Jennifer Green Moore, Ph.D., M.P.H., an inaugural Hudson Fellow at the Hudson College of Public Health, currently serves as the Director of Cumberland County Department of Public Health in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She previously served as the Administrative Director and Local Health Officer of the Riley County Health Department in Manhattan, Kansas.
Her interest in improving the public health of young people as well as narrowing the gap in health disparities began in her senior year as an undergraduate student. At the time, she volunteered with a local non-profit organization, working with youth in under-resourced neighborhoods, encouraging children in the area to come to the park to play games and get exercise. She began to notice high levels of obesity, smoking, malnourishment, accidental injuries and unplanned pregnancy and realized it would take more than individual backyard clubs to diminish health disparities. So, she first earned her master’s degree in public health and then decided to pursue her doctorate.
As a doctoral candidate at OU, Green Moore focused on adolescent health and health disparities, specifically teen and unplanned pregnancy prevention. As a research assistant working on the Power Through Choices Project, she helped evaluate the effectiveness of pregnancy prevention programs available to at-risk youth.
She credits the College and the Hudson fellowship with helping her land a position that aligns with her ultimate goal of improving the health of underserved and at-risk populations.