Alumni

During his Ohio State education and career in public health, Mike Smeltzer learned the importance of a solid educational foundation. Today, he is dedicated to supporting the next generation of public health professionals.

Smeltzer's career in public health started in microbiology because of a Petri dish. While attending Ohio State, his roommate came home with several Petri dishes from one of his classes. Smeltzer was fascinated by the colonies in the dishes and decided to pursue a major in microbiology.

I remember the exact moment I knew I needed to return to Ohio State to get my MPH. I was the LGBTQ health program manager at Columbus Public Health and the health commissioner asked me to prepare a presentation for the board of health that included a reference to the “Principles of the Ethical Practice of Public Health.” I had been working in public health for 13 years and was passionate about the field, but I didn’t know this apparently seminal body of work. It was then that I realized my need for a more academic and theoretical knowledge of public health. 

Sesen Paulos was yet another undecided student at Ohio State.

It was 2011 and Paulos wasn’t certain which major would merge her interests in social and natural sciences. That was until the College of Public Health introduced its Bachelor of Science in Public Health program.

Once she enrolled, Paulos never looked back. She engaged in several extra-curricular activities, learned French and studied abroad in India to prepare for her one major goal: joining the Peace Corps.

Leslie Dawn Cooper struggled with addiction for years until her untimely death in 2009. The Portsmouth, Ohio, resident overdosed on oxycodone at the age of 34. If someone else was present at the time of her death, a witness intervention could have saved Cooper’s life.

G. Wyckliffe Hoffler, MD, MS ’68, aerospace medicine graduate from the department of preventive medicine, division of public health, is a retired NASA physician.  In his earlier work with NASA at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, Hoffler would evaluate astronauts' cardiovascular health pre- and post-flight during the Apollo Lunar and Skylab programs.   Later he also supported Shuttle launches and landings, and occupational medicine at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The College of Public Health presented the 2017 Champions of Public Health Awards on October 16 to five individuals and organizations for making strides in improving the health and well-being of Ohioans.

“When I was in elementary school, my dad would cut my hair.  I used to get mad at him because he would always nick me and mess up.  The final straw was one time he was cutting my hair pretty low and he put a big hole in my hair.  I had a huge bald spot and everyone was making fun of me at school.

“That’s when I decided my dad wasn’t cutting my hair anymore.  We knew Al through our church and knew he had a barber shop.  Ever since, I’ve been coming here.”

Assessing how to build a hospital for mothers and children in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Deciphering why syphilis rates in the U.S. have skyrocketed.

Creating an accurate measure of contraceptive use among Vietnamese women.

Different parts of the world, same shared purpose:  understand the needs and barriers, and find answers that lead to better reproductive and sexual health for individuals and populations.

DARING GREATLY IN AFGHANISTAN 

For many, philanthropy is a deeply personal way to pave the path for those who will follow in their footsteps. For members of The Ohio State University’s Hospital and Health Administration Class of 1974, it was also a way to mark decades of collective success since graduation.