At the University of Miami, that approach is reflected in the IDEA Exchange Lab, an applied research and practice initiative founded by alumni who translated their public health training into sustained systems-level change.
Founded by Hansel Tookes, M.D., M.P.H., a double alumnus and professor and medical director of the IDEA Exchange, and Tyler Bartholomew, Ph.D., an alumnus and associate professor, the lab demonstrates how academic training can inform public health practice while shaping policy discussions that affect marginalized communities.
What began as an M.P.H. capstone project ultimately led to the launch of the IDEA Exchange on December 1, 2016—World AIDS Day—as Florida’s first state-sanctioned syringe services program.
Operating within the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, the IDEA Exchange was established to reduce the spread of HIV, hepatitis C, and other blood-borne diseases through a comprehensive harm-reduction model that integrates prevention, treatment, and care navigation for people who inject drugs.
That work later informed statewide expansion of syringe services programs in 2019, with eight programs currently operating across Florida. To date, IDEA programs have served nearly 10,000 individuals, connecting participants to HIV and hepatitis C testing and treatment, overdose prevention, substance use disorder care, and supportive services that address broader social determinants of health.
Alongside service delivery, faculty affiliated with the IDEA Lab continue to advance research on behavioral interventions, telehealth models, and HIV prevention through ongoing clinical trials.
The IDEA Lab brings together students, faculty, and community partners to design, test, and evaluate responses to complex public health challenges. Through hands-on work in dissemination, implementation, and policy-focused research, students gain experience applying public health concepts beyond the classroom, developing skills that translate directly into careers across healthcare, government, nonprofit, and research settings.
This emphasis on applied learning is central to the University of Miami’s public health training, including its online Master of Public Health program, which is designed to support students balancing professional and personal commitments while engaging deeply with practice-based public health education. Online students are integrated into the same academic framework, faculty mentorship, and applied learning philosophy that shape on-campus training, ensuring that flexibility does not come at the expense of rigor or impact.
By centering public health education on real-world practice and alumni-led innovation, programs like the University of Miami’s online M.P.H. illustrate how public health training can remain adaptable, rigorous, and deeply connected to the communities it is intended to serve.
Written by Elahe Nezami, Ph.D., published on February 4, 2026.
