The College of Public Health and Health Professions will recognize seven graduates with 2025 Outstanding Alumni Awards at a ceremony held October 18 during PHHP Alumni Reunion Tailgate weekend. These graduates are making valuable contributions to clinical care, public health practice, education, research and policy in their communities and across the nation.
Alumna of the Year
Helena Chapman, M.D., (M.P.H. ’05, Ph.D. in Public Health – One Health ’16)
Chapman is passionate about empowering the global health workforce to apply innovative scientific practices that safeguard population health. She serves as associate program manager for Health and Air Quality Applications of NASA Earth Action Program (Booz Allen Hamilton), where her team promotes the use of Earth observation data in public health applications like air quality and infectious disease management. As a member of the One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono team and professorial lecturer at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, she encourages health professionals at all learning stages to adopt the One Health concept in clinical and community practice. Her continued engagement in strengthening medical students’ leadership was ignited as a founding member of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations-Dominican Republic. Her recognitions include the NASA Early Career Achievement Medal and 40 Gators Under 40.
Professional achievement and career service
Ryan Branski, Ph.D., (M.A. – CSD ’98)
Branski, a Gainesville native, is a professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He also serves as a program director in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and director of Research Faculty Development in the Office of Science and Research. He is a member of the RECOVER Consortium, the federal initiative to study the long-term effects of COVID-19. He has held numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health to support both his laboratory and patient-oriented research, authored more than 140 peer-reviewed manuscripts and edited four books. He is one of only a few investigators to be named a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Laryngological Association and the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
Entrepreneurship, innovation and thought leadership
Brandon Burket (B.H.S. ’10, M.H.A. ’12)
Burket joined Orlando Health in 2013 and currently serves as the vice president of value-based care and population health. In this position, he leads the health system’s multiple accountable care organizations, bundled payment programs and direct-to-employer engagements. In addition, he is responsible for the ongoing development, performance and governance of the Orlando Health Network, the largest clinically integrated network in the Southeast, with more than 9,000 providers across Florida and Alabama. As an Orlando Health leader, he has worked to advance the organization’s strategic planning efforts, clinical transformation pursuits and payer/employer alignment activities. After graduating from UF, he completed his administrative fellowship at Tampa General Hospital. He has previously been honored as a University of Florida 40 Under 40 recipient and is a graduate of Leadership Orlando. Today, he is an active member in the American College of Healthcare Executives and recently joined Leadership Florida.
Community impact
Ruthie Below Dell, O.T.R., C.H.T., (B.H.S. ’79, M.O.T. ’83)
Dell retired in 2019 after a 40-year career in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation. For most of that time, she was affiliated with the Hand Surgery Division of UF’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, where she treated patients of all ages with complex diagnoses seeking care in an academic setting. In 2001, she and her husband Paul C. Dell, M.D., a hand surgeon, founded Hands to Love (Congenital Hand Camp Inc.), a nonprofit organization with the mission of providing success-oriented camp experiences for children with congenital upper limb differences and their families. The first camp hosted 15 families being treated at UF, and during its 25th anniversary this year, Hands to Love served more than 80 families from across the U.S.
Professional achievement and career service
Steve Mounts (M.B.A./M.H.A. ’99)
Mounts (M.B.A./M.H.A. ’99) was named the Air Force deputy surgeon general in November 2024. In this role, he leads policy and resourcing for 44,000 Total Force military medical personnel in support of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. He is the first senior executive service member of the Air Force Medical Service, inducted in January 2023 as the associate deputy surgeon general. He is the first federal civilian to serve in the deputy surgeon general role and only the third non-physician to hold the title in the Air Force Medical Service’s 76-year history. Mounts, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, served for 30 years as a Medical Service Corps officer in the U.S. Air Force and retired in the grade of colonel after 19 assignments in the U.S., Republic of Korea and Germany. He is married to Stephanie Gaveau Mounts and they reside in Annandale, Virginia.
Entrepreneurship, innovation and thought leadership
Cindi Petito, OTR/L, M.B.A., (B.H.S. ’95)
Petito is the director of Live at Home at VGM Group, Inc. With 30 years of experience in occupational therapy, including more than 26 years specializing in home modifications and complex rehabilitation technologies, she is a recognized clinical leader at the intersection of health care and accessibility. She is the founder of two successful community-based private therapy practices in Florida, where she combined her clinical acumen with entrepreneurial vision. Today, she mentors and empowers aspiring occupational therapy entrepreneurs, sharing her knowledge and practical insights. Her clinical background includes extensive work with individuals living with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, progressive neurodegenerative diseases, amputations and age-related conditions. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Aging in Place Council and is a board member of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America.
Community impact
Tommy Tran (M.P.H. ’12)
Tran serves as regional chief operating officer for the Detroit Medical Center, overseeing all eight hospitals across Michigan. In this role, he spearheads operational strategies that simplify the patient experience and improve access to care systemwide. After earning his M.P.H. in Health Management and Policy, he completed an administrative fellowship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Florida. A recognized leader in his field, he was named a Crain’s Detroit Business Rising Star in Healthcare in 2021 and inducted into its 40 Under 40 class in 2023. Passionate about serving underserved communities, he has led vaccination events, built a community closet and delivered numerous lectures aimed at health education and equity. He remains deeply involved in local outreach, with a focus on educating, communicating and volunteering to ensure that vulnerable populations receive the care and resources they deserve.