Miner scholarship pays it forward
Dennis Jarvis and Moose Alperin are among the many public health practitioners whom Kathy Miner (center) has mentored for more than 30 years.
Dennis Jarvis 88MPH owes much of his career to the lessons in applied public health that he learned from Rollins professor Kathy Miner 79MPH. So do Nancy Hunt 87MPH, Martha Alexander 86MPH, Moose Alperin 91MPH, and the many public health alumni whom Miner has mentored for more than 30 years.
Jarvis and his colleagues are reciprocating by establishing the Dr. Kathleen R. Miner Scholarship Fund for Public Health Excellence. The scholarship will support a first- or second-year master’s degree student who exemplifies Miner’s dedication to public health education and practice.
As professor of behavioral sciences and health education and associate dean for applied public health, Miner has developed training and educational programs for Georgia’s public health workforce. She also has led tobacco prevention training efforts in the United States, public health preparedness training in Georgia, and web-based evaluation training for screening and diagnostic services for women. In the process, she has connected with students and colleagues around the world.
“She is very much an advocate for students and young professionals,” says Alperin, who works with Miner as director of the Emory Center for Public Health Preparedness. “She constantly thinks about what’s right for them and encourages them to continue their own development and education.”
Hunt met Miner more than 20 years ago during a visit to learn about the MPH program. “She is my teacher, mentor, and friend,” says Hunt, who manages consulting, learning, and talent development for Deloitte Services LLP. “I don’t know of any mentor who has stayed in my life as much as Kathy has over the years. She is a constant.”
When Jarvis was an MPH student, Miner involved him in a project on HIV prevention that led to a job in the same specialty at the CDC. He now works to strengthen health systems for the CDC’s Center for Global Health.
“Kathy’s real quick to get a bead on somebody and help guide them,” says Jarvis. “She helped so many of us launch our careers. The scholarship is our way of thanking her for all she has done for us.”—Pam Auchmutey
