Tsion Tesfaye
Graduate Research Assistant
What is your degree program?
I am currently doing my MPH, Health Policy and Management Concentration, and plan to graduate by the fall of 2023. Prior to that, I completed my Medical Degree in 2019.
What do you do for the Division of Mental Health and Substance Use?
I am involved in several different projects. Currently, I am working on the PMHAT grant, setting up materials for trainings, and working on data received after trainings are completed. I have also worked on Tri-C Prevention Grant by researching drug data as well as the Summit County MAT Expansion grant with literature reviews.
What is your favorite memory from Kent State University?
I quite enjoyed the international cultural days hosted on campus. It was a great opportunity to meet student representatives practically from all across the world and learn from their rich and diverse way of life, kinds of music and dances, geography, and language not to mention the chance to dig into the different cultural cuisines.
Why did you choose to go into public health?
I am convinced though I can make a difference by treating patients in an office every day as a Doctor, the difference is not merely comparable to the one that can be made knowing the major concerns, pitfalls, and disease burdens in the community. I believe prevention is the strongest tool than treatment and the way to achieve that is through public awareness.
I have seen this firsthand in one of the places I volunteered, an orphanage school. It took less than 30 minutes of encounters with the kids from kindergarten teaching them the importance of hygiene and the proper use of soap and water to cleanse hands before a meal. The results though were remarkable as their subsequent complaints on signs of common intestinal infections decreased comparatively. I have also witnessed patients who have been treated for a disease multiple times due to the lack of awareness and proper education that could have prevented the disease in the first place. Hence, I strongly believe that Public Health is the right field that can greatly impact the burden of disease, especially in developing countries, such as my country.
That is how I came to a realization that I must join do my Master’s degree in public health and play a part in this changing world for the better. Now that I am halfway through I cannot emphasize enough how this course has impacted my understanding of the world we live in and made me, even more, eager to go out there and do my very best in the health sector departments to make positive change.
What is your favorite place to eat in Kent?
The Fruit Stand
What is the last tv show you watched or book that you read?
The last TV show I watched was Stranger Things and the last book I read was Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck, Ph.D.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I plan to continue my studies and work on a research topic of interest.