Making Public Health Personal

According to alarming statistics from the CDC, Black women in the US face a stark reality: they are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their White counterparts. In New York City, the situation is even more dire with the mortality risk rising to nine times more likely for Black women than for White women. But why? On this episode of the Making Public Health Personal p...

Are you passionate about making a positive impact on marginalized communities facing public health challenges? This episode of the Making Public Health Personal podcast delves into effective strategies for addressing health issues both locally and globally and explores the unexpected parallels that can drive meaningful change. Join host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon as she welcomes two distinguished guests...

This women’s history month special episode of the Making Public Health Personal podcast breaks down the pressing issues surrounding maternal, child, reproductive, and sexual health in the United States. Host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon speaks with three esteemed guests to delve into the unique curriculum offered at CUNY SPH that addresses these crucial areas in sexual and reproductive justice.  Terry McG...

Unlocking opportunities to fund your public health degree and kickstart your career, with Andrea Isabel Lopez, MPH ‘20 Are you looking to pursue a career that supports a cause close to your heart but don’t know where to start? In the latest episode of the Making Public Health Personal podcast, host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon speaks with Andrea Isabel Lopez about her inspiring journey to success after gr...

Embracing Future Tech and AI for Better Health with Dr. Bruce Y. Lee Have you ever wondered who has access to your data when you let your devices track your steps, food intake and heart rate (among other things)? Should we be afraid of artificial intelligence (AI) chat bots replacing doctors? On this episode of the Making Public Health Personal Podcast, host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon speaks with Bruce...

The most pressing global health threat you may not have heard about yet, with Jeffrey Lazarus (Episode 20) Join host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon on this episode of the Making Public Health Personal podcast with our esteemed guest Jeffrey Lazarus. He is a professor of global health in the Health Policy and Management Department at CUNY SPH, and a research professor at the Barcelona Institute for Global He...

Host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon speaks with Mustafa Ali, MPH, CPH, Director of Risk and Analytics at NYC DOHMH Office of Emergency Preparedness & Response. Mustafa received his BA in environmental justice from the CUNY Baccalaureate program and a master of public health degree from Hunter College, which later became the CUNY School of Public Health. In this episode, Mustafa Ali shares his insights i...

Empowering communities to navigate health equity with alumna Shanaz Hosein-Chery | Making Public Health Personal Podcast Ep18 Join host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon on the Making Public Health Personal podcast as she speaks with CUNY SPH alumna Shanaz Hosein-Chery MS, CHES, a certified community health education specialist with nearly a decade of experience in public health. Shanaz's work focuses on h...

Welcome to a brand new season of the Making Public Health Personal Podcast, hosted by Laura Meoli-Ferrigon. Today’s guest is Christine Gargano, a Case Manager at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Learn how Christine's dedication and hard work is shaping a healthier future for New York City and beyond. As a recent recipient of the Neighborhood Rat Reduction Award and th...

In today’s episode of the Making Public Health Personal podcast, host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon speaks with Danielle Greene, DrPH, MPH, MCHES, one of the authors of the groundbreaking study on medical cannabis and opioid prescriptions. The study, “Changes in Prescribed Opioid Dosages Among Patients Receiving Medical Cannabis for Chronic Pain” found an association between receiving medical cannabis for...

In this episode of the Making Public Health Personal podcast, host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon speaks with CUNY SPH alumna Lauren Rauh. Since graduating in 2020 with her master of public health degree, Lauren is now program director of the New York Vaccine Literacy Campaign (VLC) at CUNY SPH. Lauren will share how her experience in the food industry prepared her for her current role, and the challenges a...

There are endless possibilities that a public health degree can open up for you. Whether you are looking to pursue a career in healthcare, government, research & academia, public service or if you want to start your own business, an MPH degree can put you on the path towards success. In this episode of the Making Public Health Personal Podcast, CUNY SPH graduate Pavan Lohia ‘20 explains how hu...

You may not be surprised, with the level of gun violence in this country, that the US has one of the highest rates of school violence in the world. But violence against children is perpetrated in homes and in schools, in many forms, and in families and countries rich and poor. As the future of our society, either we prevent violence against children while they are young, or we will have to take ca...

Today’s episode of the Making Public Health Personal Podcast looks at an oral history project at CUNY SPH called Public Health Education Now . This project asks students, faculty and staff at CUNY SPH how their lived experiences since 2020 have shaped their vision of what we want public education to be. Host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon speaks with three members of the Public Health Education Now team abo...

Is the COVID-19 pandemic really over? How many vaccines and boosters we will need, and how often? Should we continue wearing masks? In this special episode of the Making Public Health Personal Podcast, host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon speaks with three experts from CUNY SPH who are part of the global panel responsible for a new study synthesizing the best ideas on how we move forward from the pandemic. A...

How can we transform public health into an innovative, forward-thinking community of change agents willing to act quickly to meet the challenges and public health crises in our world? The Health Policy and Management curriculum at CUNY SPH has been preparing public health professionals to become innovation-driven leaders willing to challenge the status quo. Today’s guest on the Making Public Healt...

This episode of the Making Public Health Personal Podcast is about a hot topic you may have been hearing about lately, period poverty, otherwise known as menstrual product insecurity. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequity that women endure as a result of menstruation. Not only are these essential items (tampons, pads, etc.) taxed in a lot of US states, they are also not covered under...

If you think the healthcare system in the United States is over-complicated and inequitable, you might be surprised to learn about the corruption and lack of access and affordability to healthcare that most citizens of Puerto Rico face on their island. In this episode of the Making Public Health Personal podcast, CUNY SPH doctoral student Sergio Rivera Rodriguez, MPH gives us context on the politi...

Community organizing goes beyond protesting and posting on social media. It’s finding a cause you’re passionate about, joining with other people, and using your collective voices to make a difference. In this episode of the Making Public Health Personal podcast, we share tips for being an ally for social justice, even if you aren’t part of the community most impacted by injustice.  Our guest...

April is disability awareness month at CUNY and there are some great events planned that all CUNY students can participate in. Year-round, students with disabilities face added obstacles that make pursuing an education challenging. Disabilities can range from physical to mental, and often come with stigma that can be a barrier to seeking help. All college students, even graduate and doctoral stude...

Adapting to a new life across the country while pursuing a PhD, in the midst of a pandemic is not simple. In this episode of Making Public Health Personal, doctoral student at CUNY SPH, Ivonne Quiroz, MPH shares the story of her journey as a nontraditional student pursuing a public health education. Ivonne speaks with podcast host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon about her passion for food justice, race, cult...

In this Episode: From Valedictorian to vaccine advocate, the path to a successful career is not a predictable one -- Especially when you are pursuing your Masters’ of Public Health degree during a pandemic. 2021 CUNY SPH Valedictorian Hannah Stuart Lathan shares her story with host Laura Meoli-Ferrigon in this episode. We’ll discuss some of Hannah Stuart’s research and efforts around vaccination,...

In this Episode: The HIV/AIDS pandemic has been around since the 1980s and over 36 million people have died of AIDS. Today over 37 million people are living with HIV, globally. With breakthroughs in prevention, treatment and care coordination in recent years, there are still barriers to achieving optimal HIV care outcomes. In the U.S., these barriers are intersecting epidemics such as mental healt...

In This Episode: Looking for practical indoor ventilation tips to reduce the risk of cold and flu transmission during indoor gatherings and in public settings? With schools opening up to in-person learning, offices welcoming back their workers, and the winter chill keeping us indoors, it’s important to be informed about how viruses spread. You might be wondering, is a child more likely to contract...

In this Episode: While it may be convenient, it is also dangerous to rely on quick social media headlines or secondhand information when making public and personal health decisions. At the same time, medical research studies can seem overwhelmingly complicated and hard to understand, if we can locate them at all. In this first episode of Making Public Health Personal, we discuss identifying accura...