Public health program establishes awards to aid students

Contact: Joel Krauss
A portrait of Magali Carillo.

Magali Carrillo

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Western Michigan University public health program, part of the School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs in the College of Health and Human Services, has established an award that will offer comprehensive support to a graduating senior's graduate education in Western's Master of Public Health program.

The Amos Aduroja Graduate Scholar Award was presented to Magali Carrillo in a March virtual meeting with the public health faculty.

"Magali is an outstanding student who has a passion for public health," says Dr. Robert Bensley. "She comes from Dowagiac, has a passion for helping those in her community and showed us over the past four years her ability to grow and succeed in public health."

A portrait of Dr. Amos Aduroja.

Dr. Amos Aduroja

A Lasting Legacy

The award is named after Dr. Amos Aduroja, who is retiring at the end of this academic year. The department chose to name the in honor of his retirement and of all of the years he has dedicated to empowering students into professionals.

"I am very grateful to (Dr. Bensley), to our faculty in the program and our colleagues in the field," says Aduroja. "Without the cooperation and collegial relationship I could not have made any impact at all."

Carillo’s graduate work over the next two and a half years will be research-oriented, and she will split her time between public health faculty working on various research initiatives. The public health program is also allocating $20,000 per year to support graduate and undergraduate student research and conference travel.

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