed me to expand on hobbies and interests I did not know I had, which is to combine history, visual arts and prose to narrate stories of the afflicted or disadvantaged populations. To that end, I write on the importance of the afflicted or disadvantaged populations to draw inspiration from their predecessors who ruled kingdoms in ancient times. This inspiration would, in part, rekindle a sense of pride and purpose in the present-day afflicted or disadvantaged populations. Contact details in Israel and South Africa: Israel: 055 969 5232 | [email protected]
16 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY LINDA BIRRI
My name is Linda Birri and I am a midwife from Berne, Switzerland. After high school I traveled to Ghana, West-Africa, where I volunteered for five months in a maternity home and experienced my first deliveries. This experience motivated me in my plan to become a midwife. I started my degree in midwifery in 2008 after an internship at a post-natal station followed by traveling. The Bachelor in Science of Midwifery in Switzerland lasts four years and consists of regular courses as well as internships at various stations in hospitals to acquire the skills and experiences needed.
During my studies I was able to do an internship in Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem. I worked in the delivery room and various other midwife-related stations. It was a very interesting experience. In 2012, I started to work in the delivery room of the university hospital in Basel. In 2015 I officially moved to Israel, for personal reasons, where I studied Hebrew and worked in child-care. I was not able to work as a midwife in Israel because my degree was not accepted. Outside of work I volunteered in a refugee clinic in the south of Tel Aviv for mainly Eritrean asylum-seekers without health insurance. I did the pregnancy follow-ups.
In November 2016 I started my MPH in Global Health at the University of Haifa. During my studies I acquired important knowledge and met new friends. I appreciate that I was able to experience another side of Israel after working and volunteering in the country and I am happy that I can take new knowledge, experiences and a master’s degree with me as I know it will help with my future career. During my studies I realized my fascination with environmental health, and tried to combine maternal and environmental health for my studies, focusing especially on environmental hazards, like pollution, and their effects on the health of pregnant women and their newborns. In the future I want to reconnect with my primary profession of midwifery and further incorporate it with my MPH knowledge so that I may work in a research, teaching, or even leading position. I will also try to combine my interest in environmental health and midwifery in future positions or projects. [email protected]
17 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY MAAYAN ROOKS
My name is Maayan Rooks and I graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2009 with a B.A. in Anthropology (and concentration in Archaeology) and the Study of Religion. Upon graduation I was determined to work with disadvantaged women in the developing world and joined the Peace Corps in Albania. As a Health Education and Community Development volunteer I worked with the Ministry of Health to develop regional and national projects. To combat staggering rates of breast cancer I created the Permet Breast Cancer Initiative, a nationally recognized early detection, prevention, and post-diagnosis project which further offers training for health personnel in Albania. I simultaneously chaired the Peace Corps’ Anti- Trafficking in Persons Committee. When I completed my service, I returned to Israel, where I was born.
Here I have been working as the Grants and Development Manager at the Jaffa Institute, a multi- service social agency that assists severely impoverished children and families in Jaffa and South Tel Aviv. Eager to provide further assistance to underserved women with limited or no access to health care and education, I am now pursuing a Master’s of Public Health at the University of Haifa. [email protected]
18 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY SALOMÉ DAHAN
My name is Salomé and I am from France. I have a background in Psychology but after almost two years off school working with different NGOs, I decided that I wanted to help communities rather than individuals. I thought, what better way to do that than Global Health! The MPH offered at Haifa University seemed to be the perfect option. I was attracted by its international aspect and the variety of courses offered. I really liked how broad the scope of the classes were as it allowed me to learn where I wanted to go next. I will start another Master’s in Health Promotion and Prevention in the Fall in France, which I am very excited about! It is therefore not a surprise that my favorite courses were Community Health Promotion, Theories of Health Behaviors, and Sociology of Health and Illness. Finally, I will always remember what it was like to move from Tel Aviv, where I was working, to Haifa, as a student. I felt lost and confused at first but then I realized the beauty of this place, its diversity, and its uniqueness, and I am really glad I took that opportunity! [email protected]
19 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY MAISA ATHAMNEH
My name is Maisa Athamneh and in 2015 I graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health with a Health Management and Policy focus. Following graduation I started my career at the Samaritan Pastega Regional Cancer Center in Corvallis, Oregon, as the coordinator for the Cancer Resource Center. During my time as a coordinator, I assisted in program development, grant writing, patient resource management and expense tracking for both patient and department. Over the course of a year I learned first-hand how dynamic healthcare can be for both workers and consumers. It became clear that healthcare policy does not stay consistent; therefore policies are ever-changing and there are always new procedures which need to be implemented and/or amended and may or may not benefit the health care workers and consumers. With this hands-on experience and knowledge, I began looking into graduate schools that offer a Master’s of Public Health.
Although my education and working experience was in the United States, I knew I needed to extend my healthcare management and policy focus to the global scale. My searches, by chance, lead me to the University of Haifa’s International Master’s in Public Health. Coincidentally I have family near Haifa and after learning more about the program I decided the University of Haifa would be where I wanted to earn my Master’s in Public of Health.
By seeking a Master’s in Public Health I am on the path towards achieving my dream to become a CEO for a non-profit hospital. Upon completing my Master’s I will be pursuing higher education via a PhD in Public Health. [email protected]
20 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY OLGA BUDIANSKY
My name is Olga Budiansky and I am a Master’s student in the International Public Health programme at Haifa University. I live in Holon, Israel. In 2013 I received my bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Northern Michigan University, U.S.
In terms of my career, it has been three years since I been working in medical laboratories. I started my career at Maccabi Healthcare services, which provided me with experience in a biochemistry laboratory. That was the first time I was introduced to a healthcare organization that employs many medical professionals who contribute their knowledge and life to help each patient get the fastest and and most reliable results possible. In Maccabi healthcare services I learned how healthcare organization is important to our national health. This experience got me even more interested in the issue of public health and how it all works.
In November 2015 I started working in a clinical microbiology laboratory at Sourasky Medical Hospital. My work at the microbiology laboratory includes cooperation and teamwork with my coworkers so that we can provide doctors with useful tools and information for a patient’s medical treatments. I have different responsibilities at work but my main duty is to take care of blood cultures; to examine each sample under the microscope and provide a first response of microbial identification to doctors.
I find my job involves a lot of responsibility over individual patient’s lives and health and I want to continue and contribute to the public health overall. This is where I get my passion to continue my education as a public health professional and leader. In the future I see myself working at an international public health institution as a team leader and health professional who wants to make a world a healthy and happy place. [email protected]
21 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class BIOGRAPHY TEGAN HOLMES
My name is Tegan Holmes and in 2013 I graduated from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Upon graduation, I decided to move abroad to Seoul, the Republic of Korea to work as an English/Foreign Language teacher. I proceeded to do that for two and a half years. During my time abroad, I decided that I wanted to embark on a career change as health policy and health systems had always been of interest to me. I also spent a substantial amount of time traveling through Southeast Asia, and during my time there I became interested in infectious disease epidemiology and prevention programs like mandatory vaccination via community health prevention projects.
As the majority of my work experience has been abroad since graduation I decided that I wanted to continue my education in an international setting, particularly because my research interests tend to be in more global settings rather than on the national level within Canada. Thus, I decided to pursue a Master’s in Public Health which led me to this program at the University of Haifa.
This Master’s program has provided me with a variety of unique research opportunities I would not have had access to within Canada, and I feel that it has given me the knowledge and connections to continue on my path towards working for an applicable NGO within Southeast Asia or Africa. In addition it has helped to prepare me for my future studies should I decide to pursue a PhD in Epidemiology or apply for another Master’s. [email protected]
22 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class PRACTICUM - APPLIED PRACTICE EXPERIENCE
Student Name Practicum Description Kingdom Mufhandu 1) The ADolescent Obesity PrevenTion (ADOPT) project to prevent obesity among high socioeconomic status Arab female adolescents between the ages of 14-17 who live in Kafr Qara, Israel.
2) A systematic literature review of the legislative frameworks in Europe to institute mandatory childhood vaccinations. Alexandra Inslee Researching reasons behind and factors affecting vaccine hesitancy in parents of young children Davina Ran An assessment of health resources in NYC for LGBTQ+ survivors of intimate partner violence Salome Dahan 1) Research project on stress during pregnancy and birth outcomes in LMICs (in UQAM, Montreal)
2) Various projects with Bedouin NGO (Israel) Yasmin Sultani Nutritional Recommendations for Adult Bariatric Surgery Patients Maisa Athamneh and Observations of nurse practice in a tipot halav in Jizr al Zarqa, a Linda Birri low-socioeconomic Arab town in Israel Maayan Rooks Health Education and Community Development Facilitator in Peace Corps, Albania Arielle Tandowski Assisting with ongoing research on the effectiveness of medical cannabis as well as analysis of existing data on the patient population and implications of current medical cannabis policies in Israel. Rachel Benezrah Creating an brief intervention to improve knowledge of various health topics, and improve overall quality of life of the independent elderly who attend a day centre in Haifa. Jennifer Gelfand Working with children at the Save a Child’s Heart House who come from developing countries to receive life saving heart surgery. Created a daily program schedule for children who are pre and post surgery. Essabela Fewo Prevention of Hospital acquired infections in Emek medical center in Israel.
23 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class 24 International Master of Public Health in Global Health Leadership and Administration 2016 - 2017 Graduating Class