Shayla Sanders

Undergraduate Degree and Institution: Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) with a minor in Composite Natural Sciences from East Carolina University, as well as a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) Credential

Public Health Interests: Cardiovascular disease, cancer, social epidemiology, vulnerable and historically marginalized communities

Public Health Experience: I’ve served as a Surgery Hypertensive Research Intern for Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine evaluating the effectiveness of a faith-based health intervention on chronic diseases throughout the Triad area of North Carolina. I’ve also assisted the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and North Carolina State University in the collection and analysis of qualitative data for the NIH Agricultural Workers Digital Equity Initiative. While an undergraduate student, I served as a research assistant on several research projects examining social networks and their impact on several health concerns, including cancer, and depression, earning the East Carolina University Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity (URCA) Award. In addition to this, I served as the Student Chair for the East Carolina University Public Health Advisory Committee; In this role I collaborated with stakeholders from premier health organizations to evaluate and improve the ECU BSPH degree program and maintain its Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation. During my tenure, I advocated that the curriculum work to include education on racial injustice, health equity, minority health, and LGBTQIA+ health.

Why did you chose the UNC Charlotte MPH program? I’ve had several opportunities to travel to Charlotte and fell in love with the growing diversity, activities, and opportunities. With a growth in diversity comes a growth of health needs, so Charlotte’s a great place to explore, socialize, and get hands on experience in public health! I developed public health practices for a rural environment during my undergraduate education but I wanted to relocate to an urban environment and develop a skill set to address the challenges and advantages in an urbanized area. The UNCC MPH program offers opportunities for development before even stepping on campus through an array of resources, which was the first priority for myself when searching for a graduate school!

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