Jacob D. Fischer, master’s in health administration ’14, was recently promoted to the role of director, clinical service line at Ascension Sacred Heart. He will continue to oversee virtual care initiatives and expansion within the region, capital investment and expansion initiatives for the employed medical group, the largest along the U.S. Gulf Coast. In addition, he will now oversee the general surgery service line and subcategories, including general, ENT and trauma.
Jacky Lagrace, bachelor’s in health science ’06, has been appointed vice president, population health, for Ascension Florida & Gulf Coast. He also serves on the board of directors for WeCareJax, an organization in Duval County that coordinates compassionate specialty health care services for people who are uninsured. Read more
Tasha Raymond, bachelor’s in public health ’18, is a public health consultant at Guidehouse, with specializations in health disparities and behavioral, social and health education sciences. She also serves as a volunteer coordinator for Freedom Restores Everlasting Empowerment, a nonprofit organization that seeks to serve those experiencing homelessness. Read more
James M. Siwy, doctorate in clinical psychology ’84, was awarded a certificate in psychoanalysis from the Brookhaven Institute for Psychoanalysis and Christian Thought, or BIPACT. He is a licensed psychologist with a private practice of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in Roswell, Georgia.
Alexander Suerte, doctorate in physical therapy ’16, is a minor league physical therapist with the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club. Read more
Alexis Caplan, bachelor’s in health science ’13, master’s in public health ’14, and Johanzynn Gatewood, master’s in public health ’17, did not know each other before both were deployed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement Emergency Intake Site in El Paso, Texas, in response to unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. They quickly discovered a Gator bond, which helped them adjust to the demands of their deployment.
Caplan is a public health analyst at CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the World Trade Center Health Program. Gatewood is a public health advisor at CDC’s Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services in the Division of Laboratory Systems
During their time at the refugee emergency intake site, they assisted with infection control and epidemiological surveillance, focusing on mitigating the spread of COVID-19 among children and staff. The team faced some unique challenges, as well as some more universal ones experienced by many public health professionals during the pandemic, including accommodating space for quarantine and isolation and overcoming vaccine hesitancy.
They credit their deployment with the formation of a new friendship.
“Being away from family and friends on long deployments can be challenging, so having colleagues you can hang out with outside of work is important for resilience,” Caplan said. “Even though we have different home programs at CDC, we still find the time to hang out outside of work because of the strong friendship we developed while we were in El Paso.”
Caption: M.P.H. alumnae Alexis Caplan and Johanzynn Gatewood met when both were deployed by CDC to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement Emergency Intake Site at Fort Bliss.
— Katarina Fiorentino, B.H.S. Communication Sciences and Disorders ’21
