College of Public Health Alumna Completes Health Equity Fellowship

Beenish Kamran, alumna of the Master of Public Health program in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health at East Tennessee State University College of Public Health, recently completed a Health Equity Fellowship with Community Health Innovations of Rhode Island. 

The Office of Minority Health launched the Youth Heath Equity Model of Practice that provides Health Equity Fellowships to undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students interested in a career in health. These fellowships provide hands on, “in the field” learning opportunities through short-term, project-based placements in diverse organizations or institutions that promote health equity and/or addresses health disparities.  

As a Health Equity Fellow, Ms. Kamran focused on housing and food security through participating in current efforts and supported the work of partner organizations within and around the community of Mt. Hope in Providence, Rhode Island.  She recorded the intergenerational oral history of Mt. Hope by creating a written timeline open for residents to contribute. This project is a part of an ongoing digital archiving of the community’s cultural and social fabric.

Ms. Kamran participated in the creation of a statewide Youth Caucus on Wellbeing. She coordinated, implemented, and evaluated a six-week long teen gardening and culinary program to familiarize teens with food systems and the ongoing community efforts related to improving food security and sovereignty.   

“ETSU’s College of Public Health has been vital in providing me to the experience and opportunities to excel in and outside of the classroom,” stated Ms. Kamran.  “From the knowledge built with fellow students and professors in the classroom to the real-world community-based research experience, ETSU has challenged me to keep pushing forward and always beginning with the end in mind.”

Community Health Innovations of Rhode Island is a ground-up, statewide effort that works on various community-driven health equity efforts to impact social determinants of health.