Public Health alumna earns spot as Olympic trials qualifier

Savanna Plombon has always had an interest in fitness and healthcare. Having achieved her educational goals in preventive healthcare and earning her Master of Public Health in 2018, Plombon is now chipping away at her personal fitness goals. She recently raced a full marathon in Minnesota and earned a chance to compete in the 2020 Olympic trials in Atlanta next February.

Growing up in Frederick, MD, Plombon was familiar with Morgantown, so coming to WVU wasn’t too much of a stretch.

Intrigued by a career in healthcare, Plombon majored in biology as an undergraduate student at WVU, and her interests evolved from a clinical focus to a preventive approach as she moved through the curriculum. She graduated in May 2016 and began the Master of Public Health in Biostatistics program later that fall.

Plombon was quick to take advantage of opportunities that helped to advance her knowledge of public health from a practical standpoint. During her first year as an MPH student, she worked as a student statistical consultant through the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and she spent her second year as a fellow in Respiratory Division of the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morgantown location. As a result, Plombon will be first author on a published paper from the research project she worked on during her time there.

Plombon says her experience at WVU was a perfect stepping stone.

“I really enjoyed my time as an MPH student,” she said. “The program opened many doors for me and also helped me to build a great network of mentors through my advisor and the faculty of the Biostatistics department.”

After graduating in May 2018, Plombon and her husband relocated to Jefferson, NC, where she teaches Introductory Statistics courses at Appalachian State University.

Plombon also made sure to capitalize on her time at WVU to hone her skills as a distance runner.

“I ran both track and cross country in high school and during my time as an undergraduate at WVU,” Plombon said. “I specialized in the longer distances – 5k and 10k – during college and have gradually moved up in distance now that I focus more on road racing.”

Just like her academic endeavors, focusing on her fitness efforts is paying off. Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN, was Plombon’s first full marathon, although she has raced half marathons before. She debuted in 2:43:52, which qualified her for the upcoming Olympic trials.

The race served another purpose, though. It brought her “home” to family roots.

“My family originated in Minnesota with most of my relatives still living across the state, and my parents went to the University of Minnesota Duluth,” Plombon said. “It was a special moment for me to compete in the streets of a city with a lot of family history and share this huge moment of hard work and success with my parents and husband who were there.”

Plombon plans to “regroup and get back to training.” She’ll run another half marathon this fall before starting another cycle of marathon training leading up to the trials in February. She’ll also start her second year teaching at Appalachian State later this year.

“I enjoy teaching the next cohort of students the importance of statistics in health-related careers and research and how it relates to them,” she said.

*************

kb/06/27/19

CONTACT: Kimberly Becker
WVU School of Public Health
304.293.1699; Kimberly.Becker@hsc.wvu.edu