Gilbert S. Omenn Award-Winners

The Omenn Award annually recognizes a master's and a PhD student for outstanding scholarship and commitment to public health.

Peter Cherutich (PhD, Global Health) is the first graduate of the new program in global health metrics and implementation science. He is a physician, founding chair of the Public Health Society of Kenya, and has led national HIV prevention efforts in Kenya's Ministry of Health. His research focused on increasing access to testing for sexual partners of people with HIV. He hopes to apply skills from his training to "provide innovative solutions to the emerging non-communicable disease burden" in Kenya.

Trevor Peckham earned two degrees: an MS in Environmental Health and a Master of Public Administration. His research looked at skin exposures to a chemical byproduct of combustion found in soil. His research includes recommendations to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that support a new formula to calculate the dangers from exposure. "There is particular concern that we're underestimating the risk for all chemicals that can be absorbed through skin from soil," he says.

These SPH scholarships and fellowships are made possible by generous donations from friends and alumni, and they recognize academic merit and promise.

Grayston-Day Fellowship

Janeth Sanchez is interested in health care reform, cancer health disparities, and social inequalities. The incoming PhD student (Health Services) lives in Clint, TX, a small farming community where Hispanics make up half the population. She's been working with Hispanic and Native American populations as a National Outreach Network Community/Cancer Health Educator at the National Cancer Institute. Says Janeth, "The Grayston-Day Fellowship has made it possible for me to focus on my studies and to contribute to the body of scholarly work related to cancer health disparities and health equity without having to worry about finding a research assistantship or a job outside the university."

SPH Endowed Fellowship

Monisha Sharma (PhD student, Epidemiology) focuses on evaluating strategies to expand HIV testing and links to treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. Before joining SPH, she worked at the Harvard School of Public Health, using mathematical models to investigate the cost-effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention. She plans to use the endowed fellowship funds to travel to London's Imperial College to complete a two-week course on infectious disease modeling.

Magnuson Scholar

Established by the late U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson, this scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding student from each Health Sciences school.

Anjuli Wagner (PhD student, Epidemiology) is working to improve ways to find HIV-positive children in Kenya who slip through the cracks. About 60 percent of children who are living with HIV are undiagnosed. Anjuli and her colleagues are trying to find them before they get so sick they can't be treated with medicines. The CATCH (Counseling and Testing for Children at Home) project is part of the Kenya Research and Training Center, a collaboration between the UW and the University of Nairobi.

"Half of kids with untreated HIV will die by age two, and 80 percent of them will die by age five," Anjuli says. "So it's really important to find them before they get sick. We start backwards, and find adults who are already in care for their own HIV infection and ask them if they have any kids that haven't been tested for HIV." The CATCH team has been able to talk with more than 22,000 HIV-infected adults and has offered testing to hundreds of families so far.

UW President's Medals Awarded to Two SPH Students

Undergraduate Ashley Bobman (Public Health major, Nutritional Sciences minor) was awarded the UW Sophomore President's Medal for having the highest academic standing in her class. Ashley, who recently completed her junior year, was also recognized for her interdisciplinary work and extracurricular activities. She volunteers 10 hours a week and is active in the Sephardic Studies Program. Her great-grandfather, Albert Levy, was a prominent writer in Ladino, a dying language that Ashley is working to preserve.

Graduating senior Sanjit Kaur (Public Health major, Nutritional Sciences minor), was named one of two winners of the UW President's Medal for her outstanding academic performance. Each year the UW recognizes two graduating seniors at the top of their class – one who has completed three-quarters of his or her work at the UW and another who transferred from a community college. Sanjit spent two years at Seattle Central College before transferring to the UW. Public health appealed to her "you get the chance to improve more lives and more communities."