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Hospitalized Patients Who Receive Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment Can Substantially Reduce Heavy Drinking

2025 Legislative briefing of faculty with state senators and representatives
Featured

SPH Faculty Brief Massachusetts Legislators on State’s Public Health Priorities

‘I Wanted to be Part of Up-Stream Solutions that Prevent Down-Stream Problems’.

May 11, 2020
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Josephine Pokua

Breakfast: Sometimes leftovers from dinner 

Hometown: Union, New Jersey 

Extracurriculars: Drawing, painting, going to museums, anything related to art

Josephine Pokua is graduating with her MPH this spring. We sat down with her to learn more about what brought her to BUSPH and how she plans to apply what she has learned into her public health practice moving forward.

What led you to pursue a career in public health?

我

Why did you choose BUSPH? 

BU has a great reputation, and not just for the School of Public Health. So I felt confident that I’d be getting a good education here. And with SPH specifically, I really appreciated the flexibility in programming, the fact that I could do part-time or full time or go back and forth, and design my degree program however I wanted. I think there is a general misconception that public health is just epidemiology. And so coming to BUSPH, learning more about what public health is and what it’s not, and how public health is such a broad field, and how even within the school you can focus on program management or environmental health, or epi and biostats, and how there are so many different ways that we can all work together in this field, I’m grateful for that opportunity. And I’m very assured that I made the right decision and I’m in the best place for myself right now.

And BUSPH just seemed like a good fit culturally for me, too. I got the sense that a lot of the faculty and staff are committed to helping people, and learning and figuring out ways to help improve the health and wellbeing of populations. It seemed like they truly believe in the mission of BUSPH and that made it an easy choice for me. I’m very glad that I came here.

How are you engaging your community in what you are learning?

在

What issues are you passionate about and how are you putting that passion into action?

我们

在

Do you plan on applying your artistic abilities to our public health practice?

我

― Tierra Holmes

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