Alumni Mentoring Program turns 10!

Graduate students at the Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine have a tremendous list of resources to draw from during their academic careers, and one of those assets is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this February.

The Alumni Mentoring Program, which was piloted in the fall of 2014 and officially launched in the spring of 2015, now has a decade-long track record of connecting public health students with alumni in the professional space.

Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine Career Services and Alumni Relations Offices will host a celebration webinar on Wednesday, February 5, to commemorate the program's 10-year anniversary. Past mentors and mentees will share their personal experiences while addressing the history of the program and its impact over the last decade.

“Exposure to careers in public health empowers students to make informed career decisions,” Alumni Mentoring Program Director and Director of Career Services Abby Lukens said. “Over the last decade, through the SPHTM Alumni Mentoring Program, students have not only gained the public health industry knowledge to guide their own career decisions but have also built lasting connections with alumni professionals. This historic celebration not only highlights the long-standing impact of mentoring but also honors the alumni who have given back by sharing their insights and stories with our students.”

Founded by Dr. Sue Griffey (IHD MPH ’83, DrPH ’93), who now serves as mentor emeritus, the program boasts over 100 alumni mentors in its history, with over 400 matches to date.

The program serves as a tangible way for alumni to give back and share their experiences while students can gain public health career exposure and connection. 

By matching current public health students at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School with experienced school alumni, students gain in-the-field assistance in planning and achieving their career goals. 

Interested attendees can register for the webinar at the link.

If you are a student looking to be matched, an alum looking to get involved, or a faculty or staff member seeking to learn more, please join. All are welcome!

Scheduled Panelists:

Dr. Sue Griffey (Founder, Mentor Emeritus, Current Mentor): Griffey is an experienced evaluator and international development professional in program and performance evaluation, monitoring, informatics, applied research, and training more than 25 years of increasingly complex and challenging management and leadership. Griffey has spent the last 11 years mentoring public health and other professionals as private clients and in programs at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School (the program she co-founded), the University of Rochester, MultiPOD Mentoring, the American Public Health Association International Health Section, and World Pulse.

Dr. Chris Murrill (EPID MPH ’92, Mentor from Fall 2015 - Present) : As an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and Ministries of Health, Murrill conducts in-country vaccine preventable disease surveillance program reviews in the global setting. Murrill was among the first mentors in the program, beginning in Fall 2015, and continues to serve today. 

Dr. Alexandra Duncan (MCH MPH ’04, Past Mentor): Duncan’s research broadly focuses on racial and ethnic disparities in the access to and quality of substance use disorder treatment and HIV/AIDS treatment, with a particular interest in working with special populations such as current and formerly incarcerated persons, racial and ethnic minorities, and youth living with behaviorally acquired HIV/AIDS, and people who use drugs. 

Jeremy Reimann (ENHS MSPH ’08, Mentor from Fall 2022 – Present, SPHTM Alumni Association Executive Board Member): Reimann has over ten years of experience progressing innovative pre-clinical, clinical, and translational research in diverse therapeutic areas across various sectors. His  current role is clinical project manager at New World Medical, a small ophthalmology medical device company based in California, where he works cross functionally with stakeholders to further clinical operations. 

Tiani Jones (SBPS MPH ’23, Former Mentee): Jones was mentored by Dr. Alexandra Duncan. Since graduation, she has served as a public health educator at the City of Houston Health Department. 

Pan Hu (HPM MPH ’24, Former Mentee): Hu was mentored by Jeremy Reimann and is now a registered nurse at Ochsner Health. 
Catie Seltz-Drew Fesko (IHSD MPH ’23, Former Mentee): Fesko was mentored by Dr. Chris Murrill and now works as a specialist in business development in global health and the Center for Digital Acceleration at DAI, a global development company.

Helina Shiferaw (Former Mentee): Helina is a current MPH student in health policy and was mentored by Dr. Sue Griffey. She has a background in clinical medicine and worked as a technical officer at the Federal Ministry of Health in Ethiopia.

Alumni Mentoring Program Mentors (2014-2025):
* Served as an inaugural mentor during pilot programming