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Supporting partners in public health and creating and hosting learning events, a Fall 2025 practicum team update

FestiFall 2025

At the start of the semester, Wayne State University hosted FestiFall to welcome incoming students, returning students, staff, faculty, and other guests to each new academic year. Michael McLeod, JD, MPH (Practicum Director), SD Donaldson (former Practicum and Community Engagement Coordinator), and Diala Al-Qawasmeh (Student Assistant) engaged attendees at FestiFall in August 2025. This included launching Connect the Dots, an interactive learning activity to help participants increase knowledge about what public health is and what public health professionals do.

Figure 1 Michael McLeod speaking to 3 FestiFall 2025 attendees about how public health connects to their day-to-day lives.

Pathways in Practice

In September 2025, Michael McLeod was a subject matter expert on public health at an event called Pathways in Practice held at the Crockett Midtown High School of Science and Medicine in Detroit. Crockett students interacted with professionals to learn about careers in health fields and more.

Figure 2 A flyer for Pathways in Practice, an event at
Crockett Midtown High School of Science in Medicine
held in September 2025.

Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute Giant Step Teen Conference

SD Donaldson volunteered to co-facilitate an engagement activity at the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute’s Giant Step conference, which was held at Wayne State University in late October 2025. Upon arriving at the conference, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students from around Southeast Michigan named one thing that makes them unique, creating a memento from the event.

3rd Annual Detroit Youth Health Expo 2025

In October 2025, medical students from the Wayne State University School of Medicine hosted the third annual Detroit Youth Health Expo. The Detroit Youth Health Expo invites local high school and middle school students to explore careers in healthcare and discover opportunities available at Wayne State University and within the healthcare field. In addition to a keynote speech from the former Director of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services, Abdul El-Sayed, MD, DPhil, attendees visited stations where they interacted with subject matter experts and engaged in learning activities. With the hard work of MPH Program Coordinator, Matt Irelan, MEd (MPH Program Coordinator), Brandon Crittenden, MPH (WSU MPH alumnus) Michael McLeod, SD Donaldson, and Kate Donaldson, MPH, CHES, our MPH program’s Pathways to Public Health Careers initiative hosted four engaging stations to help increase knowledge about what public health is and about what public health professionals do.

Figure 4 From left to right: Kate Donaldson, Michael McLeod, SD Donaldson, Brandon Crittenden, and Matt Irelan pose for a picture behind the Pathways to Public Health Careers initiative table at the 3rd annual Detroit Youth Health Expo in October 2025
Figure 5 Brandon Crittenden, Michael McLeod, and Matt Irelan converse with Detroit Youth Health Expo attendees interested in learning more about public health and what public health professionals do.

Navigating Your MPH Journey - Student Perspectives

In early November 2025, new MPH students were invited to a virtual orientation. The event opened with an introduction from Rachel Mahas, PhD, MS, MPH (Program Director). Matt Irelan introduced himself and discussed DegreeWorks and plans of work. A panel of advanced MPH students - Diala Al-Qawasmeh, Jay Fallon, Eric Gaines, Carter Glowacki, Rifah Nanjiba, and Samantha Pickering - facilitated discussion about their experiences and recommendations for thriving in our MPH program. Attendees were provided a quick reference guide to help them navigate their MPH journey.

Figure 6 A word cloud generated at the start of the orientation comprising student answers to the question, "what is your greatest strength?"

Acting Now for the Future – Inspiring middle and high school students to consider pathways to public health careers

Also in November 2025, the Pathways to Public Health Careers initiative collaborated with WSU MPH practicum preceptor and City of Detroit Health Department (DHD) Workforce Development Director, Alescia Farr, PhD, MPH to host an exciting webinar about how the work team she leads collaborated closely with Wayne State MPH practicum students to create and implement a summer camp for Detroit middle school and high school students. The four-day camp in July 2025 was designed to build interest in public health careers. Several WSU MPH practicum students helped develop the program proposal and work plan, curriculum and facilitation guide, pre- and post-camp assessments, and more.

Figure 7 A screen capture of an introduction of guest speaker, Dr. Alescia Farr, Workforce Development Director of City of Detroit Health Department.

What’s New, What’s Next: 2025 External Advisory Committee meeting

The practicum team shared an update on “What’s New, What’s Next” at the 2025 MPH program External Advisory Committee (EAC) meeting at the start of December. Michael McLeod and SD Donaldson presented assessment data about the 2024-2025 Academic Year and described ongoing and cyclical work related to the practicum. The presentation also included examples of how the practicum team supports partners in public health and creates and hosts learning events for diverse audiences.

Figure 8 A screen capture of a PowerPoint presentation given at the December 2025 WSU MPH program External Advisory Committee meeting. Title: "What's New, What's Next."

 

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