Two School of Public Health master’s program graduates are among the university’s inaugural class of distinguished young alumni.
Jennifer Lind (MPH ’12) and Brandon Talley (MPH ’10) will be honored at the 40 Under 40 ceremony in March, celebrating influential and innovative graduates who embody the values of Georgia State University. Cheryl Johnson, who earned a certificate in public health in 2012 as well as B.A.s in economics and German and an M.A. in anthropology from Georgia State, is also among the honorees.
Get to know our distinguished grads:
JENNIFER LIND (MPH '12)
Pharmacist/Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Jennifer Lind began her career as a pharmacist but went back to school to earn a Master of Public Health after seeing firsthand the impact of chronic diseases on communities. In 2012, she became an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Lind has given back to her alma mater by returning to campus to talk to pre-pharmacy students about opportunities as public health pharmacists.
What has been your most rewarding professional accomplishment?
I was born and raised in Atlanta. So, I grew up hearing about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the phenomenal work that is done there. CDC has always been a place where I aspired to work one day and to be able to work there now has been a dream come true. From being accepted into the prestigious EIS program in 2012 to traveling to Kyrgyzstan to provide technical assistance on a national nutritional survey, my career at CDC has been nothing short of amazing.
My current work at CDC focuses on safer medication use during pregnancy and researching the prevention and control of risk factors for birth defects, which has allowed me to merge my passions for pharmacy and epidemiology.
Who has influenced your life in a way that has made you successful?
I have been very fortunate to have had great mentors and role models pour into my life over the years, which has contributed in large part to my success. My very first role model was my maternal grandmother, Rosa T. Beard, who incited in me a love of science. She received her master’s degree in education and chemistry from Columbia University in 1951, during a time when many African Americans were not able to go to college. She went on to live a life committed to the academic, social, and cultural development of young people and was a dedicated educator for 41 years.
What are a few fun things most people don’t know about you?
Most people probably don’t know that I have a really good sense of humor and love to laugh. I also really enjoy reading young adult science fiction novels and salsa dancing. In fact, I discovered my love of salsa dancing while working on my MPH at Georgia State University. It started as a way to stay physically fit and before I knew it, I was an active member of the university salsa club and had a new hobby.
What advice would you give to new graduates?
Follow your passion and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. You are not limited to only the paths that have already been paved; you can forge a new path. Aim high, take risks, and try new things professionally, you never know what you may discover.
BRANDON TALLEY (MPH ’10)
Vice President of Programs, CDC Foundation
Brandon Talley began his career at the CDC Foundation in 2008 on the tobacco control team. He has served as deputy chief operating officer of the tobacco control initiative at the Foundation, and most recently as associate vice president for programs.
Talley also serves as chair of the School of Public Health Alumni Board and is a member of the school’s Board of Advisors. He is also a Ph.D. candidate at Georgia State, specializing in biostatistics.
What has been your most rewarding professional accomplishment?
My most rewarding professional experience has to be my decade-long work on the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. During the last 10 years, I've work closely with global partners such as the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and others working on monitoring tobacco use worldwide and guiding tobacco prevention and control programs. The partnership's efforts are estimated to have saved 30 million lives.
Most of those 30 million lives saved have been in low- and middle-income countries where the burden of disease, death, and the economic cost of tobacco use is highest. Every day I feel that I've had the privilege of contributing in some small way to helping save lives around the world.
Who has influenced your life in a way that has made you successful?
Although I did really well in high school, I struggled with the rigor of college for many reasons and I nearly failed out as an undergraduate.
But when I was 23 years old, a major health scare shot across my bow. This scare opened my eyes virtually overnight. It rebooted my perspective on life and gave me a new focus that had been missing during my first several years of college. I decided to work more closely with my undergraduate advisor to figure out how to navigate through my degree. She was an amazing mentor that was gently unrelenting in the pursuit of pushing me to graduate. I also could not have made it through those uncertain undergraduate years without my parents. They, too, were unrelenting and instilled in me the value of always approaching the world from a place of learning.
What are a few fun things most people don’t know about you?
Most people don't know that I show jumped horses for most of my teenage years. Also, I have a decent amount of tattoos. It is usually a surprise to people because I'm always in a suit and long sleeves during the work week. And most people don't know that before I started working in public health I worked in the automotive industry. My family owns a tire business, and I was heavily involved in the family business up until my late 20s.
What advice would you give to new graduates?
Opportunity comes in many different forms, and you need to be open to taking opportunities, even if they aren’t custom-designed for your specific interests, goals, or desires. You need to fortify relationships. You need to seize opportunities. You need to explore new things, and perhaps most importantly, not be afraid to fail.