On the early summer afternoon of June 7, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine celebrated the academic achievements of 84 Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Science (MS) graduates at Health Sciences Education 2024 Academic Day.
The annual Class Day ceremony, at which students were hooded and received their diplomas, was held in the Dartmouth Classroom Garden of the Biological Sciences Center for the Class of 1978. This historic event provided graduates, along with family and friends, the opportunity to reflect on their educational journeys and the special relationships they formed as members of the community Dartmouth.
Geisel, Associate Dean of Health Sciences Craig Westling, DrPH, MPH ’09, MS, welcomed everyone to the ceremony, which included keynote speaker Erin Dankwa-Mullan, MED ’97, MPH, and student speakers Max Portnoy, MPH ’24 and Shauntae Delaloy. , Master of Public Health 24, Ph.D.
“I tell our graduates that the world needs you now more than ever,” Westling said. “We need you to apply what you have learned about how to confront difficult challenges, choose appropriate research methods, interpret results with a dose of healthy skepticism, and communicate ideas in a way that leads to real change.”
Donkwa Molan, whose various leadership roles include serving as Chief Health Officer at MartiHealth as well as a member of Geisel’s Board of Advisors, shared her family’s story and described how the resilience, determination and social responsibility of his ancestors profoundly shaped his life. And the lives of generations of black Africans in Ghana and West Africa.
“As you move forward, take with you the wisdom and strength of those who came before you,” Donkwa Mulan told the students. “Honor his legacy by striving for greatness and making a difference in the world. His teaching has empowered him to lift up forgotten voices, change paradigms, and think globally; it is not just a path to opportunity, it is a powerful catalyst for social transformation.”
Photos by Eli Bourakian D’00
Portnoy, student speaker for Geisel’s MPH/MS residential program, urged his classmates to maintain the same energy and passion that brought them to Dartmouth as they move forward.
“As future public health leaders, we know there is nothing better than giving someone else the opportunity to live a healthy life,” Portnoy said. “We will now move into a new chapter of our lives, and the beautiful thing about public health is that the next chapter is different for all of us.”
DiLallo, a student speaker for Geisel’s Hybrid MPH program who also serves as Dartmouth’s senior vice president and chief diversity officer, spoke about the important role the Native American community played in Dartmouth’s founding and the school’s renewed efforts to educate Native youth over the years.
“I share this story because it helps define our future,” he said. “Earning an Ivy League degree, a Dartmouth degree, is a privilege that many of us would not have had the opportunity to share without the vision and strength of the people who chose to be on the right side of history.
“With public health degrees, we have the opportunity to change lives and communities and contribute in our own way to being on the right side of history,” DiLallo said.
During the school day ceremony, the students’ achievements were honored, which included:
Henry Masters Awards
residential: Catherine Giordano
hybrid: Amy White
Karen Ashley Leadership Awards
residential: Manasvini Ranganathan
hybrid: Guy Campisi
Excellence in Teaching Awards
residential: Daniel Losey, MD, MPH
hybrid: Robin Larson, MD, MPH
Social Justice Awards
residential: Lauren Baltrus, Rosmina Pazzigi, Philippa Carvalho, Zachary Christensen, Sydney Cochrane, Jasmine Denny, Payten Edwards, Kathryn Giordano, Ella Harper-Schehl, Shea Herlihy, Isabella Kung, Noel McLay, Evan Marrufo, May Maxwell, Paula Medina Diaz, Yaqut Mezgeldi. Karim Meena, Erin Morris, Ananya Pani, Max Portnoy, Neelima Prasad, Mona Bodhasini, Tajreen Rahman, Alondra Ramos, Manasvini Ranganathan, Riya Sachdeva, Abhishek Saxena, Laila Andalusi Siraj, Meena Shahinfar, Samad Siddiqui, Trisha Singh, Aman Sinha, Katie Spaud, Gina Spiro, Sharanya Subramaniam, Noel Tufts, Angie Zhou
hybrid: matteo anton, Jasia Ballinger, Amy Bianco, Kathryn Peregard, Jay Campisi, Shauntae Delaloy, Victoria Garcia, Chelsea Huffman, Erin Jenkins, Kaitlyn Johnson, Karina Liebknecht, Adrienne Lodis, Emily Missick, Franziska Mpounglo, Inna Podgornaia, Nicole Rapfogel, Sarah Rodriguez, Sofia Shaw . Marissa Singer Rosenberg, Sophia Chang Stover, Daniel Spraggan, Peter Tatum, Raymond Thier, Nora Feder, Jonathan Weatherly
John E. Weinberg Award
Aravind Ponnukumati, MD
Free Practical Training Awards (and their projects)
Yasmine Denny – Evaluates rare disease treatment strategies and innovative technologies through health economics and outcomes research at Alchemy Health
Catherine Giordano – Comparative studies of a community engagement, quality improvement initiative to improve a cognitive self-management program for people with epilepsy with the hopscotch research team at Dartmouth.
Max Portnoy – A historical perspective on the decline of vaccine administration in primary care in the United States with the Center for Professionalism and Value
Manasvini Ranganathan – The Hospital Fair Share Project evaluates statewide community benefits policies for nonprofit organizations in collaboration with the Lown Institute
Integrated Learning Experience Awards
Catherine Giordano, Paola Medina, Aravind Punnukomati, Alondra Ramoz, Meena Shahinfar, Trisha Singh
Practice Awards (and their projects)
Victoria Garcia- Promoting health equity in digital health adoption, and developing an AI cycle for clinical and public health programs
Pedro Juan – Office ergonomics program for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders=
Inna Podgornaya – A framework for improving providers’ digital health literacy around health equity data
Sarah Rodriguez – Promoting best practices for gender data collection in US health care.
Eri Shindo Improving breastfeeding care after second-trimester miscarriage or fetal loss, a qualitative study
Marissa Singer Rosenberg – A rapid, realistic review and descriptive evaluation of current medical school curricula for implementing critically informed education
Omega delta induction
residential: Jasmine Denny, Kevin Matochowski, Yakut Mezgeldi, Alondra Ramos, Aman Sinha, Katie Spaud
hybrid: Hyun Kang, Craig Klinger, Franziska Mbounglo, Inna Podgornaya, Nicole Rapfogel, Sarah Rodriguez, Eri Shindo, Rachel Spalon
Student speakers
residential: Max Portnoy
hybrid: Shawnte DiLallo, Ph.D
Marshall class
residential: Catherine Giordano
hybrid: Jonathan Weatherly
You can watch the video of the event below.
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