Brooke Desantis, Mph Email & Phone Number

I began my work in the public health realm as a Professional Healthcare Worker in the COVID-19 sector for the Georgia Department of Public Health. After nearly two years working with the Rome, Georgia Epidemiology team, I took on the role as Care Resource Coordinator for the Northwest District of Georgia, connecting people across 10 counties to local resources for their individual needs. I am still currently in both of these roles, coming up on 3 years with GDPH. Working for the Department of Public Health, in addition to taking multiple courses at the University of Michigan involving public health concepts, sparked my interest in pursuing my Master of Public Health degree at the University of Florida. Here, I have developed a passion for mental health promotion, trauma-informed approaches, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), resilience building, and mindfulness practices through my courses. My internship as an Intervention Development and Implementation intern has put the skills I've gained to the test through the development of task-shifting mental health interventions in the Gainesville, Florida area for underserved populations who face the consequences of the mental health treatment gap. All of these experiences collectively have allowed me to develop strong communication and relationship building skills, cultural competency, and an ever growing desire to create an equitable, healthy environment for all.