In May 2024, Becky Ofrane became part of the inaugural cohort of Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) graduates at the Rutgers School of Public Health. With a career spanning biochemical engineering, environmental health, and maternal and child health, she has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to improving public health systems and outcomes.
We sat down with Ofrane as she reflected on her journey, the impact of her DrPH education, and her ongoing contributions to maternal and reproductive health.
Can you tell us about your background, what led you to a career in public health, and why you decided to pursue a DrPH with the Rutgers School of Public Health?
I started out as a biochemical engineer, designing heart stents for Johnson & Johnson (Bachelor of Science, Rutgers, 2004). I quickly realized we were only patching heart disease and that prevention was critical to chronic disease and health. This led me to pursue my Master of Public Health (MPH) degree part-time (Columbia University, 2010) and simultaneously shift into environmental health work at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I got to try many different roles at the EPA, eventually becoming the Children’s Environmental Health Coordinator for my region – a dream job. After having my own kids during my time at EPA, I became passionate about reducing environmental exposures during pregnancy. I knew I wanted to focus on perinatal health moving forward. Sadly, the 2017 Trump administration eliminated my position, and I had a big professional reckoning.
After completing my MPH in 2010, I thought I was long done with formal education, yet I began researching doctoral programs. After being in public health practice and leadership positions, a straight research Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) didn’t really appeal to me, but then I discovered the DrPH degree.
The DrPH felt like the right next step to shift more squarely into maternal and child (MCH) health, but many programs in my region had paused admissions while national curriculum changes were implemented. I put the idea on hold, trained and certified as a doula, and started supporting births part-time while still working in public health full-time.
In Spring 2020, Rutgers (my alma mater) re-opened their DrPH program in Leadership, Practice, and Research, and it just so happened to come at a time (prime COVID lockdown) when I was a little crazed, staring at my computer half the day, homeschooling a pod of kids half the day, and unable to go to births because of hospital restrictions. I applied—and got in! I knew I wanted to use the doctoral journey to better establish my research skills in maternal and reproductive health and apply my public health expertise in new ways. It was the best decision I could have made!
What were the most impactful aspects of your DrPH experience at Rutgers School of Public Health, and how did they shape your career and research?
I really loved the DrPH program, particularly my inaugural cohort colleagues. I learned as much from them as from my wonderful faculty, as we all brought a unique public health lens: different sectors, geographic regions, ages, experience, sub-fields within public health, etc. The curriculum was varied enough to solidify topics I already knew well, as well as, introduce me to new ideas and sub-fields. I’m especially grateful for our doctoral faculty and my advisors, including Dr. Leslie Kantor, Dr. Slawa Rokicki, and Dr. Julie Blumenfeld.
Throughout the program, I used every opportunity to build my knowledge and research base in maternal and reproductive health, including assignments, networking, and of course, my dissertation. Before graduating, I successfully shifted into maternal health professionally and was hired as the Executive Director of Maternal and Child Health Services at the New Jersey Department of Health. This role would not have been possible for me without my DrPH program. I could apply so many learnings, including strategic planning, organizational change, budgeting and administration, research skills, and more.
Then, right after completing my doctoral degree, I shifted yet again to become tenure-track faculty at Montclair State University (MSU), a role I had never imagined for myself but a perfect fit combining my public health practice, research, and leadership experience. I’m able to continue my maternal and reproductive health practice and research and share my broader public health experience with the next generation of public health practitioners and leaders at MSU.
You were the recent recipient of the American Public Health Association (APHA)’s Maternal and Child Health Effective Practice Award – what does that mean to you? Can you share more about the work that led to the award and how it aligns with your broader goals in public health?
In Fall 2024, I received the APHA MCH Effective Practice Award—it was such a full-circle moment for me. Despite working on maternal and child health in different ways for over 10 years, since my time at EPA, it has only been relatively recently that I have been working on MCH full-time. So, it was wonderful to be recognized for my previous practice, along with my contributions to New Jersey’s health department.
The award recognized my contributions to children’s environmental health, my work promoting data on maternal mortality disparities, my individual doula support (including of single and immigrant parents in the NYC area), and strategic workforce improvements at the New Jersey health department.
My dissertation, in particular, shows my commitment to effective MCH practice, where I researched barriers to birth center access for Medicaid-enrolled patients in New Jersey, part of which is now published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health. I’m so honored to be making real contributions to the science of maternal health and policy and grateful that the Rutgers School of Public Health’s DrPH program gave me the tools and skills to do the work I care most about.
What advice would you give to prospective and current public health students navigating their degree and the profession today?
My public health career has been anything but linear. My advice is to be focused but open to opportunities, always keep learning, and just keep chipping away at your end goal. It feels like higher education and public health are under attack with the new administration, but as someone who has been impacted by administration policies, I believe you will find a way through.
Public health is as critical as ever, and the timing may never feel quite right, but commit to working towards your goal, bit by bit, and you’ll get there too.
