My name is Leon Cristobal and I am a second year Grad Student for the Executive MPH Program here at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health. Two years ago I ran the LA Marathon and swore to myself that I would never run a marathon again. Then in March 1, 2018 I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. I am seeing this as a personal challenge to be able to run the LA marathon again post-cancer.
During this marathon, I choose to run for Team FSPH (Fielding School of Public Health) to help raise money for the students in this program. The students in this program do remarkable work from a public health perspective. It's an honor to represent Team FSPH this year, my graduating year.
Our students are required to conduct 400 hours of summer fieldwork to earn a master’s degree in public health. Fieldwork enables students to translate classroom learning into real-world experience, while benefiting communities in need, locally and globally. Yet many public health organizations that can provide impactful training experiences cannot afford to pay student interns and most students cannot afford to spend a summer working on public health issues without financial support. We are raising money to provide fellowships (stipends) for summer fieldwork so that students can afford to undertake meaningful training opportunities, and in doing so, benefit communities in need near and far.
Thank you offering up a helping hand to positively affect the health of America!