#WeAreEmoryEPI: Meet Sabrina Chow!

Meet Sabrina Chow! Sabrina is a second-year MPH candidate in our Environmental Health and Epidemiology program. She shared with us some of her experiences at Rollins.

Tell us about your academic history/where you went to school.

I graduated in May 2021 from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, with two Bachelors of Science, one in Biology and the other in Health: Science, Society, and Policy (essentially, Brandeis’s public health major). 

What are your primary research interests?

My primary research interest is studying how environmental factors affect health outcomes in vulnerable populations. I am particularly interested in exploring how air pollution and social and environmental determinants accentuate these outcomes, using exposure assessment and epidemiologic methods.

Are there any exciting projects that you are currently working on that you’d like to share with us?

Yes! I am working on a project with some professors in the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health on a mission with NASA. The mission–the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) investigation–is the first NASA-funded mission that seeks to understand how different types of air pollution affect human health. I am specifically helping with field sampling and supporting field operators worldwide.

What is your favorite part about earning your MPH at Emory?

My favorite part about Emory is the collaboration between students and faculty, and how inclusive the Rollins/Emory community has been. I’ve been able to form strong relationships with my faculty and peers, who have been a huge support for me in my endeavors.

When applying, what were you looking for in a public health school, and what factors drove you to pick Rollins?

I really appreciated having faculty reach out directly to me, offering to chat about my interests, while I was making my decisions and the research opportunities that were available at Rollins.

What has been your favorite class at Rollins thus far, and why?

Not specifically a favorite class, but I have really loved the toxicology classes that I’ve taken. EH 520 is Human Toxicology, and EHS 740 is Molecular Toxicology. I think I really loved the classes because the professor Dr. Mike Caudle made the class engaging and the topic exciting. Being able to learn about applied toxicology in the public health world has really helped me better understand the role that toxicology plays in environmental health.

How have you been spending your free time?

I really love hiking around Georgia. I would highly recommend getting a state park pass to explore all the nature that the state has to offer!

What advice do you have for 1st years?

Be open and willing to see everything that Rollins has to offer. We are one of the biggest public health programs in the country, so the opportunities are really endless. Take your time to take everything in before you narrow down an area that you want to settle in, because there may be something out there that you don’t even know you love yet!

Do you have any additional advice for prospective public health students?

Reach out to current students go gain their perspective on Rollins and ask questions! And don’t be afraid to reach out to faculty either. You can also visit rollinsambassadors.com, if you want to be connected with one of the great student ambassadors.

What are three fun facts that you want people to know about you?

1. I love doing community service work at Rollins and in the metro Atlanta area.
2. I’m a “professional” photographer.
3. I love to travel.

Thanks for talking with us, Sabrina! We can’t wait to introduce you to the next person part in our department!