College of Public Health

News Story

Two CPH students receive state, national honors

Posted 06/07/2009

Two College of Public Health students recently received honors at the state and national levels.

John Billington, pursuing a joint JD/MPH degree, just won the ASPH Public Health Policy Fellowship, and Kristen Force, an MPH student, received the 2009 Ohio SOPHE scholarship.

Billington’s one-year Policy Fellowship is provided by the Association of Schools of Public Health. Fellows are placed in either a congressional or committee office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where they can observe and participate in the legislative process as it pertains to public health.

"Washington, D.C., is the place to be right now for anybody interested in health policy. I look forward to the excitement of new experiences and acquaintances," Billington said.

Billington hopes to combine his interest in law and public health as a legislative lawyer and policy advisor related to public health. He will graduate in June 2009.

His advisors are Allard Dembe, ScD, chair of the Division of Health Services Management and Policy (HSMP), and Sandra Tanenbaum, PhD, associate professor in HSMP.

"I owe many thanks to them. They are a great asset here at the college," Billington said.

Force received her scholarship from the Ohio Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE). She is pursuing an MPH degree specializing in Health Behavior and Health Promotion.

"Receiving this scholarship and becoming a member of Ohio SOPHE is an honor because it will help me to achieve my academic and professional goals," Force said.

Force, who expects to graduate in 2010, plans to pursue a career in how health messages are communicated.

"I would like to be involved in education efforts that make health literacy and cultural competency a priority," Force said.

Her advisor is Janet de Moor, assistant professor in the Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion.

 

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The Ohio State University's College Public Health is an integral part of the most comprehensive health sciences campus in the nation. The college was created in February 2007 by the University Board of Trustees. First established in 1995 as part of the College of Medicine, we are the first and only accredited school of public health in the state of Ohio. Specializations within the college include biostatistics, epidemiology, health behavior and health promotion, environmental health sciences, health services management and policy, veterinary public health and clinical investigations. The college is currently ranked 21st in public health graduate schools by US News & World Report. Its Master of Health Administration program is ranked 12th.