Integrative Learning Experience
The Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) is a required, semester-long course (3 credits) offered each spring that serves as a culminating capstone experience for MPH students. The ILE provides students the opportunity to work with a community partner of their choice, integrating skills developed over the course of their program of study on an independent, final project.
As part of the ILE, student work with their community partner to identify a public health need and develop specific deliverable(s) that they complete for their community partner (i.e., survey, reports/reviews, intervention development and adaption). With guidance from the course instructor, students work with their community partner to demonstrate mastery of fundamental public health competencies while working as a part of an interdisciplinary team.
- Kate Anderson, MPH 2020 - UTC Center for Women & Gender Equity
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Exploring her passion for women's health and advocacy and health communication, Kate partnered with the UTC Center for Women & Gender Equity to develop a Marketing Plan and a Guide for Friends & Family of Survivors for the Survivor Advocacy Services (SAS). These materials will be available to inform and empower survivors of gender-based violence and improve both their physical and mental well-being with support of survivor advocates at UTC.
- Shay Stutts, MPH 2020- Chattanooga Area Food Bank
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Building on her interest in health education and addressing food insecurities in underserved, rural communities, Shay worked with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank to explore ways to enhance their Emergency Food Box (EFB) program. As part of her ILE, Shay developed an evidence-based survey to conduct with EFB clients to explore strategies to make the process smoother and more efficient for them. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Shay was unable to conduct the survey with clients, but instead developed a protocol and tools for delivering the survey in the future, such as this Emergency Food Box Survey - Interviewer Training Video.
- Shelby Souvannasing, MPH 2020 - Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department
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Motivated by a passion for health promotion and communication, Shelby chose to work with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department as part of their Lead Prevention program. With areas of Hamilton County being declared a Superfund site for lead contamination, there is an urgent need to delivering culturally-appropriate information to affected local communities. As part of her work, Shelby developed numerous communication tools, including a Lead Fact Sheet and Lead Poisoning Infographic. These visually appealing materials will help educate and inform Chattanooga area residents about the dangers of childhood poisoning.
- Mary Ferris, MPH 2021- WTCI PBS
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The WTCI Educate channel provides free educational programming through digital broadcast that can be watched by students in the viewing area. Due to inadequate internet access and/or personal technology devices for at-home learning, WTCI stepped in to address this digital divide. Mary brought together an interprofessional team to create short, public health video segments to be including in the PreK-2nd grade morning broadcast rotation. Two of these videos are included here and here.
- Rosetta Loeser, MPH 2021 and Jasmine Pulliam, MPH 2021- City of Chattanooga- Office of Early Learning
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The prevalence of maternal and infant mortality and postpartum depression in the city of Chattanooga is not well documented in current literature particularly as it relates to Black women residing in Hamilton County, Tennessee. A Parent Café was proposed to address psycho-socio-emotional barriers and misconceptions associated with parenting. It was anticipated that if the Parent Café could address the immediate and downstream effects of physical, material, and emotional factors that affect both the mother and the child, the health trajectory of an entire community could be changed. Rosetta and Jasmine conducted a pilot of the Parent Café was held on 17 April 2021. Participants were female ranging in age from 23 to 50 years from various racial/ethnic backgrounds. The research team successfully created a Parent Café Toolkit complete with digital and PDF advertising materials, blurbs for social media posts, potential meeting themes and corresponding protective factors, and a step-by-step checklist for meeting planning and implementation.
- Brandon Denney, MPH 2021- Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence (CALEB)
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Brandon wanted to help educate members of the public about important policy issues by communicating them in an easy-to-understand manner. In this case, the policy issues were around tax incentive deals (Jobs PILOTs) and Community Land Trusts (CLTs). The campaign used public mayoral/city council candidate forums, get-out-the-vote initiatives, and digital infographics/comics to communicate these issues to Chattanoogans. Two digital materials: an infographic about Community Land Trust eligibility, and a comic about Jobs PILOTs in Hamilton County, TN were evaluated on their ability to communicate information to the public.
Kate Anderson, MPH 2020 - UTC Center for Women & Gender Equity
Exploring her passion for women's health and advocacy and health communication, Kate partnered with the UTC Center for Women & Gender Equity to develop a Marketing Plan and a Guide for Friends & Family of Survivors for the Survivor Advocacy Services (SAS). These materials will be available to inform and empower survivors of gender-based violence and improve both their physical and mental well-being with support of survivor advocates at UTC.


Shay Stutts, MPH 2020 - Chattanooga Area Food Bank
Building on her interest in health education and addressing food insecurities in underserved, rural communities, Shay worked with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank to explore ways to enhance their Emergency Food Box (EFB) program. As part of her ILE, Shay developed an evidence-based survey to conduct with EFB clients to explore strategies to make the process smoother and more efficient for them. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Shay was unable to conduct the survey with clients, but instead developed a protocol and tools for delivering the survey in the future, such as this Emergency Food Box Survey - Interviewer Training Video.
Shelby Souvannasing, MPH 2020 - Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department
Motivated by a passion for health promotion and communication, Shelby chose to work with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department as part of their Lead Prevention program. With areas of Hamilton County being declared a Superfund site for lead contamination, there is an urgent need to delivering culturally-appropriate information to affected local communities. As part of her work, Shelby developed numerous communication tools, including a Lead Fact Sheet and Lead Poisoning Infographic. These visually appealing materials will help educate and inform Chattanooga area residents about the dangers of childhood poisoning.

Mary Ferris, MPH 2021- WTCI PBS
The WTCI Educate channel provides free educational programming through digital
broadcast that can be watched by students in the viewing area. Due to inadequate internet access
and/or personal technology devices for at-home learning, WTCI stepped in to address this digital
divide. Mary brought together an interprofessional team to create short, public health video
segments to be including in the PreK-2nd grade morning broadcast rotation. Two of these videos are included here and here


Rosetta Loeser, MPH 2021 and Jasmine Pulliam, MPH 2021- City of Chattanooga- Office of Early Learning
The prevalence of maternal and infant mortality and postpartum depression in the city of Chattanooga is not well documented in current literature particularly as it relates to Black women residing in Hamilton County, Tennessee. A Parent Café was proposed to address psycho-socio-emotional barriers and misconceptions associated with parenting. It was anticipated that if the Parent Café could address the immediate and downstream effects of physical, material, and emotional factors that affect both the mother and the child, the health trajectory of an entire community could be changed. Rosetta and Jasmine conducted a pilot of the Parent Café was held on 17 April 2021. Participants were female ranging in age from 23 to 50 years from various racial/ethnic backgrounds. The research team successfully created a Parent Café Toolkit complete with digital and PDF advertising materials, blurbs for social media posts, potential meeting themes and corresponding protective factors, and a step-by-step checklist for meeting planning and implementation.
Brandon Denney, MPH 2021- Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality, and Benevolene (CALEB)
Brandon wanted to help educate members of the public about important policy issues by communicating them in an easy-to-understand manner. In this case, the policy issues were around tax incentive deals (Jobs PILOTs) and Community Land Trusts (CLTs). The campaign used public mayoral/city council candidate forums, get-out-the-vote initiatives, and digital infographics/comics to communicate these issues to Chattanoogans. Two digital materials: an infographic about Community Land Trust eligibility, and a comic about Jobs PILOTs in Hamilton County, TN were evaluated on their ability to communicate information to the public.
