Student Ambassador: Wesley Black

Wesley Black
Wesley Black

Wesley Black
Program:
Master of Public Health
Hometown: 
Augusta, GA
Mentor: Vivian Dicks, PhD
Project: Dietary Intervention in Children 6 Years or Younger with Elevated Blood Lead Levels, and Educational Community Outreach

Why did you choose Dietary Intervention in Children as your MPH project? 

My passion lies with food. Specifically, food, travel, the environment, and humanity. These things have led me to where I am in my life, and I hope to better both the community and environment through my efforts. I have a firm belief in the quote attributed to Hippocrates, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Currently, childhood exposure to lead has become an area of increasing concern, and nutrition can directly influence negative outcomes with these children. I chose this project because of my underlying beliefs and with the hope to make an impact in our local community through research and local outreach.

Why did you choose the MPH program at AU?  

 In large part because of the flexibility of completing the program course work online. The online classes allow me to be flexible with my schedule since I am a Health Inspector for the Georgia Department of Public Health. I truthfully don’t know how I would manage it all if it wasn’t online. All in all, it’s a well-designed program and I take my hat off to AU for offering it.

Mentorship Perspective: 

The most important thing my mentor, Dr. Vivian Dicks, has taught me is “to go with it”. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and through all my periods of stress, longer than recommended papers, and excessive detail, she has assured me that it will be fine. When I asked her to be my mentor and Capstone project supervisor, she responded, “Let’s do it.” It’s that type of a mentality that will allow you to excel in the world.

Making an Impact: 

I believe that achieving this degree will allow me to better the world we live in through educational outreach and collaborative efforts. Completing my Capstone Project and earning an MPH with a concentration in Environmental Health will provide me with the experience and credentials to better serve our community, ideally through environmental and nutrition-based applications.

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Wesley Black
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