HPM alumnae awarded CDC fellowships

Rachele Bowman

Elise Lockamy, MSPH

Katie Byerly

Rachele Bowman, who received a Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) degree in May 2010 and subsequently worked on the support staff of the public health school’s Office of Global Health, and Katie Byerly, a May 2011 BSPH recipient, have been invited into the CDC’s Public Health Associate Program. The competitive two-year paid fellowship, available for recent baccalaureate graduates interested in pursuing careers in public health, is administered through the CDC’s Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support.

Elise Lockamy, who earned a Master of Science in Public Health degree in spring 2011, was awarded a three-year CDC Public Health Prevention Service (PHPS) Fellowship. While a student, Lockamy worked as a research assistant in the health policy and management department, was an active student leader and served on the department’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion.

Bowman and Byerly were among 65 selected from about 1,200 applicants to the two-year program. After two weeks’ training in Atlanta in July, they will begin work at local public health departments beginning Aug. 1. Bowman will work in Manassas, Va., at the Prince William County Health Department, and Byerly will be assigned to the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District, in Abilene, Texas.

Both women plan to pursue graduate degrees in health policy.

Bowman would like to develop her professional interests in health care quality improvement, chronic disease prevention, health systems strengthening and community-based interventions.

“While appreciative of the public health curriculum to which I was introduced in the classroom, I recognize that a truly comprehensive understanding of public health is best achieved through frontline day-to-day exposure,” Bowman said. “The Public Health Associate Program offers an invaluable opportunity to expand my working knowledge of the industry and provide momentum to [my] public health career path.”

Byerly said the fellowship was a special opportunity to become immediately involved in public health practice and develop an understanding of the public health areas that most interest her.

“One of the main goals of the program is to build the public health workforce pipeline, which is so important as we work to tackle a growing number of public health challenges. During the fellowship, I hope to immerse myself as much as I can, really engage with the work and learn as much as I can from supervisors and co-workers.”

Lockamy, originally from Brooklyn, will be part of a select group of about 25 PHPS fellows. The program provides three years of service and training for master’s level public health professionals. Awardees focus on public health program management and acquire experience in program planning, implementation and evaluation though specialized hands-on training and mentorship at CDC and in state and local health organizations.

Lockamy will begin her fellowship on Oct. 1 and likely will spend her first year at the CDC offices in Atlanta, rotating through the agency divisions and learning about services and programs. In years two and three, she will serve at a public health institution while still receiving training and mentoring from CDC professionals.

“My long-term career goals include helping the federal government to implement and evaluate public health programs and policies in underserved communities,” Lockamy said. “I know that my tenure with the CDC Public Health Prevention Service will help me obtain the public health tools and professional acumen necessary to be successful in that role. I am looking forward also to the international opportunities available through the program. One fellow, now working at the N.C. Division of Public Health, remarked that the program sent her to Haiti for two weeks to assist in carrying out public health initiatives. I am hoping to have an experience like that.”