Environmental Health Results

Chloe Thach with a blue blazer and a white sweater underneath at the School of Public Health

First-generation student finds purpose, community in public health

Chloe Thach, MPH ’26

Chloe Thach, a first-generation student from Cleveland, found her path from medicine to public health after learning how social determinants drive food insecurity and health inequities. At the University of Michigan School of Public Health, she pursued global and community-centered research, policy impact, and mentorship—and will return for a PhD.

Pedro Sancha in his office

Leading global impact through science, partnership and innovation

Q&A with Pedro Sancha, President and CEO of NSF

Pedro Sancha, President and CEO of NSF, discusses leading a global public health organization born at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 1944. Serving on Michigan Public Health’s Dean's Advisory Board, Sancha shares how NSF’s 5,000 experts across 110 countries use science-based standards to tackle emerging threats like PFAS and microplastics, keeping families safe through food and water safety innovation rooted in Ann Arbor.

Andrew Hoover

On a fast track to environmental health leadership

Andrew Hoover, BS ’24, MS ’25

Michigan Public Health’s Accelerated Master’s program allowed Andrew Hoover to earn both his Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences and Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences in five years. Inspired by Flint’s water crisis, he balanced rigorous coursework with student leadership, research, and teaching while studying environmental justice issues.

Josh Foster-Tucker

The unexpected epidemiologist: Evolving from neuroscience to respiratory virus research

Joshua Foster-Tucker, MPH ’21

When Joshua Foster-Tucker’s wife suggested he apply to Michigan Public Health instead of attending medical school, neither could have predicted it would launch a passion for understanding infectious diseases. Now pursuing his PhD at Michigan Public Health, he studies respiratory viruses, including how they could accelerate immune system aging—research that could transform our understanding of health longevity. His journey, shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, personal challenges and mentorship illustrates how meaningful career paths can emerge from unplanned moments of redirection.

Laura Arboleda-Merino

From third grade dream to public health innovator

Laura Arboleda-Merino, MPH ’17

An internship at a local health department further crystallized Laura Arboleda-Merino's interests in public health. She was no longer just interested in treating individual patients, but in understanding and addressing systemic health challenges. Her academic journey led her to the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The transition wasn’t just about academic advancement but about finding a community that resonated with her interdisciplinary approach.

Mrinalini Gupta

Advocating innovative solutions for global water crisis

Mrinalini Gupta, MPH ’25

Mrinalini Gupta studied issues related to water and waterborne disease. Mrinalini recently worked with the Center of Molecular Dynamics Nepal, a prominent nongovernmental institution dedicated to public health innovation and intervention research, to advance projects related to vaccine campaign assessment, zoonotic disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, and mapping of key populations.