Ellen Lindner, MPH ’12, sees public health opportunities where others might not. Like many office employees, Lindner—who works at and Merck & Co., Inc. in Regulatory Affairs—spends a lot of time sitting at her desk. Mindful of staying healthy, she began taking short breaks and walks at lunch. That led to her bringing sneakers and walking up stairs at lunch during inclement weather. She wondered whether doing so could actually improve one’s health.

As a student in SPH’s Executive MPH Program, Lindner decided to build her capstone project and final paper around taking the stairs as a means to improve overall health. One of her classmates mentioned that she had been in a hospital in Paoli, PA and had seen signs everywhere encouraging employees to take the stairs.

“Sure enough, when I did my research I found that some workplaces in the U.S. have similar signs. And I thought it would be a great thing for Merck to do. Especially because I found that at my job, hardly anyone was taking the stairs. Even if was just one flight.” she said.

Much of the literature Lindner surveyed for her research showed that taking stairs does have positive effects on the body including improving cardiovascular health. The CDC, American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association all promote taking the stairs as a way to staying in shape.

She also conducted a brief survey at her office for her paper, trying to see what the barriers were that prevented people from taking the stairs. “Most of the barriers were, ‘I just don’t know where the stairs are’ or ‘I don’t feel like it,’” she said.

She took action at Merck, calling a myriad of people at the company until she found the right person who could help her turn the “Taking the Stairs” initiative idea into reality. That person was Nancy Valaika, Merck’s Global Facilities Management Director. Valaika appreciated Lindner’s concept and that it encouraged people to become healthier and could result in energy savings as well.

“We purchased and installed close to 350 signs within the elevators at the Merck PA facilities. In addition, Merck communicated the initiative through our website and PA media channels and have received positive feedback. We credit Ellen with coming up with the idea, the diligence to locate the right area and following through with the installation and completion of the project,” said Valaika.

Lindner believes her time in the Executive MPH program helped her follow through with the stairs initiative. “Drexel really teaches you how to take a concept and how to think it through. You have to see if there is a need for it, you have to do research and there’s a whole process to it,” she said.