Population Health Data Analytics Program - 2024 Summer

Objective

To create a workforce pipeline of undergraduate students majoring in Public Health to better enable the Shelby County Health Department to collect, analyze, and disseminate data. 

Program Description

The Shelby County Health Department, University of Memphis School of Public Health, and CodeCrew have formed a collaborative partnership to launch a pioneering pilot program. This initiative is specifically designed for undergraduate students majoring in Public Health, aiming to equip them with a comprehensive understanding of Public Health principles and the skills to effectively utilize Computer Science in collecting, analyzing, and disseminating Public Health data.

CodeCrew has committed to dedicating a part-time Curriculum Developer for four years to develop and implement the curriculum during the summer months. Additionally, a part-time Project Coordinator will oversee the program's operations for four students over the same four-year period. CodeCrew takes on the responsibility of creating and implementing the program for the entire duration, ensuring its success and sustainability.

Through this innovative partnership, students will gain hands-on experience in leveraging Computer Science to address Public Health challenges, poising them to become future leaders in the field. The collaboration between these three entities promises to drive meaningful impact and advancements in Public Health practice.

CodeCrew Code School

Code School is a hands-on class designed to train individuals to be entry-level software developers over a summer semester. 
Students work in a small classroom setting and use real-world technologies to learn the fundamentals of coding (application fundamentals, relational databases, front-end development, and full-stack MVC web development).

CodeCrew/Shelby County Health Department Internship

During Summer 2024, using their Public Health knowledge and coding skills, participants work under the direction of CodeCrew and Shelby County Health Department staff to complete a Data Dashboard project for the Shelby County Health Department.

About Our Partner - CodeCrew

Meka Egwuekwe
MS Co-founder and Executive Director, CodeCrew

Meka Egwuekwe is co-founder and Executive Director of CodeCrew, a Memphis-based non-profit that empowers youth and adults from underrepresented communities to be tech innovators. He has over 20 years of experience in the software development industry. Prior to founding CodeCrew, he served as the Director of Development at Lokion Interactive from 2007 to 2016. He has also worked as a Consultant at Hilton Hotels Corporation, Lead Software Engineer at Metatomix, Inc., and Software Architect at Online Insight. He began his career as a Software Design Engineer at Hewlett-Packard in 1997.

Throughout his professional career, Mr. Egwuekwe has made time to also work with youth and education in various capacities. He has been a local leader in the youth coding movement since founding the Memphis Chapter of Black Girls Code in late 2012. He is also a longtime mentor in StartCo’s business and technology accelerators where he has mentored various companies in tech.

Mr. Egwuekwe has a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from Morehouse College and Duke, respectively. He resides in Memphis with his wife, Pamela, and their two daughters.