Andrew Manhan – Student Spotlight

Andrew Mahan headshotWhat is your name?
Andrew Manhan

What is your concentration/specialization?
Epidemiology

What public health areas are you most interested in?
I am mainly interested in infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS. My research interests include addressing the opioid epidemic and harm reduction approaches.

What did you study in your undergraduate career or post-graduate career prior to beginning the MPH program?
Prior to beginning the MPH program, I studied biomedical sciences and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Florida.

What first prompted your interest in public health? My interest in public health began while taking an epidemiology of infectious disease course while at UCF. This course showed me several different study designs and approaches to preventative care that I found extremely interesting and motivated to pursue a degree in Public Health.

What interested you in the UF Public Health program?
The UF Public Health program was particularly intriguing because of the various opportunities that I was able to find while researching which schools to apply to. At UCF I had the opportunity to travel to Honduras and participate in a public health brigade for a week. The UF Public Health program had opportunities, such as global outreach, which is what excited me most for this school.

What has been the most impactful course you have taken at UF? If you cannot identify one–what is a lesson or message that has stuck with you?
The most impactful course that I took at UF was Hospital Epidemiology (PHC6937) taught by Dr. Cindy Prins. I found this course impactful because it was very research heavy and showed a wide array of research projects currently occurring in the public health sector. Outside of the research articles, we also had the opportunity to attend several tours including the neonatal ICU at UF Health.

What has been your favorite/most memorable moment in the program? This does not have to be academic–examples include connecting with a professor, working on a research project, volunteer work, etc.
My most memorable moment in the program was all of the support from both friends and faculty while attending UF. While attending, I had the idea to create a peer mentoring program within the public health program. This opportunity would allow those who had previously attended the MPH program to pass down advice on classes, internship sites, and future public health jobs. The success of this program would not have been possible without the help and support of the faculty and friends that I have made while attending UF.

What advice do you have to someone who is interested in this program or someone who is just starting out in this program?
The advice that I would give someone to the program is that if you have an idea, to approach the faculty with it. All of the faculty is very friendly and willing to work with you in whatever project you have in mind. They really want what is best for their students and they show it with the amount of support that they give each individual student.