Stephanie Puwalski
Curriculum Development Intern, she/her/hers
Stephanie Puwalski is an MPH candidate at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in the Environmental Health Sciences Department with a certificate in Environmental Health Policy. She has a B.S. from Monmouth University in Biology with a concentration in Molecular Cell Physiology. At Monmouth University, Stephanie was in the Honors School and had a minor in Sociology. She completed her Honors Thesis in the field of Sociology and conducted a research study that explored college students’ perceptions of gender inequality in higher education. Following her undergraduate education, Stephanie earned an M.A. from Stony Brook University in Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics, and worked as a medical scribe in the Emergency Department at Stony Brook University Hospital. Her Capstone research project for this graduate program examined the implications of the electronic medical record on healthcare, including its effects on patient populations and its contribution to the perpetuation of health disparities.
The culmination of these academic experiences fostered her interest in public health and led her to Columbia University to pursue an MPH. While at Mailman, Stephanie has been involved in the Students for Environmental Action organization and she will be a TA for an Environmental Health Justice undergraduate course in her second year. Currently, Stephanie is interested in the linkages between susceptibility to environmental exposures and social determinants of health, as well as work that addresses the disproportionate impact that public health crises have on vulnerable populations.