Crime. Trauma. Drugs. Intimate partner violence. Sex trafficking. Child abuse and neglect.

That may sound like a lineup of topics from episodes of Law and Order: SVU, but it’s not. These are the real-life issues that concern Rebecca Stone on a daily basis.

Stone is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Education at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with earning her B.A. (2007), M.S. (2009), and Ph.D. (2014) degrees in criminal justice, Stone added on a Master of Public Health degree (2012) from Michigan State University.

The best way to create a fulfilling career is to move forward. From pre-med to public health to nursing school, Holly Campbell may think that she “did things backward.” It turns out she was charting a path to do what she loves in a public health career where she combines her nursing background with health promotion and disease prevention. 

Learn more about Holly's public health work in northern Michigan. 

Spring 2022 brought two milestones for Master of Public Health (MPH) graduate Catherine Washington: a new degree and a new full-time position. “I went into the job hunt with a very diverse set of experiences and skills. MSU’s MPH program provides opportunities for you to research new topics, develop new skills, and explore the day-to-day of other career paths,” said Washington. 

At the start of 2020, Lindsey Rose was paired with MSU researcher Todd Lucas, PhD, C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health, for her MSU Master of Public Health (MPH) practicum experience. But the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic made her practicum experience different from most.

What do students need to maintain a healthy lifestyle while in college? That’s what Spartan in Public Health alumnus John Matkovic’s research focuses on.

“We all know that students enter college with different levels of readiness on how to study, how to be healthy while in college,” said Matkovic, who earned his bachelor’s degree in microbiology (’06) and his master of public health (MPH) (’11) from Michigan State University.

You’re six months pregnant, and you get the news that the father of your unborn child has been shot and killed while visiting his family in a town two hours away. It could be your undoing, or you could work through your grief and eventually move on with your life to do something positive in spite of the tragedy.

That’s what happened to Sara Loughrige in February 2005.

“All you can do is try to keep going,” Loughrige said. “The immediate feeling is that you don’t want to do anything—you get frozen in grief.”

Armed with her MSU master’s degree in public health and more than 25 years of experience, Noel Pingatore, Spartan in Public Health, joined the fight against COVID-19 to decrease transmission and improve patient outcomes for tribal communities in Michigan. Tribal communities were experiencing higher rates of underlying risk factors for COVID-19 and disproportionate health outcomes.

Clara Barajas grew up working in farm fields and picking crops with her siblings. As a child, she recalls serving as a translator and helping loved ones get needed health care services. As a public health professional, she advocates for the health interests of the Latino community.

Emily Williams is working to improve population health in the Greater Detroit area. With a focus on the social determinants of health, she is addressing food insecurity, housing, transportation, and employment needs.

Academic scholarship. Mentoring. Community leadership. Teaching. Research. It seems that Bryan O. Buckley, Spartan in Public Health, has accomplished it all. But he’s really just getting started. For Buckley, public health is his vehicle to make the world better.

Terence Gipson works as a research coordinator for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Gipson was able to continue his work in Central and South America, all while completing his master of public health degree at MSU.

Craig Reed is the director of the Binge and Underage Drinking Initiative with the Institute for Public Strategies. His work focuses on systems change to promote health and wellness, mentoring young public health advocates, and revitalizing neighborhoods in California.