The Delta Omega Public Health Honorary Society: Gamma Zeta Chapter

Student Inductees:

1. Graduate (masters-level and doctoral-level): 
   1. Be a current UMD School of Public Health graduate student. 
   2. Have completed at least one full year of academic courses or be in the last grading period leading to a graduate degree. 
      1. ​ 24 credit hours for Master of Public Health (MPH) students 
      2. 18 credit hours for Master of Health Administration (MHA), M.A., and M.S., students
      3. Completion of 3+ years in a PhD program for Doctoral students 
   3. Demonstrate leadership in public health practice, including research, policy, and advocacy. 
2. Undergraduate student inductees must: 
   1. Be candidates for a baccalaureate degree in public health in the last year of their program.
   2. Demonstrate leadership in public health practice, including research, policy, and advocacy. 

Student nominations include:

1. A one page letter of recommendation from a current Delta Omega member or faculty member in the field of public health explaining their contributions to the field demonstrated through research, service, leadership, and or engagement (please contact sphdeltaomega@umd.edu if you are interested but do not know a current Delta Omega member).
2. A brief statement prepared by the nominee summarizing their professional and community leadership activities in the field of public health. 
3. A current resume/CV

Alumni Inductees: 

Alumni must demonstrate leadership in professional and community activities within the field of public health that would serve as a model for future graduates of the school. Alumni members must have at least three (3) years of full-time professional experience related to public health and may not be eligible for nomination within one year of graduation. The nomination must be made by a current Delta Omega member.

Alumni nominations include: 

1. A letter of recommendation from a current Delta Omega member (please contact sphdeltaomega@umd.edu if you are interested but do not know a current Delta Omega member).
2. A brief statement prepared by the nominee summarizing their professional and community leadership activities in the field of public health. 
3. A current resume/CV

Faculty inductees:

Faculty nominees must demonstrate outstanding contributions to public health through their academic accomplishments, professional leadership, or contributions/leadership in community engagement. Chapters may consider induction of all categories of faculty associated with the unit of accreditation, including adjunct and part-time.

Faculty nominations include:

1. A letter of recommendation from a current Delta Omega member/Department Chair highlighting their accomplishments to public health (please contact sphdeltaomega@umd.edu if you are interested but do not now a current Delta Omega member).
2. A brief statement prepared by the nominee summarizing their outstanding contributions to public health through their academic accomplishments, professional leadership, or contributions/leadership in community engagement.. 
3. A current resume/CV

What are the categories in which Delta Omega inducts members?

1. Master’s students who have completed at least one full year of coursework or nearing graduation
2. Doctoral students who have completed at least 3 years of coursework or nearing graduation
3. Baccalaureate students pursuing a public health degree who are in their final year of coursework
4. Alumni who received a Masters or Doctoral degree from the University of Maryland School of Public Health
5. Faculty at the University of Maryland School of Public Health

What are the eligibility criteria for student inductees?

1. Graduate (masters-level and doctoral-level): 
   1. Be a current UMD School of Public Health graduate student. 
   2. Have completed at least one full year of academic courses or be in the last grading period leading to a graduate degree. 
      1. ​ 24 credit hours for Master of Public Health (MPH) students 
      2. 18 credit hours for Master of Health Administration (MHA), M.A., and M.S., students
      3. Completion of 3+ years in a PhD program for Doctoral students 
   3. Demonstrate leadership in public health practice, including research, policy, and advocacy. 
2. Undergraduate student inductees must: 
   1. Be candidates for a baccalaureate degree in public health in the last year of their program.
   2. Demonstrate leadership in public health practice, including research, policy, and advocacy. 

What are the eligibility requirements for alumni inductees?
Alumni must demonstrate leadership in professional and community activities within the field of public health that would serve as a model for future graduates of the school. Alumni members must have at least three (3) years of full-time professional experience related to public health and may not be eligible for nomination within one year of graduation. The nomination must be made by a current Delta Omega member.

Alumni should submit: 

1. A letter of recommendation from a current Delta Omega member (please contact sphdeltaomega@umd.edu if you are interested but do not know a current Delta Omega member).
2. A brief statement prepared by the nominee summarizing their professional and community leadership activities in the field of public health. 
3. A current resume/CV

What are the eligibility requirements for faculty inductees?
Faculty nominees must demonstrate outstanding contributions to public health through their academic accomplishments, professional leadership, or contributions/leadership in community engagement. Chapters may consider induction of all categories of faculty associated with the unit of accreditation, including adjunct and part-time.

Faculty nominations include:

1. A letter of recommendation from a current Delta Omega member (please contact sphdeltaomega@umd.edu if you are interested but do not know a current Delta Omega member).
2. A brief statement prepared by the nominee summarizing their professional and community leadership activities in the field of public health. 
3. A current resume/CV

Is selection competitive?
Yes. Selection in Delta Omega is very competitive. A maximum of ten percent (10%) of graduating students are elected to membership in any one year.

Which disciplines are eligible?
Individuals from all disciplines within the UMD School of Public Health are eligible.

What materials are required for the student nomination process?
All baccalaureate, masters-level, and doctoral-level students must submit the following:

1. A letter of recommendation from a faculty member or mentor in the field of public health explaining your contributions to the field. Recommendations will not be accepted from fellow students.
2. A brief statement prepared by the nominee demonstrating your leadership potential in the field. The statement should reflect  the nominees academic accomplishments, professional leadership, and community leadership.
3. Current resume/curriculum vitae (CV)

When are nominations due?
Starting in 2025 nominations will be solicited in the fall semester. Typically, nominations open in September and close by the end of October. The nomination period is typically open for 3-4 weeks.

Can I self-nominate?
Yes, students who have exemplified strong leadership qualities are allowed to self-nominate by contacting their advisor or their department chair by submitting a formal email containing a recommendation letter from a faculty member.

Where do I submit the nomination package?
Nomination packages should be submitted by an SPH academic department's Chair or Graduate Director via the appropriate nomination form. Nomination form links will be emailed to departments at the start of each nomination period.

Can students with less than the credit requirement apply if they are graduating in the summer semester and plan to complete the remaining credits over the spring?
No. A student must have completed the required credits by the end of the preceding fall semester.

How long after the deadline date will applicants know their acceptance status?
Applicants will be notified of induction status approximately 3 to 4 weeks after the application deadline.

Where can I find out more information about Delta Omega?
You can email us at sphdeltaomega@umd.edu. Information on the national Delta Omega Honorary Society can be found at: http://www.deltaomega.org.

National Delta Omega Student Poster Competition

The Gamma Zeta Chapter's leadership team solicits student abstracts showcasing their excellent scholarship and research in the spring semester to be nominated for the National Delta Omega Student Poster Competition. The Gamma Zeta Chapter's leadership team will select up to three SPH students (1 undergraduate, and 2 graduate) to submit to the Delta Omega National Office Review Committee. The national review committee will judge the abstracts and select twenty-nine student to present at the annual APHA Student Poster Session.

National Poster Competition Nominees from the School of Public Health (selected students are noted with an *) 

2025

Yifan Yu, MHS*
PhD Candidate, Epidemiology
Poster Title: Does Weight Gain Mediate the Association Between Smoking Cessation and Type 2 Diabetes? A Parametric G-Formula Approach Using the Framingham Heart Study

Olohitare Abaku*
B.S. Candidate, Public Health Science
Poster Title: Mapping Health Inequities: Leveraging Geospatial Analysis to Refine Food Desert Identification and Their Impact on Diabetes Outcomes

Hamoud Alotaibi, MPH, MCHES
PhD Candidate, Behavioral and Community Health
Poster Title:  Association Between Health Literacy and Preventive Dental Care Visits Among Adults in the United States Aged 18 Years and Older: Findings From National Survey Data

2024

Lauren Kauffman, MPH ‘20*
PhD Candidate, Epidemiology
Poster Title: Investigating the Effect of Recent Anxious and Depressed Feelings on COVID-19 Vaccination Intention and Vaccine Hesitancy among Unvaccinated Individuals in the United States

2023

Angshuman Kashyap, MPH* 
PhD Candidate, Behavioral and Community Health 
Poster Title: Examining if and how different media platforms affect Nigerian children’s reception of content (Akili and Me): An experimental study

Jianyu Lai, MPH* 
PhD Candidate, Epidemiology
Poster Title: N95 respirators provide superior source control for SARS-CoV-2

2022

Suhana Chattopadhyay, MS, MS*
PhD Candidate, Environmental Health Sciences
Poster Title: Distinct Oral Bacterial Communities Observed Between Tobacco Users and Non-Users: A Longitudinal Oral Microbiome Study

Caitlin Flouton, MS*
PhD Candidate, Epidemiology
Poster Title: The Associations of Vaccination Speed with Incidence of COVID-19 and Social Vulnerability: An Ecologic Study in Maryland

Zofia Cieslak
BS Candidate, Physiology and Neurobiology (KNES)
Poster Title: Loneliness and Social Isolation During the COVID-19 Initial Lockdown Are Associated With Greater Symptoms of Anxiety
 

2021

Leena Daniel, MSPH*
PhD Candidate, Behavioral and Community Health 
Poster Title: Understanding adolescents’ perceptions of leadership for health promotion in a school setting

Weijun Yu, MD, MS*
PhD Candidate, Epidemiology 
Poster Title: Characteristics of asymptomatic patients, length of stay in hospital and gender differences among COVID-19 carriers: A multi-center retrospective cohort study

Brennan Winer*
BS Candidate, Public Health Science 
Poster Title: Shifting tides and federalist patchworks in LGBT health policy: Applying ilga-EU human rights indices to an American context

2020

John Salerno, MPH*
PhD Candidate, Behavioral and Community Health
Poster Title: Feeling unsafe and threatened: Interpretative phenomenological analysis of sexual health needs among lesbian and bisexual girls in foster care

Lauren Kauffman, MPH
PhD Candidate, Epidemiology & Biostatistics 
Poster Title: Home Neighborhood Walkability and its Association With After-school and Weekend PA Among Elementary and Middle School Students

2019

Andrew Conway, MSW*
PhD Candidate, Family Science
Poster Title: Can aggregated restaurant inspection data help us understand why individual foodborne illness outbreaks occur?

2018

Laura Drew, MPH*
PhD Candidate, Maternal and Child Health
Poster Title: Macrosomia and neonatal morbidities in the United States

2017 

Kecia Ellick, MD*
PhD Candidate, Family Science 
Poster Title: African American Teen Mothers' Parenting Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Child Behavior

Joanne D’Silva*
PhD Candidate, Department of Behavioral and Community Health 
Poster Title: Marijuana Risk Perceptions are Associated with Past Month Marijuana Use among First-Year College Students

Leadership structure and role descriptions for the Delta Omega Gamma Zeta chapter:

Dr. Brit Saksvig, Clinical Professor, Dean's Office
Dr. Saksvig is the president and manages communications and marketing.
bsaksvig@umd.edu
(301) 405-2491

Dr. Dina Borzekowski, Research Professor, Department of Behavioral and Community Health
Dr.Borzekowski is the director of research posters.
dborzeko@umd.edu
(301) 405-8729

For more information on the chapter, please email: sphdeltaomega@umd.edu