The Department of Public Health Sciences came together for its spring “Powered By You” session, a recurring departmental gathering designed to inspire learning, reflection, and community building.
Farren Briggs, M.Sc., Ph.D., associate professor, and Jennifer Hu, M.S., Ph.D., professor, from the Division of Epidemiology shared updates on ongoing research into multiple sclerosis (MS). This complex autoimmune disease typically emerges in early adulthood and currently has no cure.
Dr. Briggs presented new work on deep phenotyping and biomarker identification, intending to improve personalized care for people living with MS. He also discussed efforts to identify mediators of racial disparities in ambulatory impairment, as well as a paper under review that proposes a nomogram to predict suicidal ideation among MS patients at future clinical visits.
“Our research is ultimately about bridging the gaps—biological, social, and clinical—so that we can better support people with MS,” said Dr. Briggs.
Following the presentation, Simone Lynette Whitehead from the Administration, Grants, and Contracts team addressed questions and shared updates on support processes and upcoming deadlines.
The session then shifted focus with “Sparked By You,” led by program directors Rosa Verdeja, M.Ed., and Carlen Duncombe, M.P.A. In this reflective activity, attendees were invited to take a pause and experience a sequence of calming images—an intentional moment of stillness meant to counter the busyness of the day and encourage mental reset.
Ashley Gonzalez, M.A., program manager, followed with an icebreaker that embraced the power of play.
Participants were prompted to answer random, nonsensical questions in rapid-fire fashion, resulting in plenty of laughter and lightheartedness across the room. The activity offered a reminder of the joy in being present and the value of connection beyond day-to-day roles.
The meeting concluded with an open floor segment and a reminder that the next “Powered By You” will take place in August 2025.
Written by Deycha Torres Hernández, published on April 25, 2025.
