Minority Mentorship

Program Overview

The Minority Mentorship Program is designed to provide minority college students, medical students, nurses, and other professionals interested in occupational safety and health an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in the fields of occupational hygiene, injury prevention, occupational health nursing, or occupational medicine. Mentees gain experience from a customized, 40-hour-total mentorship program by working closely with a Harvard School of Public Health faculty member specializing in their area of interest. Additional opportunities include reading the latest research developments in occupational health and safety, attending research seminars in the field, and sitting in on courses such as ergonomics, occupational safety, epidemiology, and/or biostatistics at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Qualified individuals are minority individuals interested in occupational safety and health. Please note that minorities are defined by the EEOC as American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, and Hispanic individuals. Applicants must hold United States citizenship.

Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis. If interested, please send your resume and a letter of interest specifying your current area of expertise and the type of knowledge and skills you hope to gain through this mentorship program to abackus@hsph.harvard.edu.

Click here for the Minority Mentorship brochure.

Past and Present Mentees

Vivian Zeng

Brandeis University, Class of December 2013
Mentor: TBD
Project: TBD
April 2013-

Trevon Mayers

University of Massachusetts Amherst, Class of 2012
Currently employed as a Clinical Trials Research Assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Mentor: TBD
Project: TBD
April 2013-

Christina Mark

Northeastern University, Class of 2016
Mentor: TBD
Project: TBD
April 2013-

Fernando Limbo

Boston University, Class of 2012
Mentor: Ann Backus, MS
Project: Occupational Health Outreach and Marketing to New England Physicians
May 2012-

Michael Richardson

University of Massachusetts Medical School, Class of 2014
Mentor: Stefanos N. Kales, MD, MPH
Project: Occupational Medicine Observer (Elective), Cambridge Health Alliance
May 2012-June 2012

Adrianna Boulin

Emmanuel College, Class of 2014
Mentor: Carolyn Langer, JD, MD
Project: Career Path for Public Health and Law
September 2010-May 2013

Julie Yiu

Brandeis University, Class of 2013
Mentor: Ann Backus, MS, and RESCUE Project Staff
Project: Literature Search for the Fishing Partnership RESCUE Project
May 2012-

Carla Decotelli, MD, MSc

Currently employed at Vale Corporation in Brazil
Mentor: Eileen McNeely, RNP, MS, PhD
Project: Completion of EH 523: Work, Health, and Productivity
January 2011

Rumya Raghunath

Graduated from the College of the Holy Cross; currently working on an MPH from Columbia University
Mentor: Ann Backus, MS
Project: Outreach at Cambridge Science Festivals, Seminar Attendance, and Spanish Translation
September 2010-May 2012

Beenish Mehboob, MBBS, MS, MPH

Graduated with an MS from Brandeis University; went on to complete an MPH from Harvard School of Public Health
Mentors:Jack Dennerlein, SMME, PhD; Robert Herrick, MS, SD, CIH
Project: Ergonomics Course and Practice of Occupational Health
September 2010-September 2011

Kimberly Morpeau

Simmons College Nursing Program, Class of 2012; currently employed as a nurse in the Boston area
Mentor: Robert Herrick, MS, SD, CIH
Project: Completion of EH 262: Introduction to the Work Environment; Seminar Attendance
September 2010-December 2010

Xing Yang, MD

Meharry Medical College, Class of 2012; currently at UCSF
Mentor: Stefanos N. Kales, MD, MPH
Project: Month-Long Elective Rotation in Occupational Medicine
June 2010