Welcome & Welcome Back
Category : News/Events
We wish a warm welcome to our new students, and are delighted to welcome back our returning students! The beginning of the academic year is such an exciting time for all of us.
I’m always energized by the enthusiasm and passion of our new students, who are beginning to explore all that the Rollins School of Public Health has to offer. You have joined a vibrant community of scholars who share your passion for promoting health and eliminating inequities. During the next two years, you will be able to explore your interests further – you may deepen your resolve to pursue the passions that led you here, and you may also discover new areas that you hadn’t considered before. I encourage you to seek out many new opportunities while you are here – there is no better time to soak in all that you can, and these two years will come to a close before you know it.
The return of our second year students is always exciting, as well. Many of you have spent the summer working on your Applied Practice Experiences and bring fresh ideas and perspectives with you as you return to the classroom. You’ve also turned your eyes towards your theses, and will begin to make measurable progress towards completing this milestone soon. As the semester begins, I encourage all of you to be thoughtful about how you carve out time so that you can balance your coursework, thesis, and your personal wellbeing.
We look forward to having the opportunity to get to know you both inside and outside of the classroom. This year, we will continue our monthly Chair’s Chats – a time for you to spend with myself, as your Director of Graduate Studies, and our Department Chair, Tim Lash. This is an event that we look forward to each month – we enjoy the opportunity to hear from you! It’s important to us to hear what is going well, and whether there are ways in which we can improve. We also use this as an opportunity to bring in guest speakers, and share some tips for how to help you become influential public health leaders.
We are also excited to announce a new seminar series for this academic year: Behind the Manuscript. While it would be nice if research were always packaged nicely and tied up with a beautiful bow, the reality is that things don’t always happen as the text books might lead you to believe. These sessions will be led by faculty in the Department of Epidemiology, and will pull back the curtain to allow you to see what it takes to get to the polished manuscripts that you see in the literature. Our first session will be on September 24th from 12-12:50, and will be led by Dr. Mike Goodman. Stay tuned for more details!
For information on these, and other, Departmental events – please keep an eye out on Canvas, the Confounder, and the weekly RSPH events emails. The best way to ensure that you make it to these events is to get them on your calendar! Please see this link for instructions on how to add these to your calendar.
Again – welcome, and welcome back! We are thrilled that you are here and look forward to the year ahead.
Lauren Christiansen-Lindquist
Director of Graduate Studies, MPH & MSPH Programs