During the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, we would like to bring to light our Aztec Alumni who are serving in various capacities to support our community. Should you know of other CHHS alumni you would like to nominate to have featured on our site, please complete this form.
Sue Royappa, MD, MPH
Year Graduated: 2016
Major: Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science
Job Title: Chief Medical Officer, HealthSecure – EMR; Founder and CEO, HealthSecure Foundation
Community Leadership: Chief Health Officer, City of Hideaway
“The MPH program at SDSU allowed me to conduct student research in India, which gave me invaluable experience in global health, my area of interest. While at SDSU, I also had the privilege of receiving a Fulbright grant to study obesity in India. My MPH training, along with my Fulbright experience, prepared me to fulfill my lifelong goal of starting a non-profit organization focused on chronic disease prevention. The Indian Heart Initiative is one such project which directly uses my program planning skills learned at SDSU to implement heart disease prevention strategies for people in India.
These same skills again proved essential to my starting “She COPES”, a COVID-19 Peer Emotional Support online program for female college students in India, which will pilot in October as one of my non-profit programs. My hope is to expand this to males and other colleges around the world with limited access to mental health resources, to help young people cope emotionally and mentally with life’s challenges.
When the US government announced the Coronavirus Relief Fund, I proposed to the Mayor of Hideaway that we use those funds for a COVID-19 seroprevalence survey in our community. My learning in epidemiology and research design were key to the success of this program, the first phase of which was completed in mid-September.
The continued support of my advisor, Dr. Hala Madanat, and the training I received at SDSU, have been crucial for the expansion of my non-profit public health works in the US and abroad.”
Aztecs Making an Impact
