May 23, 2022

Drexel Magazine’s 40 Under 40 featured alumni who are succeeding in business, science, public service, academia, charitable ventures and, artistic endeavors. This is the tenth year that the magazine has showcased "40 Under 40" alumni honorees.

Dornsife School of Public Health alumni Wen-kuni Ceant and Dave Kern were both selected for the feature. Learn more about their time at Drexel and what continues to motivative them:

Wen-kuni Ceant, MPH in Health Management and Policy ’16

CEO and co-founder, Politicking (Washington, D.C.)

Wen-kuni Ceant, MPH, is the CEO and Co-Founder of Politicking, which is an app that delivers information to voters with the goal of bolstering voter literacy and engagement rates. In 2019 the app was featured in a Forbes article, "Former College Classmates Team Up To Create Voting App For Millennials."

Ceant credits Drexel and Dornsife for valued mentorships and friendships:

"Drexel exposed me to some of the most dynamic public health leaders I had ever met. Attending Drexel was also formative in allowing me the first opportunity to travel to the African continent, under the leadership of Dr. Shannon Marquez, who is still one of my mentors. Studying with her as well as with Dr. Marla Gold and Professor Dennis Gallagher, I was able to find individuals who poured into me both personally and professionally. The School of Public Health helped me to find that sort of community.

I would also be remiss not to thank Dr. Benjamin Rayder, who was in the fellowship department when I attended Drexel and was absolutely instrumental in my receiving the Fulbright Fellowship.

The people named above believed in me throughout my academic career and continue to be friends and mentors. This sort of dynamic is not one often afforded to students at other institutions, and I will forever be thankful to Drexel for providing me with this milieu."

Read Wen-kuni's full interview

Dave Kern, BS '07, PhD in Epidemiology ’16

Senior director of epidemiology, Janssen Research & Development (Titusville, New Jersey)

Dave Kern, PhD, co-developed a system that gives Janssen researchers the ability to use observational data to understand more about the efficacy and safety of medications.

Kern names his Drexel co-op as critical to his career trajectory:

"My co-op program during undergrad had a huge influence on where I am today. As a math major, I was never sure what I wanted to do with my degree; it felt like my options were to become an actuary or math teacher.

The co-op allowed me to try three different jobs in completely different industries. The third rotation landed me at GlaxoSmithKline as a data analyst. There, I learned about observational claims data and biostatistics, and it was the catalyst to pursuing my master’s degree in biostatistics at Columbia.

My PhD program provided a completely different influence. During my career my work has focused on pharmacoepidemiology, but at Drexel I was able to study the area of social epidemiology. My time at Drexel helped me understand that health care is a human right and we should always be striving for equity in the health care system. I hope my work helps achieve that in some way."

Read Dave's full interview

Read all 40 Under 40 interviews in Drexel Magazine