UMMC Bower School 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!

07/28/2026

SOPH celebrated medical student research at the Directed Research Lightning Talks! This cohort of students helped kick off the school’s Master of Public Health for MDs program, sharing research projects they worked on throughout the summer and highlighting curiosity, discovery and the real-world impact of population health research.

Thank you to the students, mentors, faculty and staff who helped make this event a success. We are proud to support physicians as they build research skills and explore work that can improve health in Mississippi and beyond.

Learn more about the MPH for MDs program: https://bit.ly/MPH4MDS

07/27/2026

SOPH was proud to be represented at the / Immigrant Alliance for Justice & Equity of Mississippi Promotores Conference in Hattiesburg! Rebecca Butz, pop heath PhD student, and Thomas Dobbs, MD, MPH, and dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health, presented on maternal health.

Butz discussed diet and nutrition, while Dr. Dobbs shared information on maternal health indicators and danger signs during pregnancy. Their presentation highlighted the importance of education, prevention and community engagement in supporting healthier pregnancies and better outcomes for Mississippi families.

07/24/2026

SOPH was proud to be part of the Fifth Annual Mississippi IDeA/EPSCoR Conference in Hattiesburg. The conference offered a great opportunity to connect with prospective students and share more about the John D. Bower School of Population Health’s academic programs.

We also celebrated PHS PhD student Mickel Sandifer, who presented his research during the poster session. Mickel is continuing a busy summer of scholarship and training through his participation in the Jackson Heart Study Graduate Training and Education Center at the The University of Southern Mississippi, a program focused on cardiovascular epidemiology and research training. //