Otterbein’s Hanan Jama Wins Public Health Undergraduate of the Year Award

By Kennedy Berry ’26

Otterbein Public Health major Hanan Jama ’26 has received the Undergraduate Student of the Year through the Ohio Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), recognizing her academic achievement, leadership, and commitment to addressing health inequality.

Jama was encouraged to apply by Professor Robert Braun, who wrote a letter of recommendation highlighting her work and character. Braun said she “is inquisitive, has a desire to learn, asks the hard questions, and challenges the status quo.” He added that her background in public health, combined with medical school, “will make her a stronger, more proficient physician who will face the challenges that disadvantaged communities face head-on.”

“I’m honestly very surprised that [I won] that award, but I feel very grateful,” Jama said.

Jama came to Otterbein University knowing she wanted to become a doctor. Studying public health helped her understand the larger systems that shape patient outcomes. “But as I continued my education, I was like, oh my gosh, these health disparities exist,” she said.

She said learning about health gaps made her think more deeply about representation in medicine. “I’m a woman of color, and I feel like people like me aren’t really seen in medicine that much. I kind of want to be that person for people to look up to,” she said.

Her research reflects that purpose. Last summer, she worked at Nationwide Children’s Hospital through a research fellowship, studying racial disparities among children with type 2 diabetes.

She found that Black children made up 27 percent of the diabetes sample she analyzed, despite representing about 14 percent of the United States population. They were also five times more likely to miss needed health care and less likely to receive family centered care.

“It was really eye opening for me, just to see the disparities in the field and disparities of people of color and Black children in general,” she said.

She has also researched health behaviors among college students and is completing a graduation with a distinction project focused on mental health, wellness and belonging among Black undergraduate students. She has presented her work at multiple conferences, including the National Health Disparities Conference at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Outside the classroom, Jama has served as Eta Sigma Gamma’s president on campus and works as a teaching assistant. She also works in hospital admissions, where she sees how difficult it can be for patients to access care.

“Healthcare isn’t as accessible as we think it is,” she said. “One emergency visit could cost tens of thousands of dollars.”

Jama is currently studying for the MCAT and plans to apply to medical school this summer. She hopes to become a physician who understands both the medical and social sides of health care.

“I want to be a doctor where patients can come to me with all problems and not feel like they have to censor themselves,” she said.