Grads Making a Difference

Audris Solomon

Audris Solomon, Sociology BS Summa Cum Laude, 2008

Audris Solomon, BS, 2008, recently returned from Ghana, West Africa, where she was part of a Service-Learning Study Abroad Program. Among other projects, the group delivered supplies to a village school. “As we pulled the school supplies from our van, the students cheered with excitement. In that moment I realized my own privilege. In Ghana, school supplies are a luxury good. Pencils are scarce and oftentimes a whole classroom shares one pencil.”

“As sociology students, it's imperative to understand that how we perceive the world is based on the social context around us. When placed in a different environment, you are forced to think outside of your normal context. School supplies in America? Easily accessible, low importance. School supplies in Ghana? Not easily accessible, high importance. My experiences there taught me about my own privilege and how can I use it to help others. I have been deeply moved by those in Ghana, and I look forward to the day I can return.”

Lori Parham

Lori Parham (in jacket), Sociology PhD, 2003

Lori Parham, PhD, 2003, is the state director of AARP Florida, where she is in charge of advocacy, education, and policy. “It may sound like a cliché,” she said, “but this job allows me to accomplish a lot of good for people 50 and older in Florida.” In the advocacy realm, she spearheaded her organization’s successful fight against passage of legislation to limit spending on essential public services, and she lobbied for funding to increase the number of Certified Nurse Assistant hours per resident per day in nursing homes, ensuring residents get the quality care and attention they need and deserve. In the education realm, the Florida office has developed a volunteer speakers bureau on topics including social security, Medicare Part D, financial fraud and long-term care.

Policy, though, is Dr. Parham’s true calling, and currently she is working on reform of Florida’s long-term care system. “Policy work energizes me,” she said, “and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to first learn about elder policy and health care policy by working with Jill Quadagno in the Sociology program. The confidence I gained at FSU as I learned skills such as how to track down information and interpet it, how to present an argument, and how to think analytically has also proven invaluable in this job.”

Dr. Parham, who supervises a staff of 24, travels frequently, including by foot--she just finished running her first marathon! She was recently honored by acceptance into Leadership Florida, an organization dedicated to building a sense of statewide community.

Cheryl Robbins

Dr. Robbins, PhD 2007 (in black), with CDC colleague and staff members from the Kiev, Ukraine, street youth project team in front of mobile HIV testing and counseling van

Cheryl Robbins received her PhD in 2007 and became an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control, where she worked on projects close to home and as far away as Alaska and the Ukraine. "I was working on my dissertation when I saw the request for applications for the Epidemic Intelligence Service [EIS] training program, and I immediately knew that was exactly what I wanted to do! During the day-long interview process, I felt like I had just fallen in love - I actually lost my appetite and that NEVER happens to me!"

As an EIS officer, Dr. Robbins has been involved in several fascinating projects. She led the project design, implementation, and data analysis of an HIV seroprevalence assessment among 900 street youth in the Ukrainian cities of Kiev, Odessa, and Donetsk. She also assisted with the collection and data analysis of an Adenovirus-14 epidemiologic investigation in Alaska, conducted analyses of ovarian cancer survival, evaluated a national cancer surveillance system, and conducted surveillance for the Novel Influenza A Epidemic (Swine Flu) in the Centers for Disease Control Emergency Operations Center.

"I entered the PhD program with a strong public health program background, but the sociology training I received at FSU fortified me with the statistical and methodological skills I needed to land a highly competitive EIS position. The EIS training program gave me practical epidemiological experience and I am eager to synthesize all these experiences and conduct research informed by sociology as well as by public health." Dr. Robbins recently assumed a permanent epidemiologist position with the Centers for Disease Control Division of Reproductive Health, Applied Sciences Branch.

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	Home News - Latest News - News Archive - Faculty Publications - Recent Ph.D. Graduates Undergrad Grad Prospective Students - PhD - MS in Aging and Health - MS in Applied Social Research People Department Contact			Grads Making a Difference Audris Solomon Audris Solomon, Sociology BS Summa Cum Laude, 2008 Audris Solomon, BS, 2008, recently returned from Ghana, West Africa, where she was part of a Service-Learning Study Abroad Program. Among other projects, the group delivered supplies to a village school. “As we pulled the school supplies from our van, the students cheered with excitement. In that moment I realized my own privilege. In Ghana, school supplies are a luxury good. Pencils are scarce and oftentimes a whole classroom shares one pencil.” “As sociology students, it's imperative to understand that how we perceive the world is based on the social context around us. When placed in a different environment, you are forced to think outside of your normal context. School supplies in America? Easily accessible, low importance. School supplies in Ghana? Not easily accessible, high importance. My experiences there taught me about my own privilege and how can I use it to help others. I have been deeply moved by those in Ghana, and I look forward to the day I can return.” Lori Parham Lori Parham (in jacket), Sociology PhD, 2003 Lori Parham, PhD, 2003, is the state director of AARP Florida, where she is in charge of advocacy, education, and policy. “It may sound like a cliché,” she said, “but this job allows me to accomplish a lot of good for people 50 and older in Florida.” In the advocacy realm, she spearheaded her organization’s successful fight against passage of legislation to limit spending on essential public services, and she lobbied for funding to increase the number of Certified Nurse Assistant hours per resident per day in nursing homes, ensuring residents get the quality care and attention they need and deserve. In the education realm, the Florida office has developed a volunteer speakers bureau on topics including social security, Medicare Part D, financial fraud and long-term care. Policy, though, is Dr. Parham’s true calling, and currently she is working on reform of Florida’s long-term care system. “Policy work energizes me,” she said, “and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to first learn about elder policy and health care policy by working with Jill Quadagno in the Sociology program. The confidence I gained at FSU as I learned skills such as how to track down information and interpet it, how to present an argument, and how to think analytically has also proven invaluable in this job.” Dr. Parham, who supervises a staff of 24, travels frequently, including by foot--she just finished running her first marathon! She was recently honored by acceptance into Leadership Florida, an organization dedicated to building a sense of statewide community. Cheryl Robbins Dr. Robbins, PhD 2007 (in black), with CDC colleague and staff members from the Kiev, Ukraine, street youth project team in front of mobile HIV testing and counseling van Cheryl Robbins received her PhD in 2007 and became an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control, where she worked on projects close to home and as far away as Alaska and the Ukraine. "I was working on my dissertation when I saw the request for applications for the Epidemic Intelligence Service [EIS] training program, and I immediately knew that was exactly what I wanted to do! During the day-long interview process, I felt like I had just fallen in love - I actually lost my appetite and that NEVER happens to me!" As an EIS officer, Dr. Robbins has been involved in several fascinating projects. She led the project design, implementation, and data analysis of an HIV seroprevalence assessment among 900 street youth in the Ukrainian cities of Kiev, Odessa, and Donetsk. She also assisted with the collection and data analysis of an Adenovirus-14 epidemiologic investigation in Alaska, conducted analyses of ovarian cancer survival, evaluated a national cancer surveillance system, and conducted surveillance for the Novel Influenza A Epidemic (Swine Flu) in the Centers for Disease Control Emergency Operations Center. "I entered the PhD program with a strong public health program background, but the sociology training I received at FSU fortified me with the statistical and methodological skills I needed to land a highly competitive EIS position. The EIS training program gave me practical epidemiological experience and I am eager to synthesize all these experiences and conduct research informed by sociology as well as by public health." Dr. Robbins recently assumed a permanent epidemiologist position with the Centers for Disease Control Division of Reproductive Health, Applied Sciences Branch.