UNF Public Health

Big things are happening in UNF Public Health. 🦅

UNF junior Sariah Fisher earned an Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities (U-RSCA) Training Grant to join the CLEAR study, a research initiative examining health behaviors, substance use, stress management and coping skills among college students.

Working alongside Dr. Nishi Dsouza and in partnership with CivCom and To***co Free Florida Jacksonville's NextGen Initiative, Sariah is collecting and analyzing real data that could shape how communities prevent addiction and support youth wellness.

This summer, she's doing the work. This fall, she'll share what she found.

At UNF, undergraduate research isn't a résumé line. It's a launchpad. UNF Office of Undergraduate Research

***coFreeJacksonville

The Spring 2026 UNF Public Health Newsletter is Here!

We’re excited to share the latest edition highlighting the passion, innovation and impact of our faculty, students and alumni —showcasing achievements in research, community engagement, professional growth and service.

Read Here ➡️ https://mailchi.mp/74c2c69850be/unf-public-health-news-fall-2024-edition-6758549

🌟 From advancing public health initiatives to supporting mental wellness in our communities, the work featured reflects the dedication and excellence across UNF.

Take a moment to explore the stories and celebrate these meaningful contributions—you won’t want to miss it!

UNF Brooks College of Health

UNF Public Health News Spring 2026 Edition As we celebrate the accomplishments of another dynamic semester, we recognize the dedication and impact of our students, faculty and staff in advancing public health and well-being. From promoting disease prevention and wellness initiatives to generating research that strengthens communities, our wo...

Congratulations to our Spring 2026 graduates! 🎓

Today we celebrate our Bachelor of Science in Health students in the Public Health concentration as they cross the stage and begin their next chapter. Your dedication to improving health and serving communities reflects the heart of public health. We are proud of all you have accomplished and can’t wait to see the impact you will make. Go Ospreys!

We wanted to take a moment to recognize several MPH students who presented research posters at the Spring 2026 UNF Student Research Symposium on Friday, April 24. Each student went above and beyond to showcase independent work completed in HSC 6215: Environmental Health, addressing critical environmental public health challenges.

Public health student presenters and projects:

🔹Brandi Jordan — "Beauty Is Pain: Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Personal Care Products and Increased Cancer Risk Among Black Women"
🔹Kate Namey — "Sentinel Pets: The Key to Prevention?"
🔹Megan Boxell — "Foodborne Illness Through the Lens of Food-Service Employee Behaviors"
🔹Christabel Omo-Erigbe — "Ensuring Continuity: Cybersecurity Preparedness in Critical Infrastructure"
🔹Katherine Nguyen — "Protecting the Next Generation: State-Level Strategies to Reduce Prenatal Chlorpyrifos Exposure in Agricultural Communities"
🔹Meghan Carberry — "Preventing Violence Before It Starts: A Lead Remediation Approach"
🔹Zoe Winans — "Urban Air Pollution and Pediatric Health Disparities: Strategies for Advancing Environmental Health Equity"

A special congratulations to Kate Namey, who was selected by the Graduate School for special recognition for her team’s abstract, Strengthening Florida’s Respiratory Surveillance through APHL-CDC Fellowships.

Additionally, MPH student Alexis Hielscher was also selected by the Graduate School for recognition but was unable to present due to her work schedule.

Congratulations to all — keep up the outstanding work! And a very special thank you to Dr. Amber Barnes for your mentorship and dedication to these students on engaging them in scholarship.

Where you live should not determine whether you survive.

New research from UNF’s Dr. Nishi Dsouza, in collaboration with Columbia University School of Social Work and Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, explores how housing systems shape outcomes for people with opioid use disorder.

Published in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, the study identifies five critical factors:

✔️ Cost
✔️ Conditions
✔️ Consistency
✔️ Context
✔️ Considerations unique to substance use disorder

Together, these dimensions influence treatment access, retention and overdose risk.

By elevating community voices, this work brings a systems-level perspective to one of today’s most urgent public health challenges.

🔗 Read the full study:

Community-level perceptions of housing services for people with opioid use disorder: a qualitative analysis of community stakeholders in the HEALing communities study - Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy Housing insecurity, or the inability to afford or maintain residence in a safe and quality place, is a barrier to accessing and staying in substance use tr

A Look Inside a Public Health Classroom at UNF 📚

This spring, undergraduate public health students explored complex health challenges in PHC 4468: Health Disparities through Data Analytics (HDDA) by presenting systems thinking maps. The activity applied data-informed, systems-level approaches to examine problems and related factors that the shape health of our communities.

Proud to see this work come to life through such a strong interdisciplinary team.

From clinical leadership to community partnership to graduate students already stepping into practice, this is public health in action.

Grateful to Dr. Carlene Taylor, Patty Dodson, Dr. Amy Binder, Angelica Rodriguez, Katie Mercadante, Andrea Baxter, and students Amanda Soares Rodrigues Koppe, Katherine Matheny, and Matthew DiCamilo for helping move this forward.