Welcome to the Fall 2022 Semester and Academic Year 2023! | |
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On behalf of the entire OOMPH team, to our Fall 2022 cohort - welcome to the program and our community; to our continuing students - we look forward to a year of growth and learning; and to our August 2022 grads - congratulations on your accomplishments and welcome to our growing alumni family.
Last year, we celebrated our 10th anniversary as the first online graduate degree program that UC Berkeley ever offered. We celebrated our anniversary with a series of virtual panel discussions, a family picnic in June and the successful return to our summer visits on the Berkeley campus. Read on in this newsletter to hear more about our celebrations and see what the photos captured.
As we begin our second decade, we look forward to continuing to innovate in how public health training is made accessible to working professionals with an eye toward growing and expanding the educational programs we offer. Included in the newsletter are Program Announcements, Financial Updates and new Opportunities you might want to consider for the upcoming semester and year. What will never change is our commitment to providing each of you with a supportive learning environment in a rigorous, well rounded, meaningful public health education that is connected to the communities where you live and work.
This newsletter also has a section on Celebrating our Community. I believe it is our sense of community and in the ways that each of us brings meaning to our shared community that truly makes us different from other online programs. I hope you will enjoy reading about fellow students in the program and that you will join our BerkeleyIN project. BerkeleyIN is a new fun way to share with others your public health story - where you live and work and why you do public health. Details of how to participate are included and participants are in the raffle for some cool Berkeley Public Health swag.
On behalf of the entire OOMPH team, I hope this upcoming AY is productive, meaningful and full of connection for each of you.
Deborah
OOMPH Program Executive Director
Berkeley Public Health Assistant Dean for Education
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Important Dates & Deadlines | |
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August 14, 2022, Deadline for Spring 2022 Cohort: to complete the Pre-Practicum Self-Assessment (PPSA) See details below with Practicum information
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August 15, 2022, Deadline to waive SHIP for Fall. Students who don’t waive will be enrolled in SHIP and pay a $3,186 fee.
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August 22, 2022, Online courses instruction begins. Course sites open at 9:00 am Pacific Time.
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September 2, 2022, Deadline for all students to drop classes without a fee. $10 fee charged for each class dropped after this date.
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September 5, 2022, Academic & Administrative Holiday
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September 8, 2022, D-Lab Training & Lab Services Workshop 5:30 PM - 6 PM
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September 9, 2022, Deadline to become “officially registered” (tuition and fees paid, no blocks). $150 Late Registration Fee after this date
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September 21, 2022, Group Advising Session (1st year students)
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October 17 - 23, 2022, Fall 2022 Comprehensive Exam, December graduates please look out for a new Comprehensive Exam Information page in the Student Gateway coming this Fall!
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Program & Curriculum Updates
The AY 23-24 Program Calendar has been posted to the Student Gateway Program Calendar page. The calendar is intended to help your long range planning, and is subject to change.
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Pre-142 tutorial
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This free, self-directed tutorial designed to help prepare you for PHW142 Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Biology and Public Health is now available. This fully asynchronous tutorial covers topics including computer literacy, programming, and a brief intro to R, plus many key math topics such as algebra and logarithms. If you’d like to try this tutorial, please sign up here by clicking “Enroll Now” and then creating a new account (or logging in to your existing account you created for OOMPH 101).
We are happy to announce the following transitions in our program leadership
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After serving as our Faculty Director since 2017, we thank Jack Colford for his years of dedicated service to the program. Among many other accomplishments, Jack was instrumental in the addition of an OOMPH concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics and expansion of online curriculum in this area. We welcome Jay Graham as our next Faculty Director. Both Jack and Jay will continue to teach in the program.
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Deborah Barnett has been promoted to Assistant Dean for Education within Berkeley Public Health where she will be responsible for all educational programs including OOMPH. In this role, she will continue to foster connections with OOMPH and across the school and Berkeley campus. We are ready to recruit a new Executive Director to oversee strategic planning and management. Deborah will stay in her current role as Executive Director until a new director is in place.
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Evan vanDommelen-Gonzalez, as the program’s Academic Director, will be expanding her responsibilities to include oversight of curriculum and pedagogy. Evan is a long time teacher of PHW200G and an experienced and gifted public health educator. She will continue to teach and provide academic advising while leading curricular strategy, scheduling and pedagogical innovation for the program.
We look forward to the return of PHW209 and PHW204 to our AY23 course offerings
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Spring 2, Neelam Feachem will return to offer PHW209: Comparative Health Systems
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Summer 2, Jessica Watterson will return to offer PHW204: Mass Communications in Public Health
Welcome back Neelam and Jessica. Details of these two courses are found in the Student Gateway on the Course Catalog Page.
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Academic Advising - Saves the Dates
Group Advising for First Year Students (Fall 2022 Admits)
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Join us for our First Year Group Advising Session on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 5 PM - 6:15 PM via zoom. This workshop will provide you tools to enroll in the required spring courses and select your summer 2023 courses. Please submit your RSVP by September 6, 2022. Session will be recorded.
Group Advising Concentration Week for Second Year Students
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Join us for our Group Advising Sessions for Second Year students on the week of October 10 - October 13 from 5 PM - 6 PM via zoom. These workshops will provide you the opportunity to review the 2022-23 course offerings and answer questions about concentration course selections. Sessions will be recorded. More information is coming soon.
- Mon. 10/10/22 - Nutrition Group Advising Session
- Tues. 10/11/22 - Interdisciplinary Group Advising Session
- Wed. 10/12/22 - Epi/Biostat Group Advising Session
- Thurs. 10/13/22 - HPM Group Advising Session
If you require accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features in order to fully participate in this event, please contact oomph_prog_mgr@berkeley.edu.
BPH Events
Get Involved! If you are interested in attending SPH virtual events, please visit the community events calendar.
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New Fee Increase for Academic Year 2023-24
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The University of California, Office of the President (UCOP) has approved a 5% program fee increase for OOMPH, bringing the per unit cost from $1341 to $1408 starting January 2023. With 42 units required this brings the total program fees from $56,322 to $59,136, not including campus fees. The annual program fee increases are requested by the program to help cover anticipated increases in instructional and other program related costs.
New Campus Fee in CalCentral
- There is a new fee posted in CalCentral>>My Financials called the Instructional Resilience and Enhancement Fee (IREF) for $106 per academic year. “The student fee would provide access to the software and support services funded by the previous Student Technology Fee, as well as access to additional software and technologies that enhance student learning and provide a foundation for instructional resilience.”
If you have any questions about this increase, please contact oomph_prog_mgr@berkeley.edu
Employment Opportunities - Graduate Student Instructor (GSI)
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Celebrating Our Community | |
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The BerkeleyIN Project
What’s unique about your UC Berkeley Online MPH experience and community? Tell us your story from your community and we’ll feature you on the Online MPH Program’s website, newsletter, and social media platforms!
BerkeleyIN is our new project to build community through social media. Our goal is to showcase what you’re learning in class and how it’s being amplified in your community.
To participate in The BerkeleyIN Project:
Go out in your community and take pictures in your OOMPH t-shirts! This can include picking up your child from daycare, volunteering at a food bank, or working at your local public health agency. Please email [oomph_admin@berkeley.edu] if you have not received a t-shirt.
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Upload two - five photographs of yourself interacting with your home community using this Google Form.
- In the form, answer a few questions about your online MPH experience, what motivates you to study/work in public health, and why you chose Berkeley Public Health for your degree!
That’s it! We will be giving away 5 “Public Health for All” hats at random to those who participate. Winners will be announced via email on September 14 and October 14.
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Celebrating the Return of the In-Person On-Campus Summer Visits & 10 Years with OOMPH | |
After pausing the in-person visits due to the pandemic, the Program team was thrilled to be able to welcome OOMPH students back to Berkeley this summer over the 1st and 2nd Year visits! These visits are critical parts of the OOMPH program and have academic as well as community building goals. The required campus visits are embedded into Summer 1 courses (PHW289 and PHW200E) and offer the opportunity for applied learning through workshops and team projects, as well as the chance to deepen connections students have made in classes. There are communal meals and other events to meet faculty and staff and fun activities including a scavenger hunt during the 2nd year visit and the online simulation of climbing Everest in the 1st year visit. Throughout we used an online platform, Whova, to house the agenda, share logistics and updates, stimulate networking and a gallery of uploaded photos. | |  |
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This summer we also got to celebrate as a community our 10 year anniversary of OOMPH. We had a wonderful family picnic at the Campanile Esplanade during the 2nd year visit with comments from Dr. Nap Hosang and Dr. Steve Shortell. Steve and Nap were two of the driving forces that created the program and supported it for many years. It was magical to hear their tales of the early days, on getting approval to do something truly new at Berkeley and feel how proud they are of this program. Dr. Shortell, who was the past Dean at SPH and faculty in HPM was also able to come to the faculty lunch during the 1st year visit and share his best wishes with the students and some insights into the early days of OOMPH.
T-shirts commemorating the milestone were handed out at both visits and both visits took class photos while wearing!
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Speaking of photos, there was also a photo contest during the 1st year visit where the most liked student posted photo won a prize. We had so many great photos posted from workshops, off campus dinners, campus touring, etc and the winner was Hiba Hamden for her photo of students with PHW200E faculty Dr Tim Brown at the HPM lunch! | |
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We are so happy to have the in-person experience back and can’t wait for the Summer 2023 visits! Stay tuned for more information when the OOMPH Summer Visits pages are updated for next summer. | |
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Dr. Efison Dhodho is an OOMPH Global Health Fellow and the OPHID Strategic Information and Evaluation Director in Harare, Zimbabwe. He recently presented at the INTEREST Conference in Kampala, Uganda about his team’s research integrating mental health screening and support in routine HIV Care. Please take a moment to learn about Efison’s team’s work and how he and his team have applied a community public health approach to HIV Care: Ok to Not Be Ok in HIV Care ('voice over slide' version here). Thank you for your team’s holistic community health promotion efforts!
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Manasa Susarla and Margaret Trimble have published! Congratulations! Manasa and Margaret have been working with Dr. Karen Sokal-Gutierrez, Clinical Professor with Berkeley Public Health, on addressing global oral health disparities and published their research in Frontiers: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Oral Healthcare vs. General Healthcare Utilization in Five Low- and Middle-Income Countries: https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2022.911110
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Fall Graduate Assembly Announcement
The Graduate Assembly (GA) is the representative body of UC Berkeley graduate and professional students. Delegates represent each school and are directly involved in change and decision making processes. Do you have questions about becoming a Delegate…ask one of us!
Fall Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month (excluding September which will be 9/8/22) in the Senate Chambers on the 5th floor of Eshleman Hall or via Zoom. Contact your Delegates if you have an issue that you would like the GA to address or if you have resolution ideas that can improve OOMPH graduate student life at UC Berkeley.
Have a fall conference you would like to attend and need funding? Apply for funding through the GA. Questions? Student Concerns? Creative IDEAS!? Contact your SPH Delegates.
Amia Nash anash@berkeley.edu
Juan Cruz Armas juancruzarmas@berkeley.edu
Brittany Rogers brittanyrogers@berkeley.edu
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Available 130+ Hour Practicum Opportunities
Are you looking to start a practicum this Fall? Check out these available opportunities, including those who are recruiting immediately! For future opportunities, please log into PHLEX and consider setting up a saved search to receive regular updates in your inbox!
Questions? Email publichealthcareers@berkeley.edu.
Some of the new practicum opportunities:
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Research assistance: a review of validated Nutrient Profiling Systems (Remote), George Institute for Global Health [MPH Practicum 130+ hours, Part-time] Apply now! (Hiring immediately, Anticipated start date 9/05) Listed Deadline: 8/22 @ 11:59pm PDT
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MPH Project Associate (Remote), Center for Care Innovation [MPH Practicum 130+ hours, Part-time] Apply now! (Hiring immediately, Anticipated start date 9/19) Listed Deadline: 8/24 @ 11:59pm PDT
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Data Analyst MPH Practicum Experience (Remote flexibility), UCSF - UC San Francisco [MPH Practicum 130+ hours, Part-time] Apply now! (Hiring immediately, Anticipated start date 8/17) Listed Deadline: 8/31 @ 11:59pm PDT
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Student Epidemiologist (Remote), CDPH - California Department of Public Health [MPH Practicum 130+ hours, Part-time] Apply now! (Hiring immediately, Anticipated start date 9/05) Listed Deadline: 9/02 @ 11:59pm PDT
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Intern (Remote), Public Health Podcast Network [MPH Practicum 130+ hours, Part-time] Apply now! (Hiring immediately, Anticipated start date 9/01) Listed Deadline: 9/30 @ 11:59pm PDT
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Student Health Educator (Remote flexibility), CA Dept of Public Health, TB Control Branch [MPH Practicum 130+ hours, Part-time] Apply now! (Hiring immediately, Anticipated start date 8/22) Listed Deadline: 9/30 @ 11:59pm PDT
Check out PHLEX for additional opportunities!
Spring 2022 Cohort: Reminder - Complete the Pre-Practicum Self-Assessment (PPSA) by 8/14
All students who began the OOMPH program January 2022 should have received an email from the RISE office (via molivera@berkeley.edu) requesting you to complete the Pre-Practicum Self-Assessment (PPSA). Please be sure to complete this by 8/14.
The Pre-practicum Self-Assessment (PPSA) gathers feedback about your specific graduate practicum-related interests. You will be asked about the factors that are most important to you in applying the knowledge and skills that you've gained in the OOMPH program and in enhancing your development as a public health professional.
- WHEN & HOW should I complete it?
Please complete the PPSA by Sunday, August 14, at 11:59 PM PT. It should take no more than 10 -15 minutes to complete. The form should have been emailed directly to you.
RISE will use results from this assessment to learn about individual and cohort-related interests that will help guide outreach efforts for practicum opportunities. We also encourage you to use this self-reflection in your meetings with staff and faculty as you explore your interests and discuss how best to navigate the next steps in your practicum search.
Email Kandis Rodgers, Career & Practicum Specialist [krodgers@berkeley.edu]
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