James is currently a second year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh. Upon reflection of his experience as an HMS minor he says, “HMS definitely helped me in terms of learning the public health aspects of medicine. We've had some classes on ethics and population health, and I went into them already knowing most of the information -- this was obviously extremely helpful. I also took a class on Abnormal Psychology through HMS which helped during my Psychiatry class. I think it may have helped me get into medical school in the first place too, as many of my interviewers were interested and impressed that I had already learned a bit on Public health.”
Past Students
James Bowen, 2014
Major:
Biochemistry
Niomi Sterling, 2014
Major:
Psychology
Niomi is a class of 2014 undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and minoring in the HMS program. Her interest in the minor stemmed from her ambitions of using psychological research and methods to measure the impacts of health services in developing communities. The HMS program broadened Niomi's understanding and comparative knowledge of public and global health while also introducing her to specific challenges such as health policy, chronic illness, and access to care. Since her matriculation into the HMS program, Niomi has continued to pursue her interests in public & global health by conducting research on innovative ways to improve health policy in developing countries such as Kenya and South Africa.
"The HMS minor rivaled other health programs for me because of its focus on learning through experience. Each of my classes has always had a hands- on approach to understanding current disparities as well as future possibilities in health systems. I came to college with no prior knowledge of the public health field; but my exposure through the HMS program has given me the outlet I was looking for to influence and improve the health of community groups holistically, rather than the individualistic approach common in medical practice.The HMS program has truly strengthened my views on the potential for change in countries everywhere."
Amanda Adami, 2013
Major:
International Relations
Amanda graduated in Spring '13 from Lehigh University majoring in International Relations and minoring in both HMS and Chinese. She came to Lehigh hoping to study pre-med and one day become a doctor, but explains that the HMS minor has opened her eyes to a different aspect of public health, focusing more on human relations than the scientific route. Very interested in politics, she focuses on American Health Care systems and studies the current Health Care Reform movement.
“The HMS minor introduced me to the entire world of health care and taught me that I can still pursue my passion for public health in other aspects of the health care system. I now recognize there is a world of opportunity outside of medical professions, whether I choose to pursue business, politics, administration, or any number of other options.”
Dana DeSantis, 2013
Major:
Molecular Biology
Dana graduated from Lehigh University in Spring 2013, majoring in Molecular Biology. After completing Dr. Bonnie Coyle’s Intro to Public Health class, in which she had the opportunity to interact with and learn about the local public health in Bethlehem from her physician and public health practitioner professor, Dana declared her HMS minor wanting to experience more of what the program has to offer. In the future, she plans to attend medical school and become a pediatrician. With her Molecular Biology major, Dana also hopes to do some research in the field of virology.
"HMS has given me a better idea of medicine as a whole. I think that many people see medicine purely in the context of doctors and hospitals, but it is really so much more than that. HMS has given me perspective on the wide variety of opportunities available in medicine and public/community/global heath."
Jacquelin Scully, 2012
Major:
Psychology
Jacquelin, a 2012 graduate from Lehigh, majored in Psychology and minored in both Business and HMS. After discussions about health care in her psychology and sociology classes sparked her passion for the field, Jacquelin decided to declare her minor with HMS and pursue a career in health education and health promotion. Her favorite Health, Medicine, & Society class was Health Psychology, taught by Professor Lomauro. The class discussed a variety of topics that interested her such as health behaviors, treatment adherence, eating disorders, etc. They provided insight into the medical field from doctors' points of view, showed true examples of how patients cope with illnesses, and helped relate lessons to the real health care world. Through the HMS minor she had the opportunity to intern at the Health & Wellness Center with the Director of Health Promotions, Rajika Reed. At the Health Center she created bulletin boards about pertinent health issues for students, helped promote and organize wellness events (such as massages, body fat testing, etc), and ran a free STI testing night for students. Jacquelin also volunteered at a hospital one summer and loved working with patients and learning about the health care system first-hand. Her experience with health care has made her even more excited about her future plans in a career in health promotion.
"The Health, Medicine, & Society program has helped me confirm that I have a strong interest in health care and would love to pursue a career in it. I had a passion about all of my classes and truly enjoyed the readings and discussions for them. Being part of the Health, Medicine, & Society program gave me the opportunity to really enjoy my college academic experience. I found classes that I had a strong interest in, I felt that everything I learned was fascinating and useful for my future goals. This added a new level of enjoyment to college. My Health, Medicine, & Society classes helped me learn about problems in the health care system, trends in health care, and how to best work with people in a health care setting. The program provided me with tools that I will use in health promotion."
Andrea Mascaro, 2011
Major:
Psychology
In 2011, Andrea graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Lehigh. After Lehigh, she completed a Master of Education and Master of Arts in Psychological Counseling at Columbia University. She is currently the Associate Producer of Research and Development for the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN) in Brooklyn, New York. In addition to conducting research on the network's ratings, she also worked on an educational grant for the network where she performed research in low-income preschools around the country. She quotes, “The HMS program at Lehigh influenced where I am today, because it made me realize that I love helping people, especially minorities from low-income backgrounds. Through my participation in a Health and Nutrition Initiative at Broughal Middle School (close to Lehigh's campus), I connected with locals in the community and saw the positive impact that an initiative can have on their lifestyle and well-being.”
Jenny Torcivia, 2010
Major:
English
Jenny graduated Lehigh in May 2010 as an English Major and HMS Minor, and started her career in Laboratory Diagnostic Sales. For the past 5 years, she worked at Quest Diagnostics in Physician Sales, and most recently as a Business Development Manager for the new formation of Quest’s eighth clinical franchise, Sports and Human Performance. In this role, she had the privilege of working for the office of the Chief Medical Officer as a small team worked together to identify biomarkers of human performance, training and recovery and eventually formed Quest’s newest diagnostic screen: Blueprint for Athletes. She says “While this experience was enriching and instrumental to my success in diagnostics, sports science is not a passion of mine. In August 2015 I was approached by Counsyl Genetics, a health tech startup out of San Francisco voted by MIT as #5 on their Smartest Companies list, to join their Clinical Sales Team as their New Jersey Clinical Account Executive. I am proud to say that this is my current role.” She spends her days reaching out to Reproductive Endocrinologists, OB/GYNs, Perinatologists and Maternal Fetal Medicine physicians educating them on Counsyl’s offering which focuses on genetic screening tests for pre-conception and pregnant patients. She quotes “Women’s health holds a very special place in my heart, as I am also involved with and follow the work of the Liya Kebede foundation. Working at Counsyl allows me to help doctors and patients focus on diseases where advanced knowledge can make a big difference in health outcomes one DNA test at a time.”