The following students were recognized for their outstanding achievements throughout this past academic year
Sarah Harward — MPH Student of the Year
During her time in the program, Sarah Harward engaged those in the classroom and the community in meaningful ways. Perhaps most meaningful was her fieldwork with the hospital leadership team at Primary Children’s Hospital. Harward treasures the lessons she learned from both a gospel and public health perspective and loved applying them to her work at Primary Children’s Hospital. Dr. Ali Crandall describes Harward as a team player, as Harward loved getting to know her cohort and learning from peers’ and professors’ experiences. Harward currently works for SelectHealth doing population health work, and her experiences are preparing her to one day become a leader at a children's hospital.
Seth Hinrichsen — Outstanding MPH Student Service Achievement
Seth Hinrichsen has a “return and report” work ethic and strives to address and resolve issues. He works hard to connect individuals with opportunities. At his internship with Community Health Connect, Hinrichsen developed and implemented a referral program for mental health patients to be connected with therapists. Serving as the MPH Vice-President and then President of the Healthcare Leadership Association (HLA), he was the first graduate President to lead the association from outside of the business school. He recalls how amazing it was to help HLA find opportunities to expand across campus to improve the club's reach. Hinrichsen will be attending the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. As he looks forward to pursuing his next educational journey, he also hopes to work on research projects with the CDC.
Rachel Townsend — Outstanding MPH Student Service Achievement
This award is given in recognition of overall research achievement in the Masters of Public Health program. Since starting the MPH program, Rachel Townsend has been working with public health agencies in the community including Community Health Connect and most recently with Family Life Foundation. Her connections with Family Life Foundation have benefited her peers, as they led to fieldwork opportunities for BYU public health students.
Christy Gonzalez — Intern of the Year
Christy Gonzalez’s internship with Dignity Health - Mercy Medical Center in Merced, California proved successful due to her diligent efforts. Her technology and critical thinking skills helped streamline many of the company’s data collection tools. Gonzalez’s supervisor was impressed by her maturity, pleasant personality, and professionalism which allowed her to work well with the team, despite being one of its youngest members. During her time in the public health program, Gonzalez ensured that the BYU Public Health Department ran smoothly, working as BPHA’s PR rep and leading all publicity efforts for the department. She also dedicated her time to co-directing United Way's Volunteer Care Clinic's Women's Health Night. Gonzalez has accepted a full-time position with Dignity Health and will start Harvard's Medical School Master's program in Medicine, Media, and Health this fall.
Allie Biggs — TA of the Year
Allie Biggs’ positive energy and willingness to go the extra mile distinguished her as TA of the Year. Working for Dr. Brianna Magnusson and her HLTH 440 class, Biggs worked diligently with struggling students. Passionate about public health and policy, Biggs loved participating in research with Dr. Sloan, Dr. Glenn, and Dr. Barnes. This past March, she had the opportunity to present a poster at the American Association of Geographers on the earned income tax credit and crime rates under the direction of Dr. Sloan. Biggs hopes to work in policy analysis or government relations in Washington D.C.
Ella Gaskin Cook — RA of the Year
Ella Gaskin Cook has proved herself to be invaluable to the HLTH 460 students and Dr. Shelli Yearsley. She is intelligent, yet humble and driven, yet compassionate. Cook enthusiastically advocates for students to involve themselves in public health activities and programs. Actively involved in the public health community herself, Cook is a CURA recipient and has published several papers with Dr. Erik Nelson and is working toward several more with Dr. Len Novilla. She is an honorable leader who truly cares about each person under her stewardship. Cook currently works in clinical data management at Pentara with hopes of pursuing an MPH with an epidemiology emphasis in the future.
Cassidy Bushnell–Outstanding University Service
Cassidy Bushnell demonstrated outstanding service among her peers and professors on campus. Bushnell significantly enriched the lives of BYU students, faculty, and staff through selfless service that went above and beyond fulfilling the duties inherent in classes or employment. As a teaching and research assistant, she has gone above and beyond to help those around her. Bushnell hope to one day earn a Ph.D. and ultimately become a professor.
Maggie Scribner–Outstanding Community Service
Maggie Scribner graduated cum laude with university honors. Her honors thesis was focused on healthcare access for minority populations with limited English proficiency. Scribner served the BYU Public Health Association (BPHA) leadership board for three years and was president in 2022 and VP in 2023. Because of her hard work, BPHA has become more recognized by BYU public health students. Scribner has tirelessly conducted meetings and put on many events for the students. She is highly intelligent, cheerful, motivated, and dedicated. She values everyone individually and humbly accepts any correction from her peers and mentors. Scribner has been accepted at the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program and will start this fall.
Marli Shaw–Student of the Year - Environmental / Occupational Health
The EOH faculty unanimously agreed that Marli Shaw is most deserving of this award. Shaw served as president of BYU’s American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and was integral in planning activities that involved both students and community members. She has worked actively as a research assistant for Dr. Johnston and Dr. Beard in Nepal, where she assessed silica and PM2.5 exposures in brick kilns. Additionally, Shaw conducted research with Dr. Beard, analyzing correlations between Alzheimer’s and occupation. She is a natural leader in her cohort and her peers speak highly of her. Shaw will work on the Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability team at Tesla in Austin, Texas, and hopes to become a Certified Industrial Hygienist.
Maren Gordon Torgersen–Student of the Year - Epidemiology
Maren Torgersen is a brilliant student with a deep understanding of epidemiology. Involved in multiple research projects, Torgersen was a writing finalist in both the analysis and research contest categories. As an epidemiology student, Torgersen learned to love data software, including SAS, Stata, ArcGIS, and R. Additionally she helped other students learn SAS during her time as a teaching assistant for HLTH 449, a very challenging course. Torgersen worked with Dr. Thacker on a research project about widowhood, depression, and cognitive decline, which will hopefully be published soon. Since graduating in December 2022, Torgersen has been working as a consultant epidemiologist for a nonprofit health information exchange organization in Texas.
Erin Meek–Student of the Year - Health Promotion
Erin Meek excelled in many different areas, earning her the title of Health Promotion Student of the Year. She held multiple internships, including her work with United Way where she headed an advocacy campaign for a community center to be built in Northern Utah County. Her quantitive and qualitative data were directly used in this effort. Her work experience also includes her time at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and TAing for Dr. Chaney’s HLTH 313 class for two years. Meek holds excellent rapport with students and has been involved in research regarding active transportation experiences. Meek will attend graduate school at the University of Maryland in the fall.
Keaton Woodruff – Student of the Year - Health Science
Keaton Woodruff has been the top student in many of his classes. Dr. Ray Merrill said the following of Woodruff: “I am extremely impressed with his remarkable academic ability, his outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, and his potential to land in a top medical school. As he advances in his medical training and career, he will represent Brigham Young University with great distinction.” Woodruff will go on to earn a Master’s or Doctorate degree in occupational therapy.
