Heroes Helping Heroes: The COPH Alumni Scholarship

Crystal earned a BSPH from the USF College of Public Health in 2020. She works as a health care analyst at a Fortune 500 healthcare company where she evaluates medical data and discovers innovative ways to improve integral business components for providers and medical facilities. With a passion for service and volunteerism, Crystal joined the USF COPH Alumni Society in 2021.

Jayme is a research scientist at UES, Inc. supporting the respiratory health research program conducted at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree in German language and literature from Boston University before earning a master's and PhD in toxicology and risk assessment from the USF College of Public Health. He then worked as a biologist with the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health where he developed and adapted molecular biology techniques for assessing toxicity endpoints. He also served as an analyst and team lead of an epidemiologic surveillance team out of the Emergency Operations Center for the federal COVID-19 response and on the CDC's laboratory studies on the efficacy of layered mitigation strategies to reduce COVID-19 transmission via respiratory aerosols. Jayme joined the USF COPH Alumni Society in 2022 after participating in the 7@7 Alumni Career Panel.

Lisa earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from USF in 2003 and an MPH in 2005. She also holds a graduate certificate in non-profit management from the University of Tampa. Lisa has spent her public health career working in the non-profit field and serves as the planning director at the Suncoast Health Council, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Lisa is passionate about public health and helping others. In addition to her full-time position, she has served as an adjunct instructor teaching the next generation of public health professionals at the USF College of Public Health since 2007. Lisa is part of an alumni focus group who convened in March of 2019 to discuss reviving the dormant COPH Alumni Society. She has actively served on the board ever since.

Dr. Shabnam Mehra is an experienced leader in data analytics and research with a demonstrated history of working in public health. She is a senior director of analytics with ClinIntell, Inc and serves as chief analytic officer. Always a Bull, Shabnam worked at USF for more than 20 years. Most recently she served as the director of student success research and analytics. She loves to teach and frequently leads analytic workshops for USF libraries and teaches business intelligence at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Fla. Shabnam is a double alumna from the USF COPH earning a PhD in 2017 and MSPH in 1999. Her passion is health and higher education, and she is skilled in data analytics, statistics, project management, student success and at-risk management. Shabnam joined the USF COPH Alumni Society in 2021 and serves as treasurer.

Kristina Harand earned an MSPH degree with a concentration in toxicology and risk assessment from the USF College of Public Health in 2016. Since graduation Kristina has been a very happy Amazonian working to promote safety with Amazon. Her career with Amazon began as a safety specialist working in reverse logistics where she supported many of the company’s business units. In 2020, Kristina was promoted to a workplace health and safety manager II and was able to once again support Amazon’s reverse logistics network. More recently she joined the WHS design, construction and start-up team as a program manager in 2021. During her tenure at Amazon Kristina supported the launch of Women in EHS as the director of communication and recently transitioned to the role of president in 2021. In 2020, Kristina joined the USF COPH Alumni Society after participating in the 7@7 Alumni Career Panel. She hopes alumni “show up and show out for this giving challenge so we can support our current USF COPH students and future alumni in their quest for higher education.” To summarize the importance of public health, one of her favorite quotes is “Health care is vital to all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the time”—C. Everett Koop
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Juan is a certified public health professional with experience developing, managing and scaling public health interventions nationally and around the globe. Juan Pablo received a BSPH and MPH with a concentration in global disaster management, homeland security and humanitarian assistance from the USF College of Public Health. In his role as associate director of programs and project manager for the Task Force for Global Health’s TEPHINET program, he supports health system strengthening in the Latin American and Indo-Pacific regions. Born in Medellin, Colombia, Juan Pablo is the product of hard-working immigrant parents that paved the path for his family’s pursuit of the American Dream. As a first-generation college graduate, Juan Pablo is proud to be a recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship. Juan Pablo is motivated to end the cycle of poverty in his family and the communities he works in by promoting access to health and education. He is actively involved in community service and joined USF COPH Alumni Society Board in 2021.

Brennan earned an MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics from the USF College of Public Health in 2016. He works in the retail industry identifying behaviors that lead to purchases rather than diseases. In 2021, he joined the USF COPH Alumni Society. Brennan shared that, “When I was earning my degree I was lucky enough to have financial support from my family when loans fell short. Likewise, I was equally lucky to have found an amazing support group of friends and faculty from the program who helped me through dark times. With all that I have been given (and now that I am no longer a poor struggling student), I want to pay it forward in whatever small way I can to help future public health heroes.” Brennan is calling on all who can relate to join him in supporting current students via the alumni scholarship fund.

It's my birthday and there's no better gift to me, and the USF community, than your support during Giving Week! Thanks to alumni and donors like you, our students are making an impact on campus and in the community. Your gift provides students in need with a chance to make a difference, and experience life at USF to the fullest! Please make a gift of any size, and spread the word. We are counting on you to ensure students in need are receiving financial support. Go Bulls!