On Friday, July 17, the PHI/CDC Global Health Fellowship Program hosted the 2nd annual Fellows Showcase & Awards Ceremony to recognize mentor support along with fellows’ achievements and contributions to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s global health portfolio. Over 100 people comprised of program staff, Fellows and CDC staff, joined the live, virtual event.
FELLOWS’ SHOWCASE:
Program Director, Mike Sage, MPH, thanked CDC mentors for their ongoing support to fellows, and recognized fellows for their flexibility in responding to the pandemic. As of July 17, 34 Fellows have worked in various important roles supporting the CDC Global Response to COVID-19.
Nine Fellows highlighted their work over the 2019-2020 program year during the Fellows’ Showcase, moderated by Atlanta-based Surveillance Fellow, Danielle Fernandez, MPH. The presentations were divided into three topic areas of Fellowship Related Projects and Manuscript Writing, Lessons Learned and COVID-19 Detail.
Thank you to the following Fellows who presented on Fellow Related Projects and Manuscript Writing:
Data Quality Improvement by Ariana Paredes-Vincent, MPH, Monitoring & Evaluation Fellow; DGHT; Pretoria, South Africa
Fieldwork in Zambia by Alexis Sciarratta, MPH, Epidemiology Fellow; DGHT; Lusaka, Zambia
Featuring 5 Years of Progress in Global Health Security by Katie Nerses, MPH, Program Management Fellow; CGH Office of the Associate Director of Global Health Security; Atlanta, Georgia
Improving CDC South Africa’s PEPFAR Performance Monitoring by Maria Bohri, MPH, Monitoring & Evaluation Fellow; DGHT, Pretoria, South Africa
Next, attendees heard a presentation on Lessons Learned during the fellowship:
Implementation of Vision Boards for HIV Prevention by Jepkoech Kottutt, MPH, Epidemiology Fellow; DGHT; Pretoria, South Africa
The Fellows’ Showcase wrapped up with presentations on COVID-19 Detail Assignments:
The Use of Strategic Information to Evaluate COVID-19 Pandemic Control Actions in U.S & Hydroxychloroquine/ Chloroquine Use for COVID-19 Infection by Ayayi Amegan Ayite, MPH, MBA, General Population Surveillance Fellow; DGHT/ESB/GPS, Atlanta, Georgia
Documenting Personal Experiences among a Global Pandemic by Courtney N. Sciarratta, MPH, Epidemiology Fellow; Immunization Systems Branch; Atlanta, Georgia
CDC’s investigation on clinician-suspected SARS-CoV-2 reinfection by Greg Chang, MPH, Surveillance Fellow; DGHT; Atlanta, Georgia
COVID-19 Deployments to the International Task Force (ITF) by Riley Wagner, MPH, Program Management Fellow, OD, Atlanta, Georgia
FELLOWSHIP AWARDS:
The Awards Review Committee, which was comprised of several program staff and alumni, reviewed an impressive list of nominations from a diverse pool of CDC locations and fellowship tracks. Congratulations to the following fellows and mentor who were the recipients of this year’s awards and thank you to all of our nominators:
Danielle Fernandez, MPH; Most Valuable Fellow Award
Surveillance Fellow; Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis; Atlanta, Georgia
“Danielle, since the beginning of the program, has stood out as an exemplary addition to the program and our 2019-2020 cohort…In addition to making fellows feel welcome and keeping the cohort together, she is also enthusiastic about sharing the knowledge she has gained from her prior work experience or learning in her current role.”
-Katherine (Katie) Nerses, MPH, Cohort Colleague & Friend
Maria Bohri, MPH; Best Team Player Award
Monitoring & Evaluation Fellow; Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis; Pretoria, South Africa
“Maria always offers to assist with new tasks, even when her plate is already full. CDC South Africa is very lucky to have Maria and all of her contributions.”
-Sarah Porter, MPH, Branch Chief, DGHT, Epidemiology & Strategic Information Branch
Marcela Torres, MPH; Outstanding Leadership Award
Monitoring & Evaluation Fellow, Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis; Maputo, Mozambique
“From the start, Marcela has demonstrated strong leadership, interpersonal skills and technical acumen, which have made her an indispensable member of PEPFAR Mozambique.”
-Joel Chehab, MPH, Health Information Branch Chief, DGHT
Ariana Paredes-Vincent, MPH; Innovator of the Year Award
Monitoring & Evaluation Fellow; DGHT; Pretoria, South Africa
“She is constantly identifying improvements and efficiencies for how the team and the CDC SA office uses data. If she finishes a project, she will independently seek out something new to work on or a new problem to fix –and her recommendations are always on point.”
– Mduduzi Ndlovu, MPH, Monitoring & Evaluation Team Lead, DGHT; Epidemiology & Strategic Information Branch
Paulah Wheeler, MPH; Lasting Impact Award
Program Management Fellow; Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis; Pretoria, South Africa
“Paulah’s contributions to the training have led to a workshop dynamic that encourages participants to think creatively about the role of an assessor and the opportunities they have to provide knowledge and support to HIV testers.“
-Dr. Karidia Diallo (Microbiologist) and Dr. Leigh Berrie (Public Health Specialist)
Cheryl Dietrich, MPH; Outstanding Publications or Presentations Award
Surveillance Fellow; Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis; Pretoria, South Africa
“With Ms. Dietrich’s support, the study-related manuscript, Towards Achieving the 90-90-90 HIV Targets; Results from the South African 2017 National HIV Survey (Lancet HIV) has been submitted for publication.”
-Sarah Porter, MPH, Branch Chief, DGHT, Epidemiology & Strategic Information Branch
Maureen Bartee, MPH; Outstanding Mentorship Award
Associate Director for Global Health Security; Center for Global Health; Atlanta, Georgia
“Maureen exemplifies the characteristics of a mentor: approachable, empathetic, communicative, and invested. She has throughout her career, and my time as her mentee, shown an unparalleled dedication to the evolution and professional development of those she works with…. Maureen’s commitment to her employees is widely known throughout the agency and, while she does it solely for others, I believe she deserves recognition for her dedication and continuous support. She is truly a role model for mentorship, and I consider myself increasingly lucky to have her as my supervisor, mentor, and advocate.”
– Katherine (Katie) Nerses, MPH, Mentee & Program Management Fellow, CGH Office of the Associate Director of Global Health Security
Special thanks to everyone who attended. Thank you to program alumni Alison Yoos, MPH; Orrin Tiberi, MPH; and Dylan Podson, MPH for serving on the Awards Review Committee. Continued thanks and appreciation to Christine Jolley, MPH (CDC Program Officer) and CGH leadership for supporting the fellowship program.
