Meet the students of the College of Public Health and Health Professions, a diverse group dedicated to improving health and well-being in communities around the world. These students come from various backgrounds, united by their passion for health and their commitment to making a positive impact. They bring unique perspectives and experiences to their studies, preparing to become the next generation of health professionals who will address pressing health challenges and advance their field.
Meet: Jakob Meredith
Program: Bachelor of Science in Geography/Master of Public Health
Hometowns: Orlando, FL, Dunedin, FL, Ponchatoula, LA
Educational background: B.S. in Geography with a minor in French, certificate in Geospatial Information Analysis
Why did you decide to join your program?
For much of my time as an undergraduate, I struggled to find a path to learn about helping people live healthy and pairing this with my passions for microbiology, geography and infectious disease. I’ve always been interested by epidemiology and how human-environment interactions influence disease patterns, but I was unsure how to apply this interest to my studies. So when I heard about the MPH program concentrating on environmental health and began reading through the program requirements and coursework, I quickly realized that it would provide me with opportunities to do that and more. Having classes dedicated to exploring the connections between environmental processes and health as well as developing technical skills that would help me succeed as a public health professional was a huge draw to this program for me. Upon speaking with the amazingly supportive administrative staff about my interest in the program and learning all of these aspects about the MPH, I knew that it would be a learning community that would help me develop and thrive in public health. As an added bonus, I was able to complete my MPH while still finishing up my bachelor’s degree in Geography at UF, and moving directly from my undergraduate program into my master’s made for a really smooth transition that helped me adjust to life as a graduate student and succeed at the next level. The opportunity to explore complex public health issues with a collaborative and diverse cohort of students with such different perspectives was something that really excited me about the MPH because it is so important to be able to work across teams as someone in public health. Overall, this program really was the perfect fit from day one and I’m so glad I made the choice to pursue my MPH here at UF.
What have been some of your favorite moments in your program?
My favorite part of this program by far has been the emphasis on applying what we learn in the classroom to tackling real-world solutions that make me feel prepared for a career in public health. Working on both team and individual projects and being able to see a project through every phase from idea brainstorming to completion is so rewarding because of how involved you’re able to be at every stage of the process. Semester-long assignments that have allowed me to explore unfamiliar topics in public health have contributed so much to my growth as a student and future practitioner. For example, in my first semester I worked on a sleep health project for my social and behavioral health issues class where my group developed policy recommendations to improve community sleep health. While I never anticipated learning about this before starting my MPH, it turned into such a fruitful experience that showed me the connections between environmental and social health, which helped me evolve my public health perspective. I’ve also been able to build on my background in environmental health by working on projects ranging from toxicological risk assessments and interventions for harmful algae to assessing risk of foodborne disease with a cooking recipe. Perhaps most of all, having the chance to work with my faculty mentors in the Department of Environmental and Global Health on projects related to wastewater surveillance and communication of data detailing dengue virus risk across the country have been so fulfilling. Their support and guidance have helped me turn my ideas into reality, and I’m so excited to share my work with the PHHP community and beyond.
What do you plan to do with your degree?
I hope to use the knowledge that I have gained with my MPH to work with communities and help them craft public health solutions that will promote resilience to environmentally-driven infections like waterborne and vectorborne diseases. My goal is to work in the field of environmental epidemiology, specifically with natural disaster-related health issues that affect the places I call home. I plan to translate my environmental health background and growing technical skills along with an emphasis on community involvement and sustainable policy development to foster the creation of long-lasting solutions. Whether I’m working in a health agency to contain outbreaks of waterborne pathogens in floodwaters following hurricanes or modeling the burden of mosquitoes in different areas, I will always strive to be a champion of the communities I serve. In whatever position I am hired, I hope to advance the use of data-driven public health innovations and improve public awareness of environmental health issues via storytelling with impactful data visualizations to earn the trust of the communities I serve. The MPH program has prepared me so well to do all of this and more, and I look forward to putting everything I’ve learned here to good use.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
When I have free time, I try to take as much time away from screens as possible since a lot of my work for my MPH involves computers. Since Gainesville has such nice weather all year, I love to go on walks and bike rides in Depot Park and around our beautiful campus. I also enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, and love grocery shopping at Aldi because they just opened a new one in my neighborhood and it’s the best. I also recently began crocheting and really enjoy it because it is a very calming stress-free activity. Board games are also one of my favorite rainy day activities, and I was even president of Scrabble club for a year as an undergraduate. Finally, I love watching sports with my friends and will watch basically any sport that is on TV. My favorite is definitely football, and I am a huge New Orleans Saints fan. I’m also a big basketball fan, and got to watch the Gators win the national championship in the O’Connell Center last year. Hoping we’ll do it again this year!
What would you like to share with others who may be considering the same program?
To anyone considering the MPH, I would strongly encourage them to apply because this program provides such a great in-depth experience with a mix of knowledge-based and applications courses that help you become a well-rounded practitioner. If you’re unsure of which concentration to choose, I would suggest following where your interests are the most because regardless of which one you choose you will gain so many diverse experiences through your coursework that will expand your horizons in public health and give you so many tools for your career. On the flip side, if you’re absolutely sure of what area you want to study in, all I would say is to pursue your passion but avoid pigeonholing yourself because it can prevent you from embracing the interdisciplinary nature of the MPH that makes the program so special. But no matter what, you can rest assured knowing that your peers, faculty and administrative staff will contribute to your success at every step of the way. Everyone in the MPH program truly is on the same team and you can feel that cohesion and unity in every class and event you attend. My goal in life has always been to do good work with good people, and this program has given me the opportunity to do just that and I am so appreciative.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone that I’ve met in the program who have all played such a huge role in my success and growth. The administrative staff in this program are really incredible and dedicate themselves to the success of their students, from organizing interest meetings and generating publicity about the program to registering all of us for our classes and reviewing our Capstone and APE proposals. We wouldn’t be anywhere without them. On top of that, all of the faculty that I’ve had the pleasure of learning from in the classroom and through research have had such a huge impact on my growth and always fostered positive learning environments that promoted progress over perfection. Finally, I want to thank all of my fellow MPH and Environmental and Global Health students for their collaboration and kindness over the course of the program. From group projects to class discussions, having the opportunity to share with and learn from everyone I’ve met during my MPH has been so impactful and has shaped who I am as a lifelong student of public health. I’m so excited to see all of the success that my peers have, and hope to cross paths again with everyone someday!
Want to learn more?
Learn more about the Master of Public Health program.
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