Three years after the launch of the Public Health program at Elizabethtown College, students from the inaugural cohort have completed the requirements for graduation and were recognized at the College’s 121st Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 11.

“Etown’s Public Health program exposed me to many different avenues within the field,” Alexander Joseph Waskiewicz ’24 said. “The program brought together data analysis, the importance of people, and cultural competency; all important aspects of being successful in reducing health disparities through preventative interventions.”

The 2024 Elizabethtown College Public Health program graduates are:

  • Anneliz Luz Rosario ’24, B.A., who plans to pursue a master’s degree in epidemiology and further her education to become a physician assistant.
  • Alexander Joseph Waskiewicz ’24, B.A., who will attend The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. to obtain his Master of Public Health in Global Health Epidemiology and Disease Control.
  • Julia Ann Gottlieb ’24, B.A., who plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health after graduation and work hands-on in her home community to better health outcomes and fight for equitable healthcare and access for all.
  • Samhar Almomani ’24, B.S., plans to get his master’s degree in health policy at The George Washington University and work full-time as a health policy analyst at the American Institutes for Research.

All four of the graduates transferred into the Public Health program when it was launched in 2020.

During their time at Etown, Waskiewicz and Almomani completed research projects with Elizabethtown College Director of Public Health, Dr. Robert Aronson and presented their studies at the American Public Health Association’s annual conference in November 2022. Almomani studied factors that influence mental health and well-being among African American male high school students in Harrisburg. Waskiewicz’s research analyzed letters submitted to Amish newspapers regarding thoughts about health, COVID-19, masking mandates, and vaccines.

Gottlieb interned with the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Division of Environmental Epidemiology during her time at Etown and was involved in creating educational materials to encourage youth to engage more in nature and understand issues related to environmental sustainability and health. Her toolkit created for K-12 educators will soon be published through the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

“My coursework and fieldwork at Elizabethtown College, along with my internship experience, has lit a passion in me to serve my community within the health field,” Gottlieb said.

Rosario has been involved in ongoing work with the Church of the Brethren in a small community in the highlands of Ecuador, which she visited twice during her time at Etown.

Etown’s Public Health students develop the skills and perspective needed to address critical issues in society that lead to poor population health. Students can choose from a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health focused on social sciences and policy or a Bachelor of Science in Public Health focused on the biological and health sciences and research involved in public health.

“Both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Public Health programs prepare students to work within the incredibly broad field of public health,” Aronson said. “All students become familiar with all the subfields of public health, which is not solely an academic field of study, but a profession committed to addressing the fundamental causes of poor health and health disparities.”

The program encourages interdisciplinary thinking, evidence-based decision-making, and a commitment to service to society.

Learn more about Elizabethtown College’s Public Health program.