Meet the 2024 Alumni - Texas Public Health Fellowship

Alyssa Barnes 
BS, Public Health

Fellowship Placement: City of Laredo Health Department

Focus: Epidemiology

Morgan Beckham 
MPH, BS, Psychology

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Child and Adolescent Health Branch

Focus: Quality Improvement, Evaluation

Future Plans: Public Health Research Consultant

Jessica Beharry 
MS, Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Center for Health Statistics GIS

Focus: GIS/Spatial Analysis

Future Plans: Geographic Information System Program Specialist III at DSHS

Michelle Cajero 
MPH

Fellowship Placement: Galveston County Health District

Focus: Community Engagement, Health Promotion

Future Plans: Health Education Specialist at Texas Children’s Hospital, focused on childhood injury and adversity prevention

Miranda Cano 
BS, Public Health

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Public Health Preparedness Program

Focus: Public Health Emergency Preparedness Program

Future Plans: MPH at UT Health Science Center in San Antonio

Ella Castro 
BA, Criminal Justice

Fellowship Placement: Williamson County and Cities Health District

Focus: Records Management

Future Plans: Government Information Analyst at the Texas State Library & Archives Commission

Isanel Ceron
BS, Public Health, MHFA, FEMA Certifications

Fellowship Placement: Chambers County Public Health

Focus: Community Engagement, Vulnerable Populations

Future Plans: Summer Leader Intern at Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas and as a Program Assistant at Texas Native Health

Juan Cornejo 
AA, Business

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Accounts Payable Claims

Focus: Account Payable, Data Analytics

Brittaney Davis 
BS, Public Health, Behavioral Science and Health Promotion

Fellowship Placement: Fort Bend County Health & Human Services

Focus: Health Policy and Management

Future Plans: Community Health Education Specialist at Fort Bend County Health & Human Services

Patricia De La Cruz 
BSN

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Tuberculosis Program

Focus: Tuberculosis Surveillance

Arath De La Rosa
BS, Public Health

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Public Health Region 11

Focus: Tuberculosis, Epidemiology, Data Analysis

Future Plans: Master's degree and job with DSHS PHR11

Jeanene Duplechain 
CPhT

Fellowship Placement: Hardin County Health Services

Rebekka Garcia
MPH, CPH

Fellowship Placement: Galveston County Health District

Focus: Community Needs Assessment Analysis

Lesley Gonzalez 
BS, Public Health

Fellowship Placement: Hidalgo County Health & Human Services

Focus: Community Outreach

Future Plans: Public Health Specialist II at Hidalgo County Health & Human Services

Alexis Grasso 
BS, Public Health

Fellowship Placement: Waco-McLennan County Public Health District

Focus: Health Disparities

Future Plans: Program Specialist IV with DSHS Immunizations Section

Ana Karen Gutierrez 
BS, Health

Fellowship Placement: DSHS HIV/STD Surveillance and Reporting

Focus: HIV/STD Surveillance

Zhalla Hakimyar 
BA, English

Fellowship Placement: Amarillo Public Health

Focus: Health Equity

Miriam Jamie 
BS, Public Health

Fellowship Placement: Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District

Focus: Epidemiology and Community Engagement

Future Plans: Epidemiology and GIS Specialist with Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District

Tibor Kisel 
MPH

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Center for Public Health Policy and Practice

Focus: Health Disparities

Future Plans: Grants & Contracts Specialist with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine’s Center for Animal Health and Food Safety

Jessica Lennon 
MA, Professional Development; MA, English

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Public Health Administration

Focus: Streamlining HR Processing

Maria Lopez 
BA, Public Health

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Public Health Preparedness Program

Focus: Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Future Plans: Doctoral program in Occupational Therapy at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Fancine Mascarenhas 
MPH

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Immunization Vaccine and Education

Focus: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Future Plans: Research Specialist V with DSHS Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology (MCHE) section within the Community Health Improvement Division

Carrie Noelle McGehee 
MPH

Fellowship Placement: Brazos County Health District

Focus: Strategic Planning

Brianna Middleton 
BSA, Biochemistry

Fellowship Placement: Fort Bend County Health & Human Services

Focus: Community Engagement

Future Plans: Community Health Education Specialist at Fort Bend County Health & Human Services

April Montemayor 
BS, Public Health, BA, Sociology

Fellowship Placement: TCID/DSHS Infection Control and Employee Health Coordination

Focus: Infection Control & Behavioral Health

Sudeep Neupane 
BS, MPH

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Office of Border Public Health

Focus: Border Health Epidemiology

Future Plans: Research Coordinator with DSHS Office of Border Public Health

Dennis Ogeto Nyachoti 
MPH, DrPH

Fellowship Placement: DSHS STD/Congenital Syphilis Epidemiology and Surveillance

Focus: STD Epidemiology and Surveillance

Future Plans: Program Evaluator and Geographic Information Systems Consultant

Precious Ohemeng 
BSA, Neuroscience, BS, Psychology

Fellowship Placement: Williamson County and Cities Health District

Focus: Injury Surveillance, Overdose Epidemiology, Data Analytics

Future Plans: HD Research Specialist at Williamson County and Cities Health District

Gabriela Ortiz 
MS, PharmD

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Center for System Coordination and Innovation

Focus: Project Management

Alessandra Pequeno 
AA

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Fiscal Support & Oversight

Focus: Finance and Data Analytics

Nini Pham 
MPH

Fellowship Placement: Fort Bend County Health & Human Services

Focus: Mosquito Surveillance, FDA

Future Plans: Work for Fort Bend County Health and Human Services Environmental Health and apply for a Certification in Infection Control (CIC)

Sydnii Robinson  
BS, Public Health

Fellowship Placement: TCID/DSHS Community Relations

Focus: Community Relations

Future Plans: Health Program Specialist II with San Antonio Metro Health, attend the University of Cincinnati online to pursue a Master's in Community Health and Preventive Science

Ailie Rooney 
BS, Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Oral Health Improvement Program

Focus: Data Analytics, Community Outreach, Oral Improvement for Maternal and Child Health

Future Plans: MPH program in Healthcare Management at the UT Health Houston School of Public Health

Victoria Salinas 
MPH

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Environmental Epidemiology & Disease Registries Section

Focus: Environmental and Disease Registries Epidemiology

Future Plans: Medical Research Specialist with DSHS Environmental Epidemiology & Disease Registries Section

Philp Sanusi 
MPH

Fellowship Placement: City of Laredo Health Department

Focus: Implementation of Health Literacy

Future Plans: Doctoral degree in Health 
Systems and Policy with a concentration in 
Economics

Alexandra Simpson 
MPH

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Maternal and Child Health

Focus: Title V Engagement

Arlo Walker  
BS, Public Health, NREMT

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Zoonosis Control Program

Focus: Zoonosis Control

Future Plans: Emergency Preparedness and Response Specialist with DSHS PHR 1

Lauren Wheat  
BS, Biology

Fellowship Placement: DSHS Center for Public Health Policy and Practice

Focus: Communications, Marketing, Workforce Development

Future Plans: Master of Arts in Communication (health concentration) from Johns Hopkins University and continue working with DSHS Office of Practice and Learning

Aniyah Zaman  
BS, Public Health, CHES

Fellowship Placement: Fort Bend County Health & Human Services

Focus: Chronic and Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Future Plans: DrPH in Epidemiology at Texas A&M University in College Station