Gamma Beta Brother Selected for Prestigious CDC Fellowship

TUCSON, AZ - Gamma Beta Brother Omar Contreras (Fall 2008) was recently selected for a prestigious fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Presentation (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. Brother Contreras will be working with other public health professionals in the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention. He will be working specifically with epidemiologists on identifying demographic characteristics of individuals who have multiple behavioral risk factors for obesity and overweight. The fellowship can last for up to two years and is in conjunction with the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH). Brother Contreras will be one of only 20 individuals in the country selected for CDC fellowships this year.

Omar Contreras is a graduate student in the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and will complete his studies in May with a Master's in Public Health (MPH) with an emphasis in epidemiology. In addition to his new fellowship, Brother Contreras is also the recipient of the 2008 Centennial Award, a recognition given to only one minority student at each level of study per year. He is also the recipient of the Russell H. Swanson Public Health Scholarship, the Andrew J. Nichols Scholarship and was selected as an EXPORT Fellow in 2007. Prior to his graduate work, Brother Contreras had the opportunity to serve as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fellow at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

In his spare time, Brother Contreras serves as president of the Public Health Student Alliance, co-chaired the 2008 MPH Internship Conference and the 2008 Diversity Celebration and was co-captain of the Diabetes Walk. He currently works as a research associate in the UA College of Nursing, investigating the exercise program adherence in diabetic adolescents.

Brother Contreras is a true example of a Lambda man, and an amazing role model for young Latino men. We are proud of his accomplishments and wish him much success in Atlanta this summer!