Ayesha Mukhopadhyay

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Public Health Contributions: I am an epidemiologist with a special interest in clinical and medical epidemiology. I work with The Tennessee Sickle Cell Disease Surveillance Program (SCDC-TN), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a part of my PhD. My dissertation primarily focuses on sickle cell disease related comorbidities and historic racial policies. I have a variety of research interests including communicable disease (like viral hepatitis) elimination in the developing world. I am also involved in lung cancer, environmental health, and smoking cessation research. Additionally, I work as an epidemiologist at the Shelby County Health Department in Memphis, Tennessee where I estimate chronic disease burden, maternal health outcomes, and infant mortality in the community.

Community Engagement: As a part of the Community Outreach Workgroup (COW), funded by the CDC, our team regularly meets sickle cell disease warriors and various organizations that work exclusively with individuals living with the disease. We promote disease related advocacy, help increase disease awareness, and aid in building strategies for data visualization.

Impactful Achievements: I received the highest scoring doctoral abstract award, on behalf of the Community Health Planning and Policy Development (CHPPD) section of the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2023.

Personal and Professional Growth: I have had immense personal and professional growth at the School of Public Health, The University of Memphis. I joined as a Master of Public Health (MPH) student and always felt extremely welcome. I decided to pursue my PhD at the school for this very reason. The faculty and staff are extremely supportive and have been there for me as I overcame immense personal tragedy. I am also thankful to the school for the support I received while I worked at the health department along with pursuing my PhD.

Unique Experiences: The school has numerous ongoing projects and as a student I was never restricted to research in one field. This has helped build my data analytic skill along with critical thinking.

Inspirational Elements: I am forever thankful to my advisor, Dr. Matthew P. Smeltzer, who took me on as a PhD student and believed in my abilities. In addition, I am also very thankful to my committee members (Dr. Meredith Ray, Dr. Abu Naser, and Dr. Amanda Young), Dr. Kenneth Ward, and Dr. Vikki Nolan. SPH has been instrumental in shaping my career and whatever little I have achieved is solely because of the opportunities the school provided.