CHE Marks Second Year of the Summer Intensive Fellowship Experience
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Center for Health Equity (CHE) recently completed its second Summer Intensive Fellowship Experience (SIFE), a six-week program designed to provide students with mentorship, hands-on learning, and opportunities to engage with local and national public health experts. Throughout the fellowship, participants take part in CHE activities and carry out a major project under the guidance of a CHE faculty member.
Jemima John, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of epidemiology and CHE faculty member, developed the framework for SIFE based on students’ direct feedback. Thanks to initial funding from Kenneth I. Shine, M.D., Academy of Health Science Education Small Grants Program and general CHE funds, doctoral students Katherine Joseph, MPH, and Najha Black, MPH, were selected as summer 2025 fellows.
The community involvement of the CHE’s research portfolio attracted Joseph, a third year PhD student in the department of Environmental & Occupational Sciences, to the fellowship. With a background in biomedical engineering and lab-based research, Joseph wanted the opportunity to work in research that would directly and positively affect population health. She adds that health equity has rarely been treated as a variable in her past research experience.
As part of her coursework, Joseph wrote a paper exploring Texas’ water crisis. Texas is losing billions of municipal water each year due to poor infrastructure maintenance. (1) While efforts are underway to create new water supplies, her paper explored policy solutions to repair the state’s current water infrastructure. Under the supervision of CHE faculty member and spatial epidemiologist, Ryan Ramphul, PhD, MS, she examined health-related violations that affect the quality of Texans’ drinking water and examined different water manufacturing facilities as well.
When asked about the impact this experience has had, Joseph stated, “Health disparities contribute to negative health outcomes, making it one of the most difficult components to address meaningfully. This class prepared me to recognize issues and address them in a concrete and actionable way.”
Black, a third-year PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology, discovered SIFE while consulting with her advisor and CHE faculty member, Maria Otto, PhD, FAHA. Having a passion for advancing health equity, Black was thrilled to enhance her research skills with experts actively engaged in building sustainable solutions to promote health.
Some of the highlights from this summer intensive for Black include learning from a diverse panel of experts addressing non-medical drivers of health, the challenge of clearly expressing ideas in written assignments, and the community-centered nature of CHE’s work. Her class project highlighted the health consequences of historical policies such as redlining (2), where she obtained a stronger understanding of the impacts of these former practices. Through this project, she studied how neighborhoods predominantly composed of marginalized populations often experience poor walkability, limited access to parks and recreational spaces, and heightened concerns about safety. These setbacks often limit community members' ability to engage in physical activity, ultimately leading to poor health outcomes.
Her project included a qualitative research project exploring stigma in food pantries in collaboration with CHE Director Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN, LD, Senior Project Manager Heidi Hagen McPherson, MPH, and Jayna Dave, PhD, associate professor in Pediatrics-Nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine. Black helped code interviews conducted with pantry staff and shoppers.
Entering her third year of her doctoral studies, she feels equipped and inspired knowing that there are other like-minded stakeholders and professionals working to advance health opportunities across diverse populations. Black is also looking forward to the opportunity to continue working with Sharma as a teaching assistant in Introduction to Epidemiology this fall.
As the CHE closes its second year of SIFE, John states, “We were deeply energized to see our fellows complete their SIFE. Each year, we welcome a new cohort of doctoral. candidates. This reflects our commitment to building a strong pipeline of leaders who will not only advance research but also bring health equity into practice. Their dedication and curiosity fuel our mission, and we are excited to continue shaping a fellowship that empowers students to grow, lead, and drive meaningful change in partnership with communities.” Echoing these sentiments, Sharma adds, “Training the next generation of public health professionals is a priority for the CHE, and we are delighted to provide funding support for the fellowship and to continue to support work that promotes optimal health for all across our state.”
- Texas Water Development Board. 2017 State Water Plan: Chapter 7 – Water Supply Needs. Texas Water Development Board; 2017. https://www.twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/swp/2017/chapters/07-SWP17-WATER-NEEDS.pdf
- Salinas J. Old pipes cause Texas cities to lose tens of billions of gallons of water each year. The Texas Tribune. July 5, 2024. Accessed August 21, 2025. https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/05/texas-cities-water-loss/
- Redlining is defined as “denying people access to credit because of where they live, even if they are personally qualified for loan.” Federal Reserve History. Redlining. Federal Reserve History website. Published June 2, 2023. Updated by Rose J. Accessed August 22, 2025. https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/redlining