Public Health faculty and student present at national public health conference

Yasmeen Lee, senior public health major, and mentor Dr. Stephanie Baker, Assistant Professor of Public Health Studies, present research at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo held Nov. 2-6 in Philadelphia.

The American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo is the largest and most influential public health conference in the world with more than 13,000 researchers, policymakers, activists and practitioners gathering to share ideas, present research and find inspiration. Elon professors and students from the Department of Public Health recently attended the conference held Nov. 2-6,2019, in Philadelphia.

Yasmeen Lee ’20, right, with her mentor, Assistant Professor Stephanie Baker

Yasmeen Lee, a senior public health major, Honors Fellow, Odyssey Program scholar and Lumen Scholar, presented her research at the Maternal and Child Health Student Assembly Roundtable. Her research is titled “Understanding Social Media’s Impact on Breastfeeding Black Millennials.” Lee is mentored by Stephanie Baker, assistant professor of public health studies.

“APHA was a great opportunity to grow as a researcher, student, and scholar through opportunities to network and learn from public health professionals” Lee stated.

Baker presented research titled “‘I feel like I was a pioneer in a way, in my own family context, to show the beauty of birthing at home again’: Out-of-hospital birth experiences among Black Women.” This research was co-authored with Elon alumni Camaya Miller ’17. This project was funded through both Elon’s Undergraduate Research Program and summer funding through Faculty Research & Development Funding.

Baker also co-presented with community partner Ann Meletzke, executive director of Healthy Alamance, in a session titled Strengthening Communities Through Health Education, Research, and Partnerships. Their presentation was titled “From CHA to CHIP: Using CBPR to Strengthen Local Community Health Assessments and Implementation Plans.”

APHA is a valuable opportunity for students, scholars, practitioners, and advocates to share ideas and discuss important conversations about most pressing public health issues being faced today. The Elon Public Health Studies Department is happy to be part of this conversation. Please stay connected with us at https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/arts-and-sciences/public-health/.