Environmental Health Sciences
Our Graduates
Recent Graduates
"I lucked into MEZCOPH’s 3+2 BS/MPH EOH-IH Accelerated Program as a freshman after visiting a seminar on graduate programs at the college and quickly found it to be one of the best decisions I could have made."
Tim Gustafson, MPH
Education
- MPH EOH-Industrial Hygiene, University of Arizona (2022)
- BS Public Health (EOH), University of Arizona
Employment
- Senior IH Lead, Liabilities Management Group, Freeport-McMoRan
- Scheduled for Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) exam in 2026
MEZCOPH Industrial Hygiene Program Highlights
- MEZCOPH Accelerated MPH Program (3+2 BS/MPH-EOH-IH)
- Staff IH position immediately following Summer 2022 internship
"The Industrial Hygiene track provides a tight-knit network of academic and industry professionals that engages you throughout your entire program at the University of Arizona. Through this, I had the opportunity to build work experience and skills from day one at UA Occupational Health, Research Laboratory & Safety Services, and the San Xavier Mining Laboratory coupled with industry-driven, field-ready coursework that I still use to this day as a working professional."
"The UA MPH-IH program prepared me to be a practicing professional industrial hygienist right out of graduate school by giving me hands on experience with IH equipment and real-life sampling scenarios."
Andrew Stafford, MPH, GSP
Education
- Candidate, PhD Environmental Health Sciences, University of Arizona
- MPH Industrial Hygiene, University of Arizona (2023)
- BS Chemical Engineering, University of Arizona
Employment
- Environmental Health and Safety Specialist, RTX (Raytheon)
- Selected for RTX Leadership Development Program
MEZCOPH Industrial Hygiene Program Highlights
- GSP Qualified Academic Program (Certified Safety Professionals)
- UA Internship resulted in immediate full-time employment in IH
"Coming from an engineering background, but not necessarily a public health or IH background, the MPH IH program provided a nice bridge from academics to practice and was structured enough for me to catch on easily despite not having a public health background."
"Joining the IH program was the best decision I made for my EOH career."
"The professors taught subjects effectively and efficiently and were there to support me when I had questions about IH careers and/or specific class topics."
Jersey Orias, MPH, GSP
Education
- MPH EOH-Industrial Hygiene, University of Arizona (2024)
- BS Public Health (EOH), University of Arizona
Employment
- Early Career Program (ECP) - Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Specialist, Hexcel Corporation
MEZCOPH Industrial Hygiene Program Highlights
- GSP Qualified Academic Program (Certified Safety Professionals)
- UA Internship resulted in selection for full-time employment in IH
- MEZCOPH “Outstanding MPH Graduate” – December 2024
"The IH program provided me with ample technical knowledge, skills, and networking. In fact, one of the classes I completed before starting my internship at Hexcel helped me tremendously in succeeding in that internship, which helped me land my current role."
Previous Graduates
“Having been to three different schools for my BS, MPH, and PhD (all in public health), I can't say enough good things about the program here. Both the faculty and administrative staff have been extremely helpful and committed to my success, and I know them all personally, which I found difficult in my larger MPH program. I graduated in May of 2013 and even before graduation, I had an assistant faculty position lined up, which I attribute to their support. In my opinion, you will not find a better, more prestigious public health school with the same emphasis on personal attention and applied learning than MEZCOPH.”
Laura Suppes, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Environmental Public Health
University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
Education
PhD Environmental Health Sciences, University of Arizona
MPH, University of Minnesota
BS Environmental and Public Health, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
Research Interests
- Waterborne and water based pathogen exposure
- Chemical, biological, and physical hazard identification and remediation in recreational water environments (lakes, rivers, swimming pools, etc.)
- Quantitative microbiological risk assessment
“My focus has always been science and I wanted a field where I could incorporate science to directly impact the health of communities. Public health allows me to do scientific research and then use that research to figure out how I will be able to positively impact health. Choosing MEZCOPH happened by chance. I was working at ALEC my senior year and was introduced to a faculty member in the Environmental Health section at MEZCOPH. After meeting with her I was convinced that Environmental Health at MEZCOPH was the place for me to be.”
Yoshira Ornelas, MS
Graduate Research Assistant for Metal Exposure Study in Homes (MESH), Primary Investigator for Friends of the Santa Cruz River Project
"Investigating water quality in private wells in Santa Cruz County"
Education
MS Environmental Health Sciences, University of Arizona
BS Microbiology, University of Arizona
Research Interests
- Water quality
- Health Disparities
- Risk assessment
- Metal Exposures
- Community Health
“The faculty and staff are very helpful and supportive, so do no be afraid to ask for help.”
Kerton Victory, PhD, MS
Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Atlanta, Georgia
Education
PhD Environmental Health Sciences, University of Arizona
MS Nutritional Sciences, University of Arizona
BS Biomedical Sciences, City University of New York-Brooklyn College
Research Interests
- Health disparities
- Water quality
- Risk Perception