Jennifer Greene, incoming DrPH student


While I am still a bit nervous, I am happily wearing Carolina blue and eager to join such an amazing cohort of people and the Gillings family.


Why UNC HPM?

I was fortunate to join the public health field in 2004 and have worked with so many people who have impacted public health in positive ways. I have had the privilege of serving as the public health director at AppHealthCare, a regional health department serving Alleghany, Ashe, and Watauga Counties in NC since 2017. Even with my experience, the years leading COVID-19 pandemic response helped me see how much further I needed to develop to become a stronger public health leader. So, as many people did, I spent a great deal of time in 2022 in a recovery and reflective period. I thought about what was important to me, what I had learned, and how I wanted to push forward to improve health in the community. I thought about the boom and bust funding cycle I had seen, the prior years where I was worried about having enough funding to meet my organization’s financial obligations, and the many growing challenges facing our field. The opioid crisis, the incredible fight for truth to prevail in the midst of misinformation and polarizing politics, the need for history to teach us lessons so we recognize the importance of health for all of us on our own terms, and so many people who lack basic healthcare and housing who have to choose between medicine and food were just a few challenges I knew existed in my community. This did not even begin to outline the needs facing our country and the globe like extreme weather, climate change, food insecurity, and the ongoing impact of deaths due to violence and firearms. Adding to these challenges, we have seen people choosing new careers. Public health has so many heroes that go unnoticed and are so very needed.

 

I feel compelled to grow so that I can help grow others, influence positive change, and contribute toward a stronger public health system to respond to these challenges. I applied to the UNC Gillings DrPH program not sure I would have the opportunity to be included in such an incredible program. The leadership of Dr. John Wiesman, the alumni I know from prior cohorts, the strong faculty members, and THE University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill made for a strong combination that drew me towards the program. I wanted to join a program that would help me be a better practitioner. Practical knowledge and cohort learning that was shared as an important part of the program appealed to me. I have learned from years of working in my community and in the public health community that there is a powerful combination between professional networking and peer learning. I connected with people in prior cohorts, including my friend and colleague, Rod Jenkins. Even today, I continue to hear words of encouragement to take the leap and know it is journey that will help me grow.

 

Finally, I think it’s worth noting that my prior academic work was helpful, and I never noticed the amount of focused, customer oriented outreach, encouragement, and opportunity to really understand what I was applying to do as I have seen with this Gillings DrPH program. In a University so large, with such a strong reputation, I had a personal phone call from Dr. Wiesman who let me know I was being recommended for the next cohort. I will always remember driving home that evening from work after a county commissioner meeting and thinking, “I cannot believe he took the time to call me. How wonderful.” Following, I have continued to receive more outreach than expected from the strong UNC team. In a sea of people so large, with such impact, I am seen. This helps me know I made the right choice.

 


 

 

 

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CONTACT INFORMATION
BSPH
Academic Coordinator: Jennifer Joyce Moore

MSPH and Resident MHA:
Academic Coordinator: Yolonda N. Childs

Doctoral and Executive MHA:
Academic Coordinator: Kim Sieler

Assistant to Chair:
Stephanie Forman


Looking for someone else?

MPH@UNC (MPH Online) Only:
Program Coordinator, John Sugg

Mailing Address
135 Dauer Drive
1101 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, CB #7411
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7411