Extraordinary Students

Stephen Dorner
Graduation Year: 2010
University of Georgia

Stephen Dorner has a passion for improving health. Some study-abroad and international service learning projects opened his eyes to the socioeconomic and environmental influence on health. He has worked as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C. where he helped write legislation to direct much-needed attention toward neglected parasitic diseases. He intends to make a career improving the research/policy gap to establish and improve a universal baseline of health.

1. Why did you choose an environmental health career?

In middle school, I helped several teachers conducting research on pollutants in the stream behind my school and the effects they were having on organisms in the stream. I distinctly remember asking them, “If fish are hurt by pollutants, are humans hurt as well?”

My passion is people and improving their health. There is a growing disparity between the findings of health-related research and the application of those findings to the betterment of society. There are great opportunities to apply research discoveries to environmental health policy issues in order to improve health. I hope to close that research/policy gap and improve the baseline of health around the world.

2. What do you like most about the EH program you are in?

The faculty members of the Environmental Health Science program at the University of Georgia have been the most incredible mentors, teachers, and guides throughout my college career. Dr. Luke Naeher provided me with the incredible opportunity to spend three months living in Peru not only studying the health effects of indoor air pollution, but also exploring a different culture and experiencing professional fieldwork. Dr. Mary Alice Smith took me under her wing to study Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen that poses a significant threat to pregnant women. Nearly every faculty member within the department has spent countless hours getting to know me, helping me explore my interests, and equipping me with tools to be successful in my career. I could not ask more from a program. The members of the faculty have become my mentors, advisers, and friends.

3. What do you see yourself doing after graduation?

Next year I will move to Dublin, Ireland to study global health in a graduate program at Trinity College. As a recipient of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship, colloquially known as the Irish Rhodes, I will spend a full year as part of a cohort of nine other American students exploring our academic interests in Ireland while strengthening the ties between the United States and the emerald island of Ireland. After finishing my degree in Dublin, I will return to the United States to enter medical school, earn my MD, and one-day work to improve public health policies.

4. What would you like to say to potential students to recruit them into an environmental health degree program?

Studying environmental health is like taking courses in common sense. The environment directly influences health, economics, development, and society. Each of those facets is interrelated with any issue you may encounter throughout your entire life. Studying environmental health, whether as your sole degree or in conjunction with another degree program, will provide you with opportunities to identify your area of interest, and equip you with the tools and knowledge necessary to be successful in your future career.