Sociomedical Sciences Alumni Testimonials

Where are they now?

Drew O'Neil '21

Center for Disease Control (CDC) Public Health Associate;  M.S. graduate student in Sociomedical Sciences starting Fall 2023

"Course content, reading, writing, and research requirements for the Sociomedical Sciences major prepared me to excel in my position with the CDC. The experiences and perspectives I gained in this major got me this job and made me into the person I am today. The topics covered in the Sociomedical Sciences courses made me familiar of many issues I deal with daily at work and in life! I was also fortunate to present at GREAT Day twice, with two research projects I completed through the Sociomedical Sciences major. Better yet, one of those research projects, my senior capstone, was published in »Ê¹Ú²©²ÊÍøÖ·'s The Proceedings of GREAT Day, making me a solo published author at a very early stage in my career. Lastly, the professors in the major made me feel seen, valued, and cared for. I was provided with the perfect balance of independence and guidance to succeed in and out of the classroom."

Angel Alejandro '21

Clinical Program Coordinator, NYU Langone Health; MPH in Public Health and Healthcare Management/Policy, New York University's School of Global Public Health (2023)

"The Sociomedical Sciences program provided me with the realization that I love public health. The courses in this major were amazing and taught by the best instructors who really cared about their students and really took time to get to know us, help us learn, and during senior year, get the most out of our careers after we graduated. The classes in this major taught me real life skills that I use in the workplace and prepared me for graduate school by teaching me about topics that I am now seeing again in my masters level program."

Emily Lumbis

Emily Lumbis '22

MPH Graduate Student at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

"I am currently pursuing my master’s in public health (MPH) in the department of sociomedical sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City. Majoring in Sociomedical Sciences at »Ê¹Ú²©²ÊÍøÖ· well-prepared me for this program since it provided a broad and interdisciplinary range of social science courses and unique experiences. Many of the courses I took while at »Ê¹Ú²©²ÊÍøÖ· for Sociomedical Sciences directly apply to what I am learning in my public health courses now. The Sociomedical Sciences program exposed me to important theoretical concepts, history, and social determinants of health that are relevant in the field of public health. I feel that the Sociomedical Sciences program did an excellent job at preparing me for pursuing graduate education."

Qyarah De Jesus

Qyarah De Jesus '21

Community Health Worker at AIRnyc, Bronx, NY

"My time at »Ê¹Ú²©²ÊÍøÖ· and in the Sociomedical Sciences program extensively prepared me for the role I am currently in as a Community Health Worker. Our mission at my current organization is to improve health, connect families to social care, and build health equity at the individual, family, and community levels. I believe everything I learned through the Sociomedical Sciences program aligns with this mission. I have always had a passion for helping others, but my time in the SMSc program directed my spark in the direction of how I want to help and what changes I want to see in the medical field. Everything I learned in the SMSc program, from the social determinants of health to social inequality to structural racism, as well as many other topics within the medical community, is something I use every day in my career. I am forever grateful for the Sociomedical Sciences program and everything it taught me; It has significantly impacted my career thus far, and I know it will continue to do so."

Rachel Roth '21

MS Graduate Student in Occupational Therapy at Clarkson University

"I have had employers and many graduate schools tell me that having my degree in Sociomedical Sciences made me highly marketable and allowed me to stand out as an applicant. I truly feel that the concepts I learned within the Sociomedical Sciences major can easily be applied to graduate school, occupational therapy, and my everyday life. Many theories and ideas I learned throughout my classes are easily applicable to graduate school and my future practice. The most applicable idea I gathered through the Sociomedical Sciences major is the notion of intersectional perspectives of patient care."

Allison Panaro

Allison Panaro '22

NYS Public Health Fellow, Erie County Department of Health

"The Sociomedical Sciences major has given me every skill I need in my current position as a public health fellow. Without this major and especially the capstone project, I would not feel nearly as prepared as I do. Not only that, just the content I have learned in the Sociomedical Sciences major alone has allowed me to be able to understand research and discuss it with experts. I feel incredibly knowledgeable and often see a lot of the same terminology or names of individuals we learned about in different classes as part of the major. The Sociomedical Sciences major was the best choice I could have made towards my career and especially for the fellowship position I currently hold. I cannot say enough and feel the program could not have prepared me any better."

Dyanna Coble '22

MHA/MPH Graduate Student in dual Healthcare Administration and Public Health program at Purdue University

"I