The College of Public Health has welcomed nine new faculty this fall. Join us as we get to know Andrew Kiselica, Magnolia Hernandez, Renato Ferreira Leitao Azevedo, Jacob Harth, Chao Huang, Cynthia Carmean, Liyuan Wang, Eunhae Shin and George Mois! Next up in our series is Magnolia Hernandez, Ph.D., an online practice coordinator and clinical assistant professor in Health Promotion & Behavior.
- Can you tell us about your background?
Fun fact- I was born in Miami, FL, but raised in the Dominican Republic, so I’ve had the great fortune of calling both the DR and the US my homes. I came back to the US when I graduated high school to attend college at a small campus of the U of Pittsburgh system. Thanks to the incredibly supportive mentors and advocates that I had as an undergrad, I pursued a career in higher education more than 20 years ago to serve, advocate for and support students of underrepresented backgrounds (like myself) in their academic and professional pursuits. As a leader, my work has focused on adult learners and facilitating access and success (from recruitment and retention through graduation) in minority-serving institutions. Most recently, my work centered around mentoring and coaching graduate students in a college of public health, and designing and implementing programs to support their professional development.
- What brought you to UGA and the College of Public Health?
What attracted me to this role at the college was the opportunity to serve students in their career development while being part of a college and campus community that is intentional in its commitment to student engagement and student success. That intentionality is palpable, and I am excited and honored that I get to be a part of it!
- What excites you or motivates you about being in the classroom and your research?
What I find most exciting are the 1:1 brainstorming sessions with students, guiding them (through lots of questions and deliberation) from ideas on what they aspire to do to an action plan and blueprint on how they plan to get there. My research has focused primarily on graduate education, program quality, and how different stakeholders in graduate education approach program quality. From understanding how different student populations access resources to what it looks like to engage students and build a sense of belonging, I’m grateful that my research has often connected so directly to my everyday work as a practitioner.
- How have you partnered with communities to improve health? Is there service or outreach work you’d like to do in Athens or Georgia?
Most of the partnerships I’ve helped build have been centered around bringing positive attention to the quality of the students I serve—this has been anything from preparing my students for nationally competitive fellowships (and then based on the outcomes establishing institutional relationships with the agencies/funders) to helping students connect with community organizations in ways that are beneficial to all—the students, the agencies/partners, and the communities they serve.
I’m still learning about what those opportunities will look like in Athens, but so far I’m excited to see how deep the college’s and university’s engagement runs in the community.
- What are you looking forward to this Fall semester?
I’m looking forward to learning more about UGA and Athens, but most importantly getting to know our online MPH students and learning about how I can support their dreams and aspirations to serve in public health.
- A few fun rapid-fire questions:
- Go-to road trip snack? – Popcorn
- Coffee or tea order? Dare I say – Pumpkin Spice Latte (any time of the year)
- One TV show or podcast you can’t stop talking about? – My husband and I love to cook, eat, and entertain, so Ina Garten’s “Be My Guest” show, which is on TV and podcast, is my go-to happy place; we get to learn about others’ lives while picking up a recipe or two.
