Naomi Patterson, MPH

Naomi’s hometown is Hilton Head, SC but her childhood was spent abroad, moving from country to country. After living in El Salvador, Zimbabwe, and Nepal, with annual trips home to South Carolina, she developed a desire to address the health disparities she saw during her travels. She completed her undergraduate studies at Williams College in Massachusetts as a double major in Biology and Anthropology. At Williams, she conducted research in a microbiology lab focused on an infectious disease that affects plants. She then combined her interests through her MPH program at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in the Global Health department, where she focused on infectious disease. While working in vaccine development, she developed an interest in vaccine promotion after witnessing an anti-vaccine protest.

As a Ph.D. student, she is interested in researching public health approaches to influence health-seeking behavior especially vaccinations. Also, a recent disability diagnosis added chronic disease prevention as an interest and strengthened her passion for public health.  She has served as a peer reviewer for public health journals and has one first-author publication under review. She is interested in working in health promotion and health policy. As a hobby, she is an aspiring baker and looks forward to improving her baking skills.