Supraja Guppi

Briefly describe your current role as a public health practitioner. 

I am a public health professional at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NIOSH is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations to prevent work-related injury and illness. In addition to that, NIOSH publishes research results for the public's awareness and support for the health and well-being of the population. 

My role focuses on research involving exposure to toxic substances and their adverse effects on the human population. My research was designed to develop innovative and improved methodologies for current and past directions for applied science. 

Therefore, I felt the Master of Science in Population Health program was a broad area that I could apply to many things in my research and values, such as social justice and reducing health care disparities among the people around me. 

Why did you choose WVU for your public health education? 

Earning a degree in population health broadened my skills and has supported my career growth at NIOSH. It was evident to me that the WVU Population Health program consisted of diverse working professionals who cared about their students' needs. Every professor I have come across during my academic year has been highly knowledgeable, helpful and supportive.  

How did WVU and your experiences in the School of Public Health prepare you to be a public health professional? 

Exposure Assessment is a multi-disciplinary field that identifies workplace exposures, evaluates its risks and the effectiveness of intervention strategies. The program gave me good insight into focusing on social determinants of health and thinking from a systems perspective, starting from the communities around us.  

It also helped me build my leadership and project management skills and learn how to approach problems more systematically. Epidemiology concepts help me to understand the causes of adverse health outcomes vs. exposures in populations. I feel that understanding the factors and root causes affecting public health is more important than short-term solutions and superficial visualization.  

What advice would you give today's Public Health students? 

WVU’s population health program provides students with a compact foundation in issues influencing population health and healthcare systems, including environmental health, disease prevention, health informatics, global health, as well as ethics, behavioral and cultural issues. In addition, there are so many job opportunities in occupational health and medical fields. The instructors are always available and are there to help you.  

What does public health mean to you?

I believe it is the responsibility of everyone in the community to act as public health personnel. A collective effort that starts with preventive measures improving the standard of living of vulnerable populations, addressing health disparities and providing health equity will make our world a better place.