Lady Dorothy Avila Elli
MPH, Global Health
Reach for the moon. Talk to the professor whose research you are interested in being a part of. Join or start that club or organization because you want to make a difference or be involved. Talk to your advisors and never be afraid to ask for help. MEZCOPH is a community, and it takes a community to build a well-rounded public health leader.
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Email:
lelli@arizona.edu
Hometown:Bacolod City, Philippines
Before entering the program:I am a proud first-generation immigrant from the Philippines and a Magna Cum Laude graduate from the University of Arizona, holding a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. Throughout my undergraduate years, I was deeply involved in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and advocating for marginalized communities.As vice president of the Filipino American Student Association (FASA), I organized significant events and led fundraising efforts, raising over 70,000 Philippine pesos for typhoon victims. I introduced DEI initiatives through workshops like the Black and Asian American Allyship conversation and the #StopAsianHate talk, earning APASA’s Emerging Student Leader Award. As president of the Pan Asian Council, I advocated for greater support for cultural centers and organized the first APIDA Heritage Week Celebration.In my role as a Senator-At-Large in ASUA, I created resolutions on anti-sexual harassment training and land acknowledgment and revamped the ASUA Senate's Instagram page to promote DEI and mental health resources. My contributions included collaborating with cultural centers and passing significant resolutions with the ASUA Senate.During my senior year, I also served as a preceptor for HPS 433: Global Health and won the Outstanding Senior Award from the W.A. Franke Honors College. I was nominated by my mentor, Dr. Priscilla Magrath, who is now my faculty advisor in the MPH program. Fun fact: We traveled to Indonesia together for my MPH internship!
Why did you choose public health?The story of how I chose public health is unique in the sense that I was not aware a major like this existed. I was a first-generation college student and a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, and when I came to the United States, I was not well-versed in the offerings that universities provided to their students. However, I knew that I wanted to work with international communities and decrease health disparities around the world, especially because I served as a volunteer for the Philippine Red Cross during my time in the Philippines. Because of this, I did my research online and looked at course offerings and majors that would best fit my interests. I met with my advisor, Mariah Albertie, who really helped me solidify my interests. After taking a few classes, I realized that this was the major that I wanted to pursue all along, and I am so honored to be a part of the Mel and Zuckerman College of Public Health. Public health has allowed me to define the role of equity in everyday life, especially in public health. It has allowed me to reach out to communities outside of my own and ensure that I am practicing cultural awareness, intentionality, and immersion in the work that I do to decrease health disparities in global communities. It has allowed me to promote the role of public health and its importance in everyday life not just to my communities, peers, family, and many others, but also to a greater society and community: the world.
Why did you choose MEZCOPH?I chose the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health because it provided me with a community that allowed me to thrive. As a first-generation college student, MEZCOPH has always been extremely helpful in allowing me to pursue excellence in the field of public health, supporting my education through scholarships and grant funding, and allowing me to engage in different offerings within the college such as internships, mentorship, and independent study opportunities for me to form academic relationships and seek academic excellence with outstanding faculty and staff within the college. MEZCOPH has allowed me to form a community where I am able to thrive and succeed in the field that I would like to pursue - global health research and global health policy - through student involvement such as the Public Health Undergraduate Network (PHUN) when I was an undergraduate and now, as a student leader through the Global Health Alliance (GHA) and the Student Affairs Committee (SAC).
Public health interests:Tuberculosis research, infectious disease, and global health policy
Interests/hobbies outside of school:Outside of school and work, my hobbies include cooking (and eating) Filipino food, doing F45 exercises, long-distance running, reading books, and listening to podcasts
Tip for future students:Reach for the moon. Talk to the professor whose research you are interested in being a part of. Join or start that club or organization because you want to make a difference or be involved. Talk to your advisors and never be afraid to ask for help. MEZCOPH is a community, and it takes a community to build a well-rounded public health leader.
