The project director, Dr. David Gregorio, was recently awarded a $1,900,000 contract from the Connecticut Department of Public Health titled “Education-Enhanced Pipeline to a Public Health Science Corps”. This work aims to enhance the number and professional capabilities of public health workers in Connecticut, while also improving the general public's understanding of public health. This funding will support engagement with the Storrs and regional campuses in efforts to encourage undergraduate students to consider careers in public health by highlighting careers and academic opportunities, assisting high schools to offer courses in public health and epidemiology through UConn’s Early College Experience, and implementing a UConn Certificate on Leadership for individuals preparing to lead public health and human service organizations.
These programs are supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, through OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant.
Program Staff
Dr. David Gregorio
Project Director
David Gregorio is a professor at UConn Health’s Department of Public Health Sciences. His research and teaching focus on the application of epidemiology in advancing disease control policy and practices relevant to the social determinants of chronic disease. Starting Fall 2025, Dr. Gregorio will teach a graduate seminar on the Political Determinants of Health, in addition to his undergraduate Introduction to Public Health course, which consistently enrolls more than 200 undergraduates.
Shari Cousins, MPH
Community Outreach Coordinator
Shari is the Department of Public Health Sciences, Community-Based Education Specialist. Her role is to work with the academic community to develop instructional content, assignments, and experiential learning opportunities that highlight the value of public health as a career choice and assist Community Partners in incorporating evidence-based public health knowledge and practices in their operations. Over the past thirty years, Shari has worked in the nonprofit community, developing programs and supporting work geared towards youth development and workforce readiness. Shari received her bachelor’s degree from Springfield College and her Master of Public Health from UConn.
Jessie Gleckel, MPH
Professor
Jessie Gleckel has extensive experience in public health practice, research, and evaluation at local, national, and international levels. She has held roles at esteemed organizations such as PATH, Public Health – Seattle & King County, the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence. Her diverse background has provided her with unique opportunities to work in both small and large local and international nonprofits, governmental health agencies, and federal institutions. Her primary focus has been on enhancing health equity through prevention and research on sexual and intimate partner violence, advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights, promotion of gender equity in HIV prevention, care, and treatment, and quality improvement in correctional health. She also has extensive experience in providing technical assistance, building collaborative partnerships with stakeholders across various sectors, conducting assessments and evaluations, and designing tools and processes for quality improvement and assurance. She earned her MPH from the University of Washington’s Community-Oriented Public Health Practice Program and is currently pursuing her DrPH at Rutgers University.
Chelsea Erem
Graduate Assistant
Chelsea Erem is a graduate assistant in the Program of Applied Public Health Sciences. Now a second-year MPH student, Chelsea has been a part of the UConn community since 2021, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health Sciences at UConn’s Waterbury campus. As a graduate assistant, Chelsea will be coordinating and delivering public health programming to undergraduate students across UConn’s main and satellite campuses. As a future public health practitioner, Chelsea is excited about supporting the next generation of creative thinkers and innovators who will make up our public health workforce. She is passionate about community organizing and hopes to implement hands-on learning experiences and creative recruitment strategies that will spark curiosity and an interest in public health.
Deborah Kyerematen
Graduate Assistant
Deborah Kyerematen is a Graduate Assistant and MPH Student at UConn Health. She recently earned her undergraduate degree in Allied Health Sciences with a concentration in Public Health from the University of Connecticut. Born and raised in Manchester, Connecticut, Deborah is passionate about driving systemic change in healthcare by advancing policies that promote equity and well-being for all communities.
She aspires to work at the intersection of health policy and law, to make a national impact through evidence-based advocacy and legislative reform. Deborah’s recent experience includes serving as a Johnson & Johnson Scholar through the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) and interning with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF). In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching films and TV shows, and, as of recently, discovering new trails through hiking.
Bruce Scheidemandel Garcia
Graduate Assistant
CT Department of Public Health Partners
Susan Hackings, LLB, MSc
Academic Programs Manager
Susan began her career in Environmental Health in London, England, undertaking air and noise pollution monitoring in and around London. She has managed Business Development and Events at both the National Museum of Science & Industry and the Inns of Court School of Law. After arriving in the US, she worked at the American Red Cross for three years as manager of Outreach and Communications, followed by eleven years as Communications and Marketing manager at United Technologies Corporation (now Raytheon Technologies). Susan also spent two years at Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, overseeing Communications and Alumni Affairs. She joined DPH in 2021 to help distribute COVID funding to Local Health and joined the Workforce Development team in 2023, where she manages contracts with local health and academic partners.
Susan has an associate degree in Electronics and Physics, a bachelor’s degree in Law, a Marketing diploma, and a master’s in Communication Management. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Education and Social Justice.
Celeste Jorge, MPH
Epidemiologist; Evaluator, Office of Public Health Workforce Development, Connecticut DPH
Celeste Jorge is an epidemiologist by training and currently an evaluator at the Connecticut Department of Public Health, in the Office of Public Health Workforce Development. Prior to taking this role, she served as the director of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), and the School Health Profiles. Celeste earned her Master of Public Health from the University of Connecticut and is a member of the Connecticut Public Health Association. Celeste has been with the CT Department of Public Health for over 20 years and is an adjunct instructor of public health. She is a lifelong resident of Connecticut, a first-generation college student, and a mother of two teenagers.
Tom St. Louis, MSPH
Director, Office of Public Health Workforce Development, Connecticut DPH
Tom has been with the CT Department of Public Health for close to 25 years, and for most of those years, he served as an Epidemiologist and Program Director in the Environmental and Occupational Health Assessment program. Tom was intricately involved with the State of Connecticut's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2022, he was asked to serve as the new Director of the Office of Public Health Workforce Development, with the task of reimagining workforce development for the public health community in Connecticut and building this new Office from the ground up. Tom has previously served as an adjunct faculty member at Southern CT State University and a guest lecturer for many public health academic programs throughout CT, including UConn Public Health.
Early College Experience Faculty
Dr. Flavia Cruz
ECE Faculty at Ansonia High School
Dr. Cruz has been an educator and a researcher for over 20 years. Her expertise is in science education, curriculum development, and biological research. Dr. Cruz worked as a research scientist in the Pharmaceutical Industry and then transitioned to teaching in 2006. Her teaching expertise includes Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy and Physiology, UCONN/ECE Biology, Medical Terminology, Intro to the Allied Health Professions, and will be teaching Intro to Public Health in the spring. Dr. Cruz holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from the University of New England and three Master's Degrees in Science from the University of Saint Joseph, The Scranton University, and the University of New Haven.
Dr. Cruz has worked to develop comprehensive course materials for the science department at Ansonia. She also works in training new science faculty and developing multicultural curriculum that is driven by both the teacher and the students at Ansonia. Dr. Cruz has also been an advocate of robot development and 3D printing, and has worked to ensure that 3D printing technology is available in the biological classrooms.
Outside of work, Dr. Cruz enjoys reading, hiking, and going to the beach. She also loves taking her children on day trips to Connecticut's major attractions, such as Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium, Beardsley Zoo, Gillette Castle State Park, Sleeping Giant trails, and the Peabody Museum.
Susan McConnell, MPH, MS
ECE Faculty at Newtown High School
Susan holds a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health from Southern New Hampshire University and a Master of Science in Cellular Physiology from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Sacred Heart University. Her academic background bridges the biological sciences and public health, offering students a comprehensive understanding of how scientific principles apply to real-world health challenges.
A passionate advocate for health equity, Susan believes that public health is the key to building stronger, healthier communities—especially for children, whose well-being shapes the future of society. She emphasizes the importance of early education, science-based health literacy, and awareness of social determinants that influence access to care. In her courses, she challenges students to explore how race, geography, income, and education intersect with health outcomes, and empowers them to become change agents in their communities. Thus, she will be introducing and teaching ECE Public Health at Newtown High School in order to expand the public health program.
Jason Croteau
ECE Faculty at Norwich Free Academy
Jason has been teaching high school science for 23 years. His teaching focus is biology, AP Biology, DNA Science, and Microbes and Disease. He created the elective course Microbes and Disease after being selected for and participating in the National Science Ambassador Program at the Centers for Disease Control. This course was highly successful, and he is looking forward to using aspects of the course curriculum to incorporate into the ECE Public Health class. His particular interest in public health centers on spill-over phenomena as well as cultural and religious dimensions that affect public health.