{"id":12310,"date":"2026-03-04T10:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T10:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/mission\/?p=12310"},"modified":"2026-03-19T19:09:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T19:09:16","slug":"building-public-health-proficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazines.uthscsa.edu\/mission\/building-public-health-proficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"Building public health proficiency: Students focus on making a difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

Master of Public Health students reflect on what they\u2019ve learned and how they\u2019re helping shape this leadership pipeline program to serve South Texas<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n

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Brenda Nieves\u2019 passion for public health was years in the making. From a young age, her parents instilled in her a drive to help others.<\/p>\n

And she has.<\/p>\n

Nieves has consistently sought the best outcomes for patients and those in need \u2014 from her job as a 911 operator, to her work within a family medicine practice, to her current role as a training specialist at UT Health San Antonio\u2019s practice operations, working with the clinical practices to ensure efficient and high-quality operations on behalf of patients.<\/p>\n

So, it seemed only natural for Nieves to gravitate toward the Master of Public Health program in the Kate Marmion School of Public Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat drew me into the public health field is being an advocate for the community,\u201d Nieves said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with a family medicine doctor for quite some time, you get attached to your patients. Some don\u2019t have insurance and don\u2019t know how to navigate getting enrolled into programs. And so being able to guide them and help them is what drew me into public health.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Students from the inaugural cohort of the Kate Marmion School of Public Health’s Master of Public Health program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As part of the inaugural cohort of 35 students in the school\u2019s master\u2019s MPH program<\/a>, which launched in August 2024, Nieves and her classmates are setting the tone for the future of public health education in Texas and looking to make a difference in a field focused on improving population health outcomes.<\/p>\n

Leaning on life experience <\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

For Kelechi Adejo, laying the foundation for future cohorts is an important aspect of being a member of the inaugural class.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s that sense you\u2019re the one paving the way,\u201d Adejo said. The occupational therapy assistant and mother of three moved from Columbia, Missouri, to start the master\u2019s program to help impact policies that provide health access.<\/p>\n

It was a stint living in rural Tennessee that gave Mary Sanchez a firsthand look at healthcare shortages in rural communities and led to her desire to work in healthcare.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a huge lack of access,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, for patients who might not have the best caretakers or access to funding to get caretakers, what does their life look like?\u201d<\/p>\n

As an operations manager for language services at University Hospital, Sanchez said she has been able to take what she is learning in her classes and apply it to her day-to-day work at the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really fulfilling and helpful,\u201d Sanchez said.<\/p>\n

Like Sanchez, Audrey Cordova, who recently graduated with her bachelor\u2019s degree in public health and is now in the MPH program, saw firsthand how the lack of access to healthcare services outside of Brownsville, Texas, had affected her grandparents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat motivated me to [ask] why is it that rural communities are having this issue? Why aren\u2019t there enough doctors? Why aren\u2019t there enough clinics? The closest ER to [my grandparents] was 30 minutes away,\u201d said Cordova.<\/p>\n

Tracey Barnett, founding chair and associate professor of the school\u2019s Department of Quantitative and Qualitative Health Sciences, notes that a shortage of primary care physicians serving in rural areas can mean higher rates of preventable illness and a reduction in the quality of life and health in general. By raising awareness about the lack of services in rural communities, the school\u2019s MPH program is equipping students to potentially help fill the gaps in these communities, Barnett said.<\/p>\n

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A profound rural public health need<\/span><\/h2>\n