Below are the current student ambassadors for the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program in Environmental Health Sciences. These students are happy to answer questions you may have about the application process, the program, or student life in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Please feel free to get in touch with them.

Samuel Goldstein

Samuel Goldstein

I am interested in environmental epidemiology. Which, given the comprehensiveness of the term “environmental exposure” and the versatility of epidemiological methodology, is to really say that I’m interested in most areas of environmental health research.

While studying abroad at the Joint Graduate School of Energy and the Environment in Bangkok, I completed a capstone research project on the mortality risk associated with particulate matter air pollution in northern and central Thailand. Currently, I work in the Social and Environmental Determinants of Health Equity Group at the NIEHS under the supervision of Dr. Chandra Jackson as part of the NIEHS Scholars Connect Program. So far, I’ve examined how attributes of neighborhood, housing, and work conditions affect sleep health and cardiometabolic dysfunction in under-resourced populations.

In the future, I hope to use both epidemiologic and biological frameworks to develop new ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases by analyzing gene-environment interactions.

After graduating, I plan to pursue both a MSc and a MD, either separately or through a combined program. Ultimately, I want to contribute to the betterment of individual and population level health problems as a physician-scientist.

In addition to the BSPH, I have minors in chemistry and biology. Outside of research and class, I spend my time running with UNC Club Cross-Country and Track, jamming with several musical groups, and volunteering at UNC Hospitals.

Contact Samuel Goldstein

Mia Le Fradenburg

I was drawn to the BSPH Environmental Health program because it encompasses everything I am interested in, from human health to environmental issues and especially how those two interact with each other. In the summer of 2019, I participated in an internship with the Orange County Environmental Health Department. I was exposed to a wide range of fields, including restaurant and pool inspections, septic system planning, and testing soil and water samples. After this experience, I realized that I was interested in how applying environmental health principles can impact people’s lives and communities.

In the future, I hope to work on a global level to discover solutions to some of the most pressing environmental issues we face today, especially water quality and scarcity. My dream is to be able to work directly with communities across the world who are greatly impacted by environmental problems and find solutions to improve health and quality of life. Also, after recently taking a course in environmental chemistry, I have become more interested in the science of air pollution and its impact on both the world and human health. After graduating, I hope to pursue my MPH in Environmental Health.

Along with studying in the BSPH program, I also have a minor in biology, am a member of the UNC Volleyball team, and a part of the UNC Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

Contact Mia Fradenburg

More Profiles Coming Soon!