As a new SPH student, Ruth Morgan, MPH ’08, heard Allison Karpyn, PhD*, the director of research and evaluation at The Food Trust, speak in one of her classes.

“I remember being so interested and inspired by Dr. Karpyn's work and thought it would be a great place to volunteer,” said Morgan, now a Policy Associate in Altarum Institute’s Center for Food Assistance and Nutrition in Washington, D.C. “On my first day, Dr. Karpyn took me out to the Reading Terminal Market to survey people. It was scary, but she taught me a lot that day.”

Guided additionally by faculty advisor Rabbi Nancy Epstein, MPH, MAHL, Ruth’s Community-Based Master’s Project (CBMP) evaluated whether renovations in a Philadelphia corner store caused customers to buy healthier foods and whether those changes were sustainable.

“Having the experience of working at a communitybased organization allowed me to see what the public health profession is like before entering the work force. I think this experience gives Drexel students a leg up in the job search over other MPH students who might have focused only on course work,” she said.

Morgan said she still uses the skills learned at her CBMP and SPH at her current job.

“I do research and program evaluation in food and nutrition and it’s important to ask the right questions,” said Morgan. “We’re working on several federal studies that require a certain depth of understanding of both federal and state policies that guide programs.”

At Altarum, Morgan coordinates data collection and analysis activities for program evaluations and research studies of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Some of the work she does directly informs policy and the budgets for those programs.

One of Morgan’s current projects is a national study of WIC vendors, which determines the extent of vendor violation of program rules, including whether vendors are allowing food store purchases of non- WIC items using WIC funds.

“Our work informs a report that will go to Congress to help them understand the amount of improper payments that are made to the WIC program so that Congress can factor that into their budget,” she explained.

“It’s a lot of responsibility, but it’s exciting to be a part of influential work that federal, state, and local administrators will use to improve their programs.”

_{*In addition to her position at The Food Trust, Dr. Karpyn teaches program planning and evaluation as well as community assessment courses in the MPH and DPH programs at the Drexel University School of Public Health, the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University.}