MPH Alumna Brittani Nelson Receives Job Offer During Commencement

In an instant, Brittani Nelson (M.P.H. ‘21) became a Saint Louis University graduate and saw her future unfold all at once.

This May, as Nelson was parking her car to attend her graduation ceremony and receive her newly earned Master in Public Health, she received an eagerly awaited phone call.

The timing could not have been more perfect.

The voice on the other end of the line asked if she had a moment to talk about a job offer from the Brown School Evaluation Center at Washington University in St. Louis as an Evaluation Coordinator, a role that will help Nelson continue to change the lives of many.

“My coursework has definitely prepared me for this role,” Nelson said. “My master’s has helped prepare me for the role I have now.”

Nelson’s coursework and experience while pursuing her M.P.H. with a concentration in behavioral science and health education included being on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic in our own community. Nelson created and led the Community Narcan® Distribution Program through the Saint Louis County Department of Public Health (DPH).

As of July 2021, more than 1,000 Narcan® rescue kits have been distributed as part of the Community Narcan® Distribution Program.

Shortly after graduation, Nelson assumed her new position.

Through this role, she will manage international and local community programming projects that work toward improving quality of life factors. To address these factors, community projects provide resources and programming for the communities they work with.

“I want to disrupt and change systems so that they really ensure people thrive and not just survive,” Nelson said.

Nelson currently manages and evaluates four projects: the Panzi foundation, Rung for Women, Safe Return to Schools initiative, and Cigna- Zero Poverty goal. The four projects utilize qualitative methods including interviews and surveys to inform logic models to evaluate the impact of programs and resources in place.

Her coursework, while a student in SLU's College for Public Health and Social Justice, included courses like Qualitative Research Methods and Assessment, Implementation, Development, and Evaluation (AIDE), which have helped her to communicate effectively and understand qualitative methods for evaluation.

Of the many projects Nelson will be part of, the international team she will be working with requires communicating through translators, adding a layer of complexity for already complex projects.

“(My role is) thinking about ‘how do I communicate this well (while) not using big terms,’” Nelson said.

Nelson continues looking down the road at what is to come next. She intends to pursue a Dr.PH. and conduct further research to improve and support the lives of black women, black families, and minorities so that they can thrive.

College for Public Health and Social Justice

The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities. It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States.

Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the College offers nationally recognized programs in public health, social work, health administration, applied behavior analysis, and criminology and criminal justice.