Public Health Graduate Students Featured in Illuminated

Ogbebor Omoike's feature was titled "Examining Perfluorinated Chemical (PFC) Exposure and its Relationship to Increased Risks of Endocrine Cancers."  

Omoike says, “Every student and their situation is unique. Find what your heart is passionate about and pursue it. When you follow your heart, you will find extra strength when the road gets tough. Take time to find a mentor that understands and challenges you. Do not be afraid to seek advice and ask questions”.

His favorite part of his dissertation has been fulfilling his dream of uncovering associations that were previously unknown. In addition to Dr. Wang, his appreciation goes to other dissertation committee members, including Drs. Robert Pack (Professor and Associate Dean), Hadii Mamudu (Associate Professor), and Ying Liu (Assistant Professor). After graduation he plans to apply to a post-doctoral fellowship, and to one day return home to Nigeria to continue to seek the undiscovered and work in a health system to practice public health, and also be actively engaged in clinical research and practice. 

Erin Mauck's feature was titled "An Exploration of End-of-Life Care in Tennessee."

Erin is grateful for the exploratory nature of this project. She hopes that initially her work can increase public awareness of EOL healthcare needs in the state and increase the use of advance directives. She wants to educate the public that you do not have to have an attorney to create them, and how simple they can be to complete. She also wants to increase awareness for the need of increased education on EOL care for healthcare providers and the public. She plans to defend her dissertation this July and to publish several articles from her findings. After graduation she would like to continue to work in academia, and to continue her research that will contribute to improving end-of-life healthcare in Tennessee.