Designed to bring faculty and staff together, the event included department updates, a new wellness program, a featured research presentation and a team activity that turned public health into music.

Kathryn McCollister, Ph.D., professor and interim chair of the department, opened the session by revisiting results from the Powered by U survey and reflecting on areas where the department is doing well, along with areas that still need attention.

“Our department scored very well overall, and that is something to feel good about,” Dr. McCollister said. “At the same time, this gives us an opportunity to focus on the areas where we can do better, particularly around stress, burnout and work-life balance.”

She also highlighted several department efforts aimed at supporting faculty and staff, including the MOMENTUM Group, the Catalyst Lab and the launch of the new Public Health Roundtables series during National Public Health Week.

A New Peer Support Program

The event also introduced Peer to Guide You, a Miller School initiative focused on peer support and wellness.

Manuela Lopez, Ed.D., M.B.A., senior program manager of the M.D./M.P.H. program, who serves on the Miller School wellness task force, explained that the program is built around a simple idea: sometimes people need a colleague who can listen, relate and help point them toward support.

The program will train volunteer peers to provide confidential support, recognize signs of stress and burnout and connect colleagues with available resources.

“Sometimes people do not need a solution right away,” she said. “They need someone who understands where they are coming from and can listen.”

The presentation sparked discussion about how departments can help create a stronger culture of care while making support feel more approachable.

Research With Real-World Impact

As part of the Ignite tradition, one division was invited to spotlight its work. This session featured the Division of Environmental Health Sciences, with Naresh Kumar, Ph.D., professor and director of the Climate and Health graduate program, presenting on years of research in Guánica Bay, Puerto Rico.

Dr. Kumar shared the history of environmental contamination in the area and the work that helped bring national attention to the site. His presentation traced how abandoned industrial activity contributed to serious pollution in the bay and how continued research supported its designation as a Superfund site.

Joining the presentation were students Nicolle Acuña and Noelia Estevez de Rosario, who are completing capstone work related to the project. They shared their experience working in the community and described what it meant to engage directly with residents, conduct fieldwork and contribute to research with real-world implications.

Acuña, an M.P.H. student and research assistant on the Puerto Rico project, described how her involvement began as a class project and expanded into fieldwork and ongoing research. She worked with community members and local partners to conduct focus groups, interviews and a specimen collection effort that engaged more than 100 participants.

“This experience reshaped how I think about public health,” Acuña said. “It taught me that the work is interdisciplinary, community-driven and built on relationships.”

She also reflected on the trust and openness of the Guánica community, noting that the work is grounded not only in data collection but in ensuring residents understand environmental risks and have access to information about their health.

Their perspective added an important layer to the discussion, reinforcing that research extends beyond the classroom and into the communities it aims to serve.

Ending on a High Note

The morning wrapped up with Public Health Remix, an interactive activity led by Lopez and Rosa Verdeja, M.Ed., director of academic affairs, associate director of the curriculum committee, and co-director of the graduate programs administration.

Participants were grouped by division and challenged to rewrite song lyrics with a public health spin, then perform their remix for the group.

What followed was exactly what Ignite is meant to create: laughter, movement, collaboration and a little healthy competition.

Between wellness updates, thoughtful discussion, meaningful research and some unexpected musical talent, the event offered something more than an agenda. It created space for people across the department to connect in a way that felt energizing, informal and shared.

“Bringing people together in this way helps strengthen collaboration and reminds us that the work we do is part of something shared across the department and the communities we serve,” said Margie Jimenez, M.A., CRA, senior administrative officer and executive director of graduate programs.

Written by Deycha Torres Hernández, published April 6, 2026.