The official UK College of Public Health alumni newsletter for all our graduates, ambassadors, and public health leaders.

We continue to be deeply saddened by the shocking images coming out of southeastern Kentucky. Many of our students, research teams, alumni, staff, and faculty live, learn, work, and play in these beautiful mountains.

We stand with those who are struggling during this difficult time and will work alongside them throughout the recovery process. Read our full message which includes different ways to help along with additional resources.
Featured Stories
An author, diplomate, doctor, editor, educator, father, founder, friend, grandfather, husband, mentor, researcher, veteran, and so much more, Dr. F. Douglas Scutchfield, inaugural dean of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, passed away on Monday, May 23, in Lexington, Kentucky.
“CPH is my home, my community. It is an honor to serve. I am grateful to Dr. Arnett and the hard work done to make CPH a leader of positive change for population health,” says Dr. Bush. “We are an outstanding and passionate community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners. I am excited to be part of this next phase in the College’s history.”
Alumni Success Stories
George Zhang is an accomplished young alum from our MHA program and has quickly climbed the ladder to become a Hospital Administrator for both Ascension St. Vincent Clay and St. Vincent Dunn hospitals. Ascension St. Vincent is a member of Ascension, which is the the nation’s largest not-for-profit Catholic Healthcare System.
Leah Casanave is currently the Division Chief at the Douglas County Health Department in Omaha, Nebraska. “Our mission is to protect, promote, and prioritize the health of our entire community,” says Leah. “We want a healthy, vibrant, and resilient community for everyone, everywhere.”
Dr. Jennifer Jones-Vanderleest was honored with the 2022 American Academy of HIV Medicine’s Cesar Augusto Caceres Award for Technology in HIV Practice. She was honored for innovative telemedicine partnership, which improves the care of people with HIV incarcerated in the King County (Wash.) Jails.
Alumna and current Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center epidemiologist, Mira Mirzaian, saw the Central Appalachian Regional Education and Research Center as the boost she needed to kickstart her career in research.
In the News
We are committed to training health professionals who will advance the well-being of the Commonwealth and beyond!
To adhere to this mission, a collaboration among four health care colleges – Public HealthHealth SciencesNursing, Medicine – has been established to construct an innovative, state-of-the-art health education building in late 2026.
Our MHA program has established a new partnership with UK HealthCare resulting in a new administrative practicum position for students. Starting in Fall 2022, UKHC has committed approximately 30 paid positions for full-time MHA students while enrolled in the two-year program.
Severe weather is an ongoing risk to Kentucky workers. The Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Surveillance program recently released a Hazard Alert that focuses on severe weather response and recovery.
The Center for Innovation in Population Health created the "Shift, Shift…Bloom!" Podcast, which examines how people change, why they change, and how they sustain the changes that are most important to them in their everyday lives. The ten-episode first season featured guests who consider themselves in one of three categories: change makers, change embracers, or resistors of change.
For this year's One Day for UK, CPH asked their community to support the new Student Support Fund, designed to help current students who are experiencing a financial crisis or monetary emergency. We received approximately 100 donations totaling $18,441 going directly to this fund and we increased our donor participation rate by 150% from the previous year.
At the 2022 National Public Health Week, our campus community showed up in strong numbers to support various events in shedding light on different public health issues, celebrating the impact public health has on the world, and bringing additional awareness to the field of public health.
Stay Connected
A new networking platform, Wildcat Network, has launched and you’re invited to join! The free online community is exclusive to UK alumni, students, parents and campus partners. It provides a directory and mentorship platform and is designed to empower connections across the globe through personal and professional networks.
Visit our new alumni page to stay connected with us and each other, and remember to engage with us on social media.

Have a success story to share? Please contact Christopher Carney, Director of Marketing and Communications.