Chrissy Sherrill is an undergraduate student at Salem College and a Forsyth County native. She is slated for graduation in May 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in both Biology and Chemistry. Her leadership skills, which were developed in the workplace, have carried over to her role as President of the Beta Alpha Chapter of Tri Beta. Chrissy enthusiastically joined Dr. Mount’s team of Health Equity Ambassadors in August 2011 and is particularly looking forward to the Diabetes and Chronic Diseases Support Group sessions run by Dr. Mount at the Downtown Health Plaza. Chrissy is proud to be a part of Dr. Mount’s initiatives to shine a spotlight on the importance of patient education and the mental & physical health wellbeing of everyday people.
Author: MindBodyInstituteBeyond
Rebecca Boone: Student Intern Fall 2011
Rebecca Boone is currently a freshman at Wake Forest University with a plan to major in Biology. She is originally from Dayton, Ohio and enjoys being part of the Reynolda Film Festival and the Habitat for Humanity at Wake.
Leonardo Tjahjono: Student Intern Fall 2011
I am Leonardo Tjahjono from Dallas, Texas. I was born in Indonesia and am able to speak its native language fluently. I moved to America when I was fifteen to pursue higher level of education which my native country lacks. I am currently attending Wake Forest University as a freshman. I am intending to major in Chemistry with concentration in biochemistry. Interested to attend Medical school in the future. I am interested to learn more about chronic disease, especially cancer, because my family has been greatly affected by it. It is from natural intuition that I want to dwell deeper into the medical field and advances that will be progressing in the world of science.
Cassandra Hardy: Student Intern Fall 2011
Cassie Hardy, from Cary, NC is currently a junior at Salem College majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. She is an honors student and full tuition scholarship recipient. She is the editor-in-chief of Salem College’s yearbook, a junior marshal, fundraiser chairman of Beta Beta Beta, orientation leader, tutor, and biology lab assistant. After graduating from Salem College she hopes to go to medical school. As a new intern at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity with Dr. Mount she hopes to learn as much as possible about health disparities and to use the knowledge she gains to create change in the Winston-Salem community and beyond.
Jasmine Furnace: Student Intern Fall 2011
From the minute town of Mount Airy, North Carolina, Jasmine Furnace is a transfer student from East Carolina University and is now attending Salem College. She is currently a senior and will be graduating spring 2012 with a B.S. in Biology. She aspires to become a physician assistant in hopes to have a specialty in surgery. Jasmine has been involved in various activities ranging from leadership training and mentoring to intramural basketball. Furthermore, she is currently employed as a certified nursing assistant in a nursing facility where she gives compassionate care to the elderly. Jasmine is enthusiastic about the opportunity to be a student intern under the guidance of Dr. Mount. The internship will help further her knowledge of research methodology while investigating and even promoting change to the various health disparities that effect disadvantaged populations within the community.
Larry Oppegaard
For 16 years, Larry Oppegaard of Greensboro has been educating people about the health risks of radon, the colorless and odorless radioactive gas known to cause cancer. Radon is present in many homes, unbeknownst to the occupants. EPA calls it “The Silent Killer”. Larry has revealed the health dangers of radon gas in homes to his Clients while in business as a NC Licensed Home Inspector for 16 years. He has performed radon measurements in thousands of homes. In 2005, Larry earned Dual Certifications from the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA). One certification qualifies him to accurately measure radon levels. The other certification qualifies him to design and install effective radon elimination systems. During the past six years, he has constructed hundreds of pipe-and-fan systems in all types of homes throughout central North Carolina. His business, known as Radon Rid, is run on principles of environmental awareness. Larry minimizes its impact on the planet through diligent practice of the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle philosophy.
Tameshia Blackwell
First of her family to attend and graduate from college, Miss Tameshia Blackwell, was born and raised here in Winston Salem, North Carolina. In May 2011, she graduated Cum Laude from Shaw University in Raleigh North Carolina with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. While attending Shaw University, she was granted many opportunities that lead to her success in the Math and Science field. She participated in three Emerging Researchers Conferences held in various destinations and was selected to study overseas in a prostate cancer research internship in Jamaica for two summers. She is a lifetime member of the Alpha Chi National College Honors Society, Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Honor Society and a member of Shaw University branch of the Minority Association for Pre Health Students (MAPS). Currently, she is continuing her efforts to serve the community as a Health Equity Ambassador under the mentorship of Dr. David Mount in the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity until she starts graduate school in the spring of 2013.
Carmen Caruthers: Student Intern Summer 2011
“Overall, my experience as a summer intern with Dr. Mount at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity was enlightening, educational, and beneficial to my development as a student and future professional. Not only did I have the opportunity to work under a very knowledgeable neuropsychologist, I was exposed to the different facets of the field of psychology. I witnessed group therapy sessions, listened to panels, and last but not least, had the opportunity to actively participate in the beginning phases of a research project. In addition to these experiences I developed a CV that will continue to grow as well as picked up a few skills that are necessary for a psychologist to have, such as working with SPSS and scoring a variety of personality tests. In the end, working in the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity thoroughly enhanced my knowledge of and interest in the field of psychology.”
Anna Queen
A native of the South, Anna Queen is a 2011 graduate from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Esther G. Maynor Honor’s College. While obtaining a dual bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry, Anna worked as a RISE Fellow for three years in the Microbiology Department. Anna has also had internships at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In the fall of 2010, Anna spent three months in Tanzania, East Africa working on a public health initiative involving HIV. Since 2008, Anna has presented her various projects at ten different regional and national conferences. In her most recent conference, she won the second place John Dereiux Excellence in Research Award. Anna aspires to obtain an MD/PhD degree in the interest of health disparities among minorities. Her work in Dr. David Mount’s lab involves promoting healthcare educational outreach, long-term statistical studies, and relating chronic health issues to the patient’s citywide environment. Her intent and motivation for the work in Dr. Mount’s lab is to improve minority health and promote training and health disparities research. Anna is particularly interested in Neurology, specifically the pathology of movement disorders such as Parkinson Disease.
Andy Hagler
Andy Hagler is the Executive Director of The Mental Health Association in Forsyth County—a local non-profit, non-governmental advocacy agency—and has held this position since May 1997. Since taking the Association’s helm, his agency provides an array of non-clinical mental health programs and services such as:
- Client & Family Support Groups
- Representative Payee Services
- Mental Health Information & Referral/Access Services
- Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) mental health trainings to law enforcement officers
- Client, Family and Legislative Advocacy Services
- “Mental Health 101” Community Education Services
- Community Screening Events for Depression and Anxiety
- Community Partnerships and Collaboratives to address and fill in gaps in existing mental health and related community-based services
