UMMC Bower School of Population Health

08/18/2026

SOPH was proud to join University of Mississippi Medical Center colleagues and community partners for Black Men’s Wellness Day, where more than 400 people came together for health screenings, education and resources focused on prevention and wellness.

Throughout the morning, teams provided HIV, point-of-care, kidney, chiropractic, ophthalmology, and behavioral health screenings. SOPH faculty, staff, and students were among those helping make the event possible.

Events like this put population health into action – bringing health resources into the community and creating opportunities to connect, educate and serve.

08/17/2026

We have lift-off for the 2026-27 academic year at the John D. Bower School of Population Health! 🚀

Today we welcomed our students back to SOPH and celebrated the newest members of our school community. We’re especially excited to have our new on-campus students here in person, beginning their own journeys in population health, preventive medicine, biostatistics, and data science!

One mission. Many journeys. We’re ready for a great year of learning, discovery, collaboration and advancing population health! Welcome aboard, SOPH students! 🌎✨

08/13/2026

SOPH PhD students Kerri Ivey and Torrey Robinson took Mississippi perspectives to a national audience this week.

Through the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science - IAPHS, Ivey and Robinson developed and moderated a panel exploring the intersection of trust and health through the lenses of policy, journalism, humanities, research and community engagement.

Thank you to panelists Julia Lewis, Amirhea “MiMi” Bishop, Laura Santhanam, Rep. Zakiya Summers and Dr. Rodney Washington for sharing their expertise and experiences. We are especially grateful for the perspectives of research study participants, whose voices brought an essential dimension to the conversation about how trust is built, maintained and reimagined.

We’re proud to see SOPH students creating conversations that connect Mississippi experience with the broader field of population health.

08/11/2026

SOPH students aren’t just studying population health. They’re contributing to the field. Population Health graduate student Minhazul Abedin, pictured with his advisor, Dr. Fazlay Faruque, has had his research on stroke burden, social vulnerability, and health equity in Mississippi accepted for publication in Population Health Management!

We’re always proud to see SOPH student scholarship making its way into the population health literature!

08/11/2026

Read their stories and learn more about SOPH's new MD-MPH pathway at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Three future physicians. One broader vision for health. Meet Allie Koenig, Alexisa Woodard and Rohinton Dossabhoy, members of UMMC’s inaugural MD-MPH pathway.

By combining their medical education with training through the John D. Bower School of Population Health, these students are learning to care for individual patients while also examining the systems, environments and community conditions that shape health across Mississippi.

We’re proud to have them as part of the SOPH family and excited to see where they take this work.

Medicine has long focused on treating one patient at a time. As members of UMMC's inaugural MD-MPH cohort, three future physicians are expanding that mission, learning to improve not only individual lives but the health of entire communities.

08/07/2026

Expanding access to health care in rural Mississippi is an important step toward improving health outcomes across our state. New initiatives announced this week aim to strengthen prenatal and obstetric care, chronic disease management, mental health services, telehealth, and other resources for rural communities.

At the John D. Bower School of Population Health, we are encouraged by efforts that bring greater attention and investment to rural health. Stronger access to care can help build healthier communities throughout Mississippi.

Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday new pilot programs aimed to combat obesity, eliminate obstetric care deserts and expand mental health services in rural Mississippi.

08/05/2026

Join us in supporting Population Health Science PhD students Torrey Robinson and Kerri Ivey as they represent the John D. Bower School of Population Health during the upcoming Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science - IAPHS online event, “Trust in Population Health Reimagined: Cross-Sector Perspectives from Mississippi Communities.”

📅 Thursday, August 13
🕚 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CT
💻 https://bit.ly/iaphs-soph

08/03/2026

SOPH students, faculty and staff recently visited the Mississippi State Capitol for a firsthand look at health policy, public service, and the legislative process.

During the visit, the group met with Mississippi State Rep. Tamarra Grace Butler-Washington for House Representative - District 69, toured the Capitol, and learned more about how ideas move through the legislative process.

The experience gave students the opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world policy work while interacting with classmates, faculty, and state leaders.

Thank you to Rep. Washington and the staff of the Mississippi State Capitol for welcoming SOPH and helping make the visit such a meaningful learning experience.

07/30/2026

Exciting academic year ahead - including the start of our MPH program for physicians and medical students.

As SOPH begins a new academic year, Dean Thomas Dobbs reflects on the school’s momentum, mission and upcoming 10-year milestone.

07/29/2026

The summer issue of the Bower Buzz is live!
👉 https://umc.edu/SoPH/newsletters/2026/summer/

This issue highlights the people, partnerships and programs shaping the John D. Bower School of Population Health as SOPH looks ahead to its 10-year milestone!

Catch up with the John D. Bower School of Population Health and see what’s been happening across SOPH by subscribing to The Buzz! 👉 https://bit.ly/SOPH-BBnews

If you love what we do at SOPH, like and share to spread the word!