2020
Kathryn Houk
Areas of Interest: Health Equity, Social Justice, Health Literacy, Heath Communication, Information Literacy, Digital Literacy, Androgogical and pedagogical Theory, Critical Theory
Biography: Kathryn (she/her/hers) is an assistant professor and librarian at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Health Sciences Library. She earned her MLIS in 2009 from Kent State University and expects to graduate with her MPH from San Jose State University in December 2020. Kathryn is an active member and leader within the field of medical librarianship, having several peer-reviewed publications and given several national and international presentations on her work. She has a passion for both the well-being of healthcare workers and training them to become more humane, evidence-based practitioners. Kathryn's pursuit of an MPH and internship with HPP is a natural progression of her interest in the importance of effectively communicating science and health information to the public.
Connect with Kathryn on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Kathryn on Twitter HERE.
Ashlyn Velasco Vargas
Areas of Interest: Women’s health, sexual health, chronic diseases, nutrition
Biography: My name is Ashlyn Vargas, and I am a student in the Master of Public Health program at San Jose State. I will graduate in Spring of 2021, so I am embracing the rest of my time as an aspiring Public Health professional. I also work at the San Jose Kaiser Permanente Health Education department as a Health Education Assistant, in hopes to take the next step as a Health Educator. With my Master of Public Health degree and my experience in the health education department, I am determined to learn more.
Connect with Ashlyn on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Ashlyn on Twitter HERE.
Brandon Nguyen
Areas of Interest: Urban planning (built environment), LGBTQ health, sexual health, social justice, environmental justice, social media outreach, health education
Biography: My name is Brandon Nguyen and I am a second-year MPH student on track to graduate in May 2021 at SJSU. I’m passionate about finding ways to build healthier communities by affecting individual behaviors and systemic environmental changes to improve the quality of life. Currently, I work on campus as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate public health class. I am also part of a research study in finding ways to reduce air and noise pollution in dense urban areas as a research assistant. I enjoy working with students and professors.
Connect with Brandon on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Brandon on Twitter HERE.
Arden Castle
Areas of Interest: Advocacy, interpersonal violence prevention, reproductive health, women’s health, health education
Biography: My name is Arden Caste, and I am a second year MPH student. I have been involved in research over the last few years and presented my work at SOPHE and APHA. In addition to pursing my degree, I am working on two manuscripts, researching the perceived relevance of social and structural theories, and tracking COVID19 data across California. I am excited about advocacy, reproductive health, and health education!
Connect with Arden on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Arden on Twitter HERE.
Kaela Nguyen
Areas of Interest: Nutrition, Health Education, Nursing, Environmental Health, Community Health
Biography: My name is Kaela Nguyen. I am a senior in the Public Health Undergraduate Program at San Jose State University. Public Health is a fascinating field of study because there is still work that needs to be done in order to understand and improve the health of people and their communities. I am excited to be part of this internship opportunity so that we can work as a team to support SOPHE and the Health Practice Promotion Journal, meanwhile exposing health promotion practices for the public!
Connect with Kaela on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Kaela on Twitter HERE.
Shannon Shimada
Areas of Interest: Epidemiology, Youth Development, PA policy, Health Education, Community health, Sports Medicine
Biography: My name is Shannon Shimada. I am a second-year MPH student at San Jose State. As a Physician Assistant, I was frustrated with the number of cases that I saw in the Emergency Department that were preventable if more focus was on prevention and the education of patients. This motivated me to pursue my MPH. I am excited about the opportunity to begin my public health career with Health Promotion Practice and look forward to learning more!
Connect with Shannon on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Shannon on Twitter HERE.
Melissa Wilkins
Areas of Interest: Health equity, social justice, program planning, community organization, substance abuse prevention, and behavioral health
Biography: My name is Melissa Wilkins and I am a second-year MPH student at San Jose State University. I currently work as a Project Manager for the County of Santa Barbara, Department of Behavioral Wellness, Alcohol and Drug Program. With over 10 years of work experience in community-based organizations, I am passionate about health equity and social justice. It is my desire to use my MPH for program development to address health disparities such as those associated with substance use disorders and untreated mental health conditions. I look forward to addressing population level health through advocacy, collaboration, and relationship building.
Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Melissa on Twitter HERE.
Johnathan Ngo
Areas of Interest:Global Health, Epidemiology, Infectious Disease, EH&S, Health Education, Health Equity, Social Justice, Social Media Outreach, Reproductive Health, Environmental Health, Childhood Development
Biography: My name is Johnathan Ngo; a current second-year MPH student at San Jose State University on track to graduate with the Class of 2021. I received my bachelor degree in Biological Sciences (B.S) from the University of California Irvine in 2016. I currently work as a Research Scientist at a medical device company that specializes in supporting patients with structural heart disease. My passion in life is to inspire those in my community to grow, develop, and succeed in the world of Public Health.
Connect with Johnathan on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Johnathan on Twitter HERE.
Anna Castillo
Biography: My name is Anna Castillo and I am a second-year MPH student at San Jose State University. I currently work at Palo Alto Medical Foundation Reproductive Endocrinology Fertility Department for Sutter Health. I have ten years of health administration experience working in hospitals, clinics, and home health agencies. I aspire to work in the area of Covid – 19, health education, and community organization. I love to do research and read biography books.
Connect with Anna on LinkedIn HERE.
Vanessa Silverstein
Biography: My name is Vanessa Silverstein and I am a second-year MPH student at San Jose State University. I also work as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for a non-profit community healthcare provider, Hospice of Santa Cruz County. I have 10 years’ experience in the nonprofit and social services sector with a background in program management, partner building and health promotion. I am passionate about empowering individuals and communities to lead fulfilling, healthy and joyful lives. It’s great to be a part of the Health Promotion Practice team!
Connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Vanessa on Twitter HERE.
Lai Saechao
Areas of Interest: Health education/promotion/prevention, gerontology, case management
Biography: Public health nurse with a passion for helping underserved communities and the older adult population. I can add that I received my BS in Gerontology 2013 and MS in Nursing Case Management 2016. I have been a nurse for 4 years now and plan to commit the majority if not all of my nursing career to public health.
Connect with Lai on LinkedIn HERE.
Yovanna Gonzalez
Areas of Interest: Community Health, Global Health, Health Equity/Social Justice, Environmental Justice, Sexual & Reproductive Health, LGBTQ health, Chronic Disease
Biography: My name is Yovanna Gonzalez. I am deeply passionate about health equity, social justice, and advocacy. I am currently a Health Educator, working primarily in schools and community settings. I am driven by my desire to uplift others, as I have been uplifted. I live my life by Cesar Chavez’s quote, “The end of all education should surely be service to others.”
Connect with Yovanna on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Yovanna on Twitter HERE.
2019
Gabie Cordoso
Areas of Interest: Nutrition, food insecurity, chronic diseases, community health, global health
Biography: My name is Gabie, I have a bachelor’s degree from Brazil in Nutrition, and after graduating, I moved to the USA where I immersed myself in American culture. I’m currently pursuing my Masters in Public Health at San José State University, as well as interning for the Health Promotion Practice Journal, a teaching assistant for the Healthy Communities class at SJSU, President of MPH Students Association, and member of the SOPHE Collegiate Champion Program!
Connect with Gabie on LinkedIn HERE.
Kaye Pulupa
Areas of Interest: Exercise science, maternal and infant health, health equity, social justice, community health
Biography:Originally from Kansas City, I have lived in Sacramento, CA since 2007. I started my career in healthcare in 2004 at CVS/pharmacy and worked as a pharmacy technician for 7 years before attending UC Davis. I graduated from UCD with degrees in Exercise Biology and Psychology in 2014. Since 2016, I’ve worked for the HIV Care Branch at the California Department of Public Health/Office of AIDS, focusing on programs that assist low-income people living with HIV. I am a 2018-2020 San José State University Master of Public Health student. I am also a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise, and am passionate about everything related to fitness, wellness, and public health.
Connect with Kaye on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Kaye on Twitter HERE.
Stefanie Troja
Areas of Interest: Preventative medicine, sports medicine, nutrition and fitness, health equity
Connect with Stefanie on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Stefanie on Twitter HERE.
2018
Irene Graham
Areas of Interest: Nursing, Social Justice/Health Equity, refugee/immigrant health, LGBTQ community, homeless population
Jessica Layton
Areas of Interest: Nutrition, chronic disease, maternal and childhood nutrition, health care policy, social justice, health equity
Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn HERE.
Stephanie Tarrillo
Areas of Interest: Chronic conditions, food insecurity, health equity, behavioral health, maternal and infant health
Biography: My name is Stephanie Tarrillo. I graduated with my MPH from San Jose State University in May, 2019. I currently work as a Clinical Health Educator (CHE) at Kaiser Permanente. I enjoy helping individuals to make behavioral changes in the areas of Type 2 Diabetes, weight management, heart disease, smoking cessation and parenting topics. Furthermore, I facilitate pregnancy classes and lead KP's Baby and Me support group. I am passionate about health equity, preventive medicine, science, and evidence-based decision making.
Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn HERE. Connect with Stephanie on Twitter HERE.