2025-2027 Cohort

Emily Oetzman is a born and raised Wisconsinite from Lodi. She earned her Bachelor’s of Individualized Studies in Sociology, Public Health, and Population Studies with a minor in Leadership from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2023. Recently, she earned her Master of Public Health concentrated in Leadership in Practice from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Emily got her start in public health in her youth, when she started a chapter of FACT— Wisconsin’s peer-to-peer tobacco and nicotine education and prevention program— at her high school. Emily has experience with multiple health departments across Wisconsin, in substance use prevention, environmental health, and program creation. Emily’s public health interests lie in furthering equity centered policy and practices, as well as using social marketing as a tool to further public health programs and ideas. In her free time, Emily enjoys reading, concerts, photography, and volunteering with Camp Kesem.

Emily will complete her fellowship with the Wood County Health Department.

Huda Ahmed’s journey in public health began in Sudan, where she received her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Khartoum. She later received a second bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Dallas and in May 2025, she will conclude her MPH from the Medical College of Wisconsin, marking a milestone in her aspirations in working in public health. During her MPH field placement, Huda worked with the City of De Pere Health Department, contributing to their Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach. Huda worked with the public health department to lay the foundation for this initiative by educating local departments about this collaborative approach and presenting it to the Board of Health. Continuing this work, Huda’s capstone project focused on health equity and the integration of Health in All Policies approach. Outside of Huda’s professional pursuits, she is a mother of four, enjoys cooking, and walking and biking outdoors with her family. 

During her fellowship, Huda will be placed with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.

Claire is originally from Springfield, Illinois. She earned a B.A. from Augustana College, double majoring in Geography and Sociology & Anthropology, with minors in Public Health and Geographic Information Systems and Technology. Her undergraduate capstone project explored food security among refugee populations in the Quad Cities area. Claire completed her Master of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, concentrating in Health Policy and Management. During her graduate studies, she worked as a student research assistant with the Pitt Health Policy Institute Medicaid Research Center. She also completed her practicum internship with the UPMC Health Plan Center for Social Impact, where, among other projects, she contributed to the development of the City of McKeesport, PA Social Determinants of Health Accelerator Plan as part of the project support team. Claire is interested in food assistance programs and policy and is passionate about improving policy for more equitable and efficacious implementation.

In her fellowship, Claire will focus on policy work at a state and local level - she will be dual-placed at Rock County Public Health & Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Tobacco Prevention and Treatment Program.

Kelly grew up in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kelly worked as a second grade teacher, where she loved building relationships with her students and making learning fun. Through this experience, she was inspired to learn more about how she could improve the health and well-being of children and their families. She received her MPH in Maternal and Child Health at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. During her graduate career, she completed an internship with Minnesota’s Department of Health where she wrote a policy brief advocating for legislation to ensure respectful maternity care in Minnesota. She also worked as an intern with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services supporting their Title V Needs Assessment by performing qualitative data analyses. In her free time, Kelly loves to enjoy Madison's many lakes and parks, try new coffee shops, read lots of books, and go thrift shopping.

Kelly will complete her fellowship dual placed at the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Unit.

Brooke Ramusack received her B.S. is Community Health from Indiana University -Bloomington before attending the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee for her MPH with a concentration in Community Behavioral Health Promotion. While in graduate school, Brooke worked for the State of Wisconsin Department of Health in the Bureau of Environmental Health. There, she tracked occupational diseases and worked directly with Wisconsin workers to understand their lived experiences and identify novel work-related hazards. Additionally, she played a role in developing lead-testing standards for pregnant women in the state. This work gave her an interest in lead exposure in the state which inspired her Capstone - an enhanced property inspection policy toolkit for local health departments - which she worked on in collaboration with WI DHS entities. Brooke is interested in the impact of housing, built environment, and neighborhood safety on population health outcomes and the long term impact of historical policy on equity and community wellbeing. In her freetime, Brooke likes to hike, bike, bake, travel, and do crosswords!

As a fellow, Brooke will be dual placed with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in their Immunizations and HIV Care Services programs.

Lori received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science and Global Health Studies from Northwestern University. During her undergraduate years, Lori gained experience at EPA Region 8, the City of Evanston, and Northwestern’s Leadership Development and Community Engagement office, where she developed an interest in working with communities to address environmental health issues. She decided to pursue a Master of Public Health at Northwestern University with a focus on environmental health. As part of her MPH, Lori completed her applied practice experience and cumulative experience at Mobile Care Chicago, a nonprofit providing asthma and dental care to low-income children through mobile medical clinics. In this role, she developed educational materials and analyzed data for research on the impact of short-term changes in air quality on lung function in children with asthma. Lori is passionate about addressing environmental justice concerns, particularly disparities in air and water quality and the impacts of climate change. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, backpacking, running, and camping.

Lori will be placed at the City of Milwaukee Health Department focused on environmental health and climate change efforts.