Opening Message

Hello OOMPH students!

There is a crispness to the air in the mornings and evenings in Berkeley - the fall semester is underway! And while I’m keeping abreast of your online experience, your instructors, and you (thanks to the best program managers around!), I am also planning ahead for the spring semester.  The spring 2024 applicant pool is under review now and we are seeing many Bear-worthy candidates.  We expect to make offers of admission next month to a January 2024 cohort.  Stay tuned!

September kicks off Latinx Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15). I grew up on the Texas-Mexican border and while my Mexican-American family and community didn’t celebrate the month, we did celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day (Día de la Independencia), September 16 with a parade.  As a kid, I favored the charros (Mexican cowboys) leading the parade in their fine black outfits and snazzy sombreros on their fancy prancing horses. As a high school band member, I got to march in that parade (careful where I stepped!) and hang out with my friends afterwards. I haven’t found a Día de la Independencia parade to attend around Berkeley, but I do enjoy attending live performances at Los Cenzontles in nearby San Pablo.  If you are ever in town, look them up! I’ll close with a song recommendation fitting for this month. Take a listen to Will the Wolf Survive by one of my all time favorite bands, Los Lobos.

Go Bears!

Cathy

Executive Director, BPH Online

Announcements

Important Dates and Deadlines: 

• Friday, September 22 - Last Day for Graduates to Add/Drop Classes and Change Units via Enrollment Center. After this date, please complete the Petition to Change Class Schedule form. For information about Refunds please visit OOMPH Refund Policy
• Saturday, September 23 - Spring 2024 Enrollment appointments are available on Calcentral for continuing and readmitted students. Mark your Calendar for Phase 1!
• Monday, October 16 - Spring Phase 1 Enrollment begins for continuing students.

W289 New Summer Visit Dates:

• Tuesday, May 28 - Sunday, June 2, 2024 or Saturday, June 1 - Thursday, June 6, 2024
• Please review the 9/11 communications

AY24-25 Program Calendar:

• The AY 24-25 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.

Course Enrollment:

• PHW209 is moving from Spring 2 to Spring 1 in 2024.
• New Spring 2 course, PHW290: Diet and Chronic Disease

Welcome Carrie Bertalot (she/her), our new HPM Graduate Student Advisor! Carrie joined us in June 2023 and is supporting the Health Policy & Management concentration. Many of you met her during the W200E summer on-campus visit. 

Carrie is originally from Portland, Oregon and has recently relocated to the Bay Area to join the Health Policy & Management advising team at Berkeley Public Health! The education that has led her to this role started first with a BA in Social Sciences from Portland State University, followed by a BS in Social Work from Warner Pacific University, and finally, an MA in Organizational Leadership, also from Warner Pacific University. Over the past five years she has held a career in higher education both as an admissions counselor and an academic advisor, working with a diverse range of students, from incoming freshman, to graduate students in adult learner programs. She has thoroughly enjoyed her role in supporting and advocating for students to have agency in their educational experience, and equitable access to resources in order to thrive holistically. 

When it comes to advising, Carrie’s priority is to ensure that students have a clear understanding of what is expected of them in their program requirements, so that they can feel empowered in owning their educational experience. Additionally, her hope is to create a safe space for students to approach HPM staff with any questions or concerns they may have around accomplishing their academic goals. Carrie is here to cheer you on and celebrate all that you accomplish along the way and cannot wait to connect with you this upcoming academic year!

Carrie will be your primary point of contact for HPM for any questions or concerns that may arise regarding your program requirements and scheduling needs. She is also here to connect you with any resources available that may benefit you while in our program! Carrie will be working in conjunction with Kristine Doss, HPM Program Manager and Kim MacPherson, HPM Faculty Advisor in order to make sure that you are on track with your degree plan, so rest assured knowing that you have a whole team of people here that are to assist you along the way! Carrie is currently joining Kristine in advising appointments and responding to emails. Connect with Carrie via email to oomph_prog_mgr@berkeley.edu or make an appointment here.

The Social Impact Innovation Grant Program provides funding for current Berkeley students to explore and establish community-based projects that improve health equity within and across communities. Applications are currently open – Due 9/24/2023!

Student Spotlight

Yoo-Jin Kang, 2nd-year Interdisciplinary award recipient of the Sisters in Public Health Scholarship for 2024! Congratulations, Yoo-Jin!

D-Lab Workshop

The Social Sciences D-Lab provided an overview of their comprehensive training and consulting services last week. Thanks to everyone who joined! OOMPH students have found D-Lab to be a great resource in the past. You can find a recording of the presentation in our Events Archive.

D-Lab’s mission is to assist scholars from various disciplines and backgrounds in overcoming any obstacles that may hinder their proficiency in using computational tools and methods for their research.They are dedicated to supporting students at every stage of their research journey and offer services that include methods workshops (e.g. machine learning), software and coding training (e..g Python, R, Excel fundamentals, qualitative data analysis software), data and computing support (e.g. using Census data), and consultations on analytical assistance, research design, and software troubleshooting.

Summer Visit Information

Mark your calendars!  The dates for the 2024 On-Campus Summer Visits have been finalized:

• 1st Year Visit (part of PHW200E)
• Monday, June 24 - Friday, June 28, 2024
• 2nd Year Visit (part of PHW289)
• Option 1: Tuesday, May 28 - Sunday, June 2, 2024
• Option 2: Saturday, June 1 - Thursday, June 6, 2024
• Students will have a chance to select their preferred option later this Fall.

Career & Practicum Opportunities

• APPLY NOW: 130+ Hour Fall Practicum Opportunities on PHLEX! 
• Access PHLEX for a complete list of additional opportunities including GSI/GSR, practicum, and part/full-time. Please note that several practicum opportunities on PHLEX are curated exclusively for OOMPH students by community partners. 
• Don’t forget to book an appointment with RISE on PHLEX (navigate to left panel labeled Appointments) to strategize your search, have your application materials reviewed, and/or receive interview support! RISE is here to assist you in presenting your strongest application.
• Some new practicum opportunities (visit PHLEX for complete list): 
• Research Assistant: Resiliency Technologies, Inc. (Paid, Remote) Apply now! Open until filled.
• WWHND Researcher: Hesperian Health Guide (Paid, Remote flexibility) Apply now! Open until filled.
• Advocacy Fellow: Fund for Global Health (Remote) Apply now! Open until filled.
• Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) Grant Intern: Berkeley Unified School District (Remote) Apply now! Open until filled.
• Internship/Practicum: Center for Critical Public Health (Paid, Remote) Apply now! Open until filled.

• The UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint Program in Computational Precision Health (CPH) is a graduate training and research program that will change health care practice and policy locally and globally. The mission of CPH is to apply computation to real-world settings to improve the quality, efficiency, and equity of medicine and public health. The PhD in Computational Precision Health trains students to rigorously formulate problems with direct impact on individual and population health, and to develop new computational methods to address these problems in the complexity of the real world. The admissions application for Fall 2024 will open on September 13th. Email biancav@berkeley.edu for an information session or visit https://computationalhealth.berkeley.edu/admissions/.

• Community
• DREAM is seeking  Prospective Student Ambassadors, or "PSAs," are current students who meet with prospective students to discuss their experience applying and participating in SPH graduate programs. PSAs can meet with students individually, during office hours, and have the opportunity to participate in student panels. The prospective student ambassador program (formerly known as GRADS) is critical to Berkeley Public Health recruitment efforts in general but also helps in recruiting and supporting diverse prospective students. If you would like to learn more about the Prospective Student Ambassador program, please visit the DREAMs office website, where you can find more information under “Services for Prospective Students”.  Please reach out to sphdiversity@berkeley.edu if you have any questions.

• Do you have an idea to make a positive impact on society? Then the Big Ideas Contest is for you! Big Ideas is an early-stage innovation ecosystem focusing on social entrepreneurship, welcoming all bold ideas aimed at addressing pressing global and social challenges. The best part? No idea is too early to apply. You could win up to $20,000 in funding, gain access to invaluable one-on-one mentorship from industry experts, and turn your vision into reality. Don’t miss your chance to become a changemaker – applications are due by December 6th.
• Interested in learning more about the Big Ideas Contest? Join us for our first info session and speaker series event with Marco Lobba, CEO and Co-Founder of Cartena Biosciences, on September 28th at 12:00 PM. RSVP here and sign up for our interest form to stay up to date with upcoming events and opportunities.

BPH Apparel Interest Form

Student Government's Annual Berkeley Public Health Merchandise Sale! This semester Student Government hopes to offer many of the same, standard apparel items as last semester, plus a couple new additions! In an effort to gauge interest, please fill out this interest form by Friday, September 15 at 11:59pm and tell them what types of apparel and merchandise you would like to see! More details about our upcoming merch sale will be announced soon via email!