Jasmine Uddin Among Two Alumni Awarded Prestigious CDC Fellowships

ATLANTA — Jasmine Uddin (M.P.A. ’24) was unsure of the direction she’d take after earning her bachelor’s degree. Upon the advice of family, friends and professors at Albany State University, she decided to earn a graduate degree and chose Georgia State University, where she found and pursued her passion.

This choice led her to a prestigious Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) position, the Public Health Associates Program (PHAP) fellowship, which begins in October. Uddin joins Caitlin Barrow (M.S.W. ’24) as one of two Andrew Young School of Policy Studies alumni chosen this summer for CDC fellowships. Barrow will enter a two-year CDC Evaluation Fellowship beginning this month.

PHAP associates work alongside other professionals across a variety of public health settings to gain experiences that will serve as a foundation for their public health careers. After graduating from PHAP, Uddin will be qualified to convert to full-time positions at the CDC and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or she can apply for positions with public health agencies or non-governmental organizations.

During her final semester at Georgia State, Uddin began applying for jobs while she was doing an internship in the Governor’s Budget Office.

“I found myself applying for administrative roles,” she said.  “When I talked to my career officer, Natalia Montilla, and told her about my passion, she was amazing. She looked at my resume and asked why I was applying for administrative roles when my passion is public health. ‘I think you should go for what you actually want and apply for those jobs,’ she told me. She helped me change my direction.”

Uddin received similar advice from a friend of her mother who holds a Master of Public Health. She suggested Uddin apply for the Public Health Associates Program. Uddin did just that and asked Susan M. Snyder, an associate professor of social work, to write the recommendation required for her application.

“Jasmine took my grant writing class in the spring, and I was amazed by her desire to learn, her strong written and verbal communication skills, her ability to build enduring relationships with her peers and faculty alike, and her drive for ameliorating race-based health disparities,” Snyder said. “When Jasmine asked me for a reference letter, I knew she could make a tremendous impact as a CDC fellow.”

“I had always wanted to work at the CDC,” Uddin said. “And when I was studying political science, I wanted to end up in D.C. Funny how things work out.”

As a PHAP Fellow, Uddin will work on injury prevention at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., where she will gain first-hand experiences in the critical roles played by public health officials. She’s grateful to Georgia State for helping her realize her career aspirations.

“Georgia State helped me find out what I want to do and am passionate about,” she said. “It offers great networking opportunities, too, opening doors other schools may not. The Andrew Young School faculty and staff literally guided and showed me my career path. If you don’t know what you want to do, come to school here and they’ll help you get where you want to be.”

Uddin also feels it’s important that other potential students understand how Georgia State can help students working to earn a master’s degree, especially when they call on the resources available. After struggling during her first semester, Uddin graduated with honors.

“Grad school was very challenging for me, particularly coming from another school,” she said. “The curriculum and skill level required were difficult. After the first semester, I was not meeting the requirements. But it’s OK to be intimidated while you work hard — that’s part of the process. To this day, I feel imposter syndrome tugging at me, that nagging feeling that I don’t deserve this. But Dr. Snyder reminds me that I have a master’s degree. She tells me to go for what I want and step into the room with confidence. I got through it, and I’m here.”

“I am incredibly proud of Jasmine for this exceptional achievement,” Snyder said. “The fellowship will set her on a trajectory to be a leader in the field of public health.”