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Graduating master’s student Kierra Jones wants to return to the Mississippi Delta as a physician because she’s seen how a lack of education impacts the health of many people, and two scholarships totaling $41,000 annually will help her achieve that goal.
Jones, a native of Cleveland, continues her journey when she earns her degree from Jackson State University’ School of Public Health, which is the only one in Mississippi. Her concentration is in behavioral health promotion and education within the Department of Behavioral and Environmental Health.
She was accepted into University of Mississippi School of Medicine for fall 2019. She has been awarded $30,000 per year toward her tuition by the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program and $11,000 per year by the Robert M. Hearing Support Foundation Minority Scholarship. Jones is also a Daniel Hale Williams Scholar in the Jackson Heart Study Graduate Training and Education Center.
“I plan to specialize in family medicine and return to a rural area of Mississippi to practice. As many who’ve led the path before me, I plan to integrate public health and clinical care in my practice. I want the legacy of my career to be labeled as a physician who considers influences of my culture and who aims to generate understanding among my patients,” Jones said.
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Dr. Nakietra Burse, a grant writer for Jackson State University’s School of Public Health, has been selected to participate in one of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s leadership programs.
Participants will learn from and work collaboratively with one another toward the foundation’s objectives of creating more just and thriving communities. All U.S. professions, sectors and fields are represented, including areas from architecture and business to technology and urban planning.
Burse was selected in the category of Culture of Health Leaders. As a member of the newest cohort, she is expected to bring her experience in public health, social justice and systems-level change to the program. As well, she’ll share her passion for black maternal health. Throughout her career, Burse has worked to address the high maternal mortality rates among African Americans.
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Five JSU students in the School of Public Health spent two weeks in Spain to learn why the European nation is considered the healthiest on the planet. One reason is that all businesses shut down in the middle of each workday for a two-hour siesta to allow employees to go home to relax.
The five students were accompanied by Dr. Nelson Atehortua, an assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral and Environmental Health. He arranged the trip with the help of JSU Global, an initiative devoted to internationalizing Mississippi’s only urban university. It helps immerse students into diverse cultures.
Atehortua, a native of Colombia, South America, attributes Spain’s successes to its well-operated free universal health care system.“Spain is, in fact, the healthiest country in the world. The pace at which it has added years of life expectancy – if it continues – will be the longest for all men and women in the world and will surpass Japan. “Credit its culture and way of life,” Atehortua said. “Even crime is very low. There’s no sense of insecurity or threat.”
Atehortua organized the trip so that Mississippi students could compare the Magnolia state to Spain’s health system. While abroad, they visited the U.S. embassy and the U.S. officer in charge of health. “When you check all indicators of health, Mississippi ranks the lowest in 95 percent of them.” Also, while in Spain, they visited primary care clinics, a regional hospital and a high-tech hospital. As well, JSU students witnessed a live procedure performed by the chief of a cardiovascular center and surgeons, who described every detail.
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A failure to provide adequate health care for asylum seekers and other immigrants caught up in the border dispute raises ethical questions and that was among myriad issues addressed recently by JSU alumni working in the public health field.
Other topics highlighted during an observance of Public Health Week included challenges resulting from social determinants of health and the impact of decreased government funding.
JSU alum Adam Carson (Class of ’04) studied health care administration. He advocates for access to medical care for everyone, regardless of immigration status, and he supports health care practitioners and providers aiding “these unfortunate individuals because we have a responsibility to care for their needs.”
Panelists also discussed social determinants of health and the challenges of persuading people against smoking. He also supports motivating them to exercise and eat more nutritional foods.
Dr. Vincent Mendy (Class of ’14) said when it comes to health care “there are two Ps, and one is always greater than the other – prevention and the pill. Prevention always has to be greater than the pill.”
Other pressing issues are also weighing heavily on the minds of public health workers, despite advances in medicine. Panelists cite the outbreak of measles and the importance of vaccination.
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