2024 Public Health Newsletter
Public Health Faculty News
From Dr. Bennett
The 2022-2023 academic year started with a bang! I, along with Dr. Mary Hunt received tenure and promotion and I transitioned into the role of Public Health Program Coordinator. I am so excited to continue to grow here at WWU and I love learning and engaging with our new cohorts. My research has also expanded. The research group I work with in Kenya has finished our pilot project, “Using Web-based Peer Support to Increase HIV Testing Among Men who have Sex with Men in Kenya”, and we are finalizing data analysis and papers for publication. While working on that we also applied for an NIH R21 grant, “Delivery of PrEP to Key Populations in Kenya: Applying Coincidence Analysis to Determine Effective Implementation Strategies”, and found out this September that we were awarded $250,000 to complete our research. This has been a fruitful partnership with the University of Southern Florida and our partners in Kenya. I am excited to see what the future holds for my Kenya focused research.
Personally, it has been an extremely eventful year and not just because I agreed to coach my sons soccer team. I finished my final year serving as the chair of the Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board due to the fact that my family and I have taken a huge leap and moved to Vancouver, Canada. I happily commute between Canda and Bellingham for work and enjoy the benefits of both locations!

From Dr. Hunt
I started the 2022-2023 school year, my fifth year at Western, with a huge professional accomplishment--being granted tenure and promotion! In addition to sincerely enjoying getting to know every public health pre-major and cohort member each year, I continue to happily mingle with the Honors College. I chaired honors theses and started as a new member of the Honors Advisory Board. I also updated and taught my seminar on Abortion in the United States for honors juniors and seniors in Fall 2024. With the changing legislation across the country related to abortion, I served on several university-wide panels on abortion and reproductive rights.
Another highlight continues to be mentoring undergraduate research assistants the Research in Repro And Sexuality (RRAS; “razz”) lab. Last year, I took three RAs to the 2022 annual conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) in Vancouver, Canada. They were able to network and see research presentations from social scientists, educators, and counselors across the country. This year, one of my RAs, honors student, and public health senior, Tasha Denton, made her conference presentation debut and brought a poster to the 2023 SSSS conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a lab, we have been working on several projects over the past few years, including a mixed methods, large-scale sexuality climate survey, a mixed-methods survey on intimacy during the pandemic, a qualitive study on LGBTQ+ nonconsensual experiences, and a qualitative project exploring sexual situations that involve cannabis.


From Dr Ying Li
Dear alumni and friends,
As we navigate through another academic year, I am delighted to share some updates. Besides what I normally teach, such as Epidemiology and Research Method, I am enthusiastic about the inclusion of the "US Health Care System" course in our curriculum, a recent addition designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of US health care system through the lens of public health. Furthermore, I have assumed the responsibility of teaching the Social Marketing course as part of our curriculum changes. I am actively seeking community collaboration opportunities to enhance our students' learning experiences through real-life social marketing projects. If you have any ideas or potential partnerships in mind, I would greatly appreciate your input.
On a personal note, I have embarked on a journey to deepen my understanding of students' perspectives by taking science courses at WWU. I have successfully completed general chemistry series (CHEM 161, 162 & 163, formerly CHEM 121, 122, 123). Looking ahead, my plan is to enroll in Bio 348 & Bio 349 during the winter and spring quarter of 2024 respectively, contingent upon available space. This endeavor not only enriches my own knowledge but also enhances my ability to support and connect with our students.
Thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration

PH News and Updates



2022-23 Student Award Recipients
Outstanding Public Health Major award: Katy Lee
Spirit of Public Health award: Adyson Hughes
Evelyn Ames CHES award: Erin Demir and Juni Amundson
WWU Outstanding Graduate in Public Health and Presidents List: Lily Rayor

Ways to Give to the Public Health Program
As always, we appreciate your support of the Public Health Program, which allows us to offer more opportunities to our students. Our Public Health Foundation fund (also known as Community Health and Health Education fund) covers conference attendance, special events, guest speakers, equipment, books, teaching materials, etc.
Other ways to give
- Contact us by phone: 360-650-3027
- Write a check made payable to the WWU Foundation: Please indicate which fund you are donating to on the memo line of your check. Mail to: WWU Foundation, 516 High St., Mailstop 9034, Bellingham, WA 98225-9034
Thank you for your generosity. We appreciate your support!
Questions? Need help? Visit How to Give
Or contact us:
Health and Human Development website
HHD Main Office, Carver 102
HHD.Department@wwu.edu
Facebook: Western Washington University Public Health Program
