Teni Balogun

Global Epidemiology MPH'23

April 28, 2023

Why did you choose to study Epidemiology?

I chose to study Epidemiology to learn skills to identify patterns of disease in the greater context of individuals interacting with their environment. I have always been interested in health-seeking behaviors and the steps people take to mitigate their perceived risks.

Why did you choose the MCH Certificate?

I felt that there was a comprehensive range of maternal and child health research and coursework offered.

What is your favorite part of Rollins? 

My classmates! Everyone at Rollins comes from different disciplines and has different work backgrounds. I am constantly learning new things from everyone and inspired by their responses to Why Public Health? We all have our passions in public health and are all ultimately working towards the goal of promoting health and reducing health disparities.

How is your current work related to MCH? 

I work for the Georgia Department of Public Health as part of the Vaccine Preventable Disease team. We are currently working on a project focused on evaluating surveillance systems for severe pertussis infections in the state. Within that, we focus on the role of maternal Tdap status and the reasons for denying Tdap vaccination during pregnancy.

What skills learned at Rollins do you practice the most?

Coding, lots of SAS and R! And looking beyond the data. I take the time to work with community members to contextualize what is going on to better understand the patterns we see.

What do you enjoy doing most outside of Public Health? 

This is still public health-adjacent, but I am involved in Food Justice work. I also run a vegetarian and sustainable agriculture Instagram account.