Health Care

On a PHAST track

Public health students’ experiences beyond the classroom prepare them for success

The Public Health Action Support Team (PHAST) at Michigan Public Health offers students hands-on experience in public health. During the most recent annual trip to Grenada, students worked on projects like promoting voluntary blood donation, enhancing Alzheimer’s care, and supporting disability services, demonstrating the vital role of experiential learning and community engagement in driving public health initiatives.

From LA to Ann Arbor, in pursuit of leadership

Davontae Nathaniel Foxx-Drew’s lived experience sparked his passion for healthcare, his pursuit of leadership

During Davontae Nathaniel Foxx-Drew’s time at the University of Michigan, where he is pursuing a Master of Health Services Administration from the School of Public Health in the Department of Health Management and Policy and an MBA from the Ross School of Business, Foxx-Drew has demonstrated the academic skills and leadership qualities that likely will land him a prominent and impactful position in the healthcare industry.

A collaboration for health equity

The University of Michigan School of Public Health is collaborating with the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society on a Bank of America-funded program to advance health outcomes for Black, Latino/Hispanic, Asian and Indigenous communities.

Better together

Alumnae pair up to help healthcare facilities stay afloat during the pandemic and beyond

Colleagues Susan Marsiglia Gray, MPH ’01, and Tasha Akitobi, MPH ’05, share so much common ground, they practically read each other’s minds. That comes in handy because their federal government workplace, the Provider Relief Bureau, is responsible for $200 billion in COVID relief funding. While their partnership is somewhat new—with only about 18 months of being on the job together—their paths to public health have created deep familiarity.

Turning to public health in a crisis

Graduate student Oksana Fedorak works to prevent human trafficking in Ukraine

Traditionally, the sunflower is emblematic to Ukraine—but it signifies so much more to the Ukrainian people, and especially Oksana Fedorak. “Our national flower is the sunflower—it means a lot to us and me personally,” said Fedorak, a Master of Public Health student in Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Silver linings

Critical knowledge gained from COVID-19 pandemic proves invaluable to alumni

Across the country, the pandemic put stress on the health care system, revealing both its strengths—heroic providers and adaptability in the face of uncertainty—and areas where it must improve. Three Health Services Administration executive-level alumni share their COVID stories and the lessons they learned for the future.