Sociomedical Sciences

Many of our MPH and MS graduates pursue work in public health agencies and service-delivery systems; participate as members of research or health promotion teams; or use the degree to complement such professional careers as nursing, law, medicine, social work, urban planning, occupational therapy, or international affairs. Doctoral graduates pursue careers in research and teaching.

Below are just a few profiles of Department of Sociomedical Science graduates.

Anjanette Ferris, MPH '08

Anjanette Ferris, MD, MPH, is Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. Dr. Ferris has dedicated much of her professional career to education and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women.

Prior to her new post, she worked at the Cleveland Clinic, caring for patients in clinical and preventive cardiology, and the Women's Cardiovascular Center. She currently serves as a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association. Dr. Ferris earned her doctorate in medicine from the State University of New York at Downstate College of Medicine, and completed her postdoctoral training at Columbia University Medical Center, where she also obtained her MPH.

Meghan Jernigan, MPH '07

Through her undergraduate theater work at Oklahoma State University and course work in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences in the Health Promotion Track, Meghan Jernigan has been able to merge her passions for the arts and social justice.

"Working my way through the Mailman curriculum crystallized my understanding of the structural forces that shape public health. I came to realize that I wanted to engage this generation in a public health discussion that currently doesn't exist." Ms. Jernigan says to do this, she felt that "working with a group or agency that uses theater and movement to involve adolescents represents an alternative to the classic and often paternalistic approach to communicating health issues."

Since receiving her MPH, Ms. Jernigan has served as Program Director for Hospital Audiences Inc., an organization that uses theater techniques to empower youth to critically analyze the impact of racism, violence, and peer pressure on their lives.

Karl Minges, MPH '09

Karl Minges was awarded a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship to undertake twelve months of research at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He will be conducting a systematic evaluation of an innovative health behavior strength training program for diabetic adults. Mr. Minges will use a program evaluation framework which provides researchers with a comprehensive and systematic comparison of strengths and weaknesses of behavioral interventions.

Mr. Minges received his BS in Social Work from Marist College and his MPH with a concentration in Aging and Public Health through the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. He has been actively involved in research at Columbia’s Center for Psychosocial Study of Health & Illness, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars Program, as well as through the completion of an International Diabetes Institute Fellowship.