Two students in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Giesel School of Medicine have been named This Is Public Health (TIPH) Ambassadors for 2022-2023 by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH).
MPH students Amber Nieves ’23 and Brandon Huxley ’23 join 57 other current graduate students representing 40 ASPPH member schools and programs—the largest ambassador cohort yet since ASPPH launched the TIPH ambassador program in 2017.
Nominated by their institutions, students who participate as ambassadors help raise awareness about the field of public health through a number of activities. These include leading virtual events, managing the TIPH social media accounts, and contributing to projects and presentations to assist in the growth of interest in public health education and careers.
Nieves works in Boston, MA, as a full-time research associate at Adelphi Values, a global healthcare value consultancy. “I have been following ASSPH’s This is Public Health social media for some time now, and it has encouraged me to advocate for the importance of bringing people together for the common good,” she says. Her interests include health policy, social determinants of health, and chronic illness. “Being able to network with others in the public health field and other programs will be a privilege and a great opportunity to expand creativity and ideas within the field.”
As part of her MPH experience at The Dartmouth Institute, Nieves served as a first-year class representative on the program’s Student Advisory Council. She is a graduate of Bridgewater State University, where she earned a BS in physics.
Based in Portsmouth, NH, Huxley is health systems medical affairs director at Merck, a multinational pharmaceutical company. “I’ve had so many doors opened for me by colleagues and mentors to help me get to this point,” says Huxley, whose interests include healthcare management with a focus on pharmacotherapy and patient safety. “I want to be on the front lines of paying it forward and showing how we can leverage our advanced degrees to drive sustainable and creative solutions to healthcare issues in our country.”
Prior to joining Merck, Huxley served as clinical pharmacy manager and director of inpatient pharmacy at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. He completed a two-year health system pharmacy administration residency with Tufts Medicine and is a graduate of MCPHS University, where he earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
“We are beyond excited that Amber and Brandon have been selected as ambassadors for this year,” says Craig Westling, DrPH, executive director of education for The Dartmouth Institute. “They are the first Dartmouth MPH students to receive this honor, and both will be excellent at spreading awareness and generating interest in public health.”
The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice is a world leader in studying and advancing models for disruptive change in healthcare delivery. The work of Dartmouth Institute faculty and researchers includes developing the concept of shared decision-making between patients and healthcare professionals, creating the model for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and introducing the game-changing concept that more healthcare is not necessarily better care.
