Kristen Mitchell

Mahmood Alalwan, a fifth-year PhD student in epidemiology, is working to develop a training program for respiratory therapists in Saudi Arabia, equipping them to provide cessation counseling for patients who smoke.

Now, his work will be propelled by new funding from the Alumni Grants for Graduate Research and Scholarship.

Ohio State faculty and stakeholders in the Columbus community are embarking on a first-of-its-kind study to understand how various models of 911 response to mental health crises impact health outcomes, and how this impact varies by neighborhood racial composition and wealth.

For the second year running, a team of Ohio State Master of Health Administration students took the top prize at the annual National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE) Everett V. Fox Student Case Competition. The contest charges student teams with applying their creativity, knowledge and experience to analyze a unique case study and present their findings before expert judges, which include leaders in health care, business and academia. 

Alumni, faculty, students and supporters of the College of Public Health’s Master of Health Administration program will gather in-person this weekend for the first time in more than two years to celebrate achievements and honors and learn from top leaders in the field. 

Selin Timur came to Columbus with one goal in mind: she wanted to play the baritone in The Ohio State University Marching Band. 

Getting in was stiff competition. She tried out twice before achieving her goal, an experience she said only made her want it more. Since making the cut her junior year, fall semesters have been marked by long practices memorizing new half time shows and additional daily preparation on her own time.

Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm late last month, devastating communities and impacting millions of people.

Aram Dobalian, professor in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy and associate dean of academic affairs, is an expert in health care quality and access during natural disasters. Dobalian discussed the role of public health leaders and health administrators in disaster response as destructive events become more frequent and widespread.

To address violent extremism and other significant societal issues, public health leaders can’t afford to stay out of the political fray, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. 

“Public health does its work through change in policy. That’s fundamentally what we do. We do policy, and we do politics,” Benjamin said. “If you don’t want to do policy and you don’t want to do politics, you’re in the wrong job.”