Tara Chen awarded the Early Career Excellence Award

Tara Chen, PhD candidate at the GoHeLP Lab, has been awarded the prestigious Early Career Excellence Award by the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER). The award was presented at the ASPHER Deans' and Directors' Retreat in Porto, Portugal, held from June 6-8, 2024. ASPHER is a leading European organization dedicated to improving public health by advancing the education and training of public health professionals in both research and practice.

Tara was recognized for her outstanding work as a Climate-Health Fellow, a role she undertakes alongside her PhD studies. Her efforts focus on integrating climate-health competencies into public health education and the workforce. As part of her fellowship, Tara contributes to the EU Health Policy Platform’s Thematic Network on "Climate Action through Public Health Education and Training," engages in COP activities, develops policy briefs for the Lancet Countdown’s Europe Report, and fosters climate-health literacy through initiatives such as the European Climate & Health Responders Course and collaborations with the European Climate and Health Observatory.

During the retreat, Tara also participated in the “Next Generation” panel, where she and other young professionals discussed the future of public health education and practice. She emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in public health, drawing from her own experience pursuing a PhD in geography while maintaining a "hat" in public health. The panel highlighted the need for the inclusion of early-career voices in the public health workforce and called for mentorship and outreach to break down power dynamics in the field.