The College of Public Health has welcomed ten new faculty this fall who we want to introduce to the wider CPH community. Up this week is Nicholas Mallis, MPH, a Ph.D. student who recently joined the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics as an instructor.
What brought you to the field of public health?
Before I started the MPH program at UGA, I worked at a hospital and was on track to apply to PT school. While working in the clinical setting, I began asking myself questions about population health and health inequities. I was constantly reading news articles and books about public health and decided that I wanted to switch paths and apply to the MPH program and concentrate in epidemiology.
What excites you or motivates you about being in the classroom?
I’m excited to get to know students and guide them through learning about epidemiology and biostatistics. It motivates me to hear about their goals (both public health and non-public health related) and helps me strive to be a better instructor.
How have you partnered with communities to improve health? Is there service or outreach work you’d like to do in Athens or Georgia?
In 2019, I partnered with other students and professors in the College of Public Health to work with the Clarke County School District on a project that helped implement the first school-based health center in Athens (located at Hilsman Middle School). Staffed by health care workers like nurses and doctors, school-based health centers provide a range of services to meet kids’ and teens’ health care needs.
What are you looking forward to this Fall semester?
I’m looking forward to continuing my research while guiding new public students through the concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics.
Last one – what do you do for fun?
My main fun activity is playing music. I’ve been in several Athens bands over the years in Athens. I mostly play guitar and bass, and a little bit of piano/synthesizer as well. During the pandemic I picked up a new hobby and started rollerblading.
Posted on September 29, 2022.
