Alumni News Archive
The Institute of Public Health congratulates its first graduating Master of Public Health class
The quartet of student received their MPH degrees during the spring commencement ceremony. At least four more students are expected to graduate from the program at the end of summer semester. The first graduates are (from left to right): Satvinder “Pearly” Dhingra, Sharon Pritchett, Denyse Nanan, and Ahmed El-Seddawy.
Marissa Moore (B.S., Nutrition, 2001)
Marissa Moore has been selected as the new American Dietetic Association (ADA) spokesperson for the Atlanta area. Since 1992, all ADA spokespeople for Atlanta have been alumni or faculty of Georgia State University.
Ann Grediagin (M.S., Nutrition, 1992)
Ann Grediagin was recently promoted to the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army, in which she is Director of the Military Dietetic Internship/MSProgram. Her master’s degree from Georgia State University provided necessary foundation for her to earn a Ph.D. in nutrition and exercise from Oregon State University. Grediagin states that, soldiers, like athletes, perform physically demanding tasks creating the need for proper nutrition to achieve high levels of performance.
Three Generations of Nurses Pave Way for Accelerated Nursing Student
Like many graduating nursing students, Angela Cobb received her nursing pin from a relative who is a fellow nurse. However, Cobb's graduation allows her to carry on a strong family tradition; she comes from a line of career nurses. Both her mother and grandmother chose nursing as their profession, and both were present when Cobb received her pin.
Her mother, Rosemarie Girardeau, is a neuroeducator for Integra Neurosciences and previously worked as both a surgical and emergency room nurse at Atlanta Medical Center and Gwinnett Medical Center. Cobb's grandmother, who graduated from a diploma program at a Savannah hospital, spent her career in critical care at Emory University Hospital and at what is now DeKalb Medical Center.
Cobb didn't initially set out to become a nurse. She earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master's degree in child development. While working in a hospital's child life program, Cobb witnessed the nurses' interaction with the children and the difference they made in their lives. She realized that she wanted to pursue the same goal as her mother and grandmother.
The accelerated track for the Bachelor's of Science in Nursing provided Cobb with the entry into the field of nursing. With the aid of a scholarship from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, she was able to fulfill her dream. Cobb says the accelerated program is challenging and she couldn't have done it without the support from the nurses in her family.
Says Cobb, “I couldn't have done it without the help from my mother and grandmother. My mother, who is an educator, helped me study throughout the program, even with my last finals of the program!”
Following her December graduation, Cobb will work for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Egleston campus on a unit which serves liver and kidney patients.
Criminal Justice Graduate Receives Top Academic Honor
Phyllis M. Brannon, 2004 Criminal Justice, received the President's Award for Academic Excellence for outstanding scholarly achievement during the December commencement ceremony. This award, named in memory of William S. Kell, was presented to Ms. Brannon by Dr. Carl Patton, Georgia State University President. The award is given to the student with the highest undergraduate scholastic average in all course work at Georgia State University with no transfer credits. Previously, Ms. Brannon was the recipient of the James L. Maddex, Jr., scholarship given to an outstanding Criminal Justice student