Current Award Recipients

Distinguished Alumnus

Ketki Patel, MD, PhD'16, MPH'12

Dr. Ketki Patel has a medical degree (Doctor of Medicine (MD)) from Vitebsk State University in Republic of Belarus. She also has a Master of Public Health in Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Epidemiology, both from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. She has over 13 years of combined experience working in academia and state public health agencies in the United States, focusing on public health surveillance, epidemiologic methods, and environmental, toxicological and occupational exposures. Before coming to the United States, Dr. Patel worked as a medical doctor at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Gujarat, India and worked on chronic disease epidemiology projects.

Dr. Patel is currently the Director of Environmental Surveillance and Toxicology Branch at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). She also serves as a faculty for the DSHS Preventive Medicine Residency program, and as a Disaster Epidemiology Branch Director within the DSHS State Medical Operations Center during disasters and public health emergencies.

Dr. Patel has served on several state and national committees and workgroups, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Board of Scientific Counselors, Texas DSHS Commissioner’s designee to the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Structural Pest Control Advisory Committee, and Chair for the American Public Health Association’s Occupational Safety and Health Section.

Currently, she serves as a Vice-Chair for the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists’ Environmental and Occupational Health Steering Committee, Chair for the NIOSH Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risk-Pesticides (SENSOR-Pesticides) Coding Committee, and Chair for the state of Texas’ legislatively mandated Toxic Substances Coordinating Committee.

In her leisure time, Dr. Patel enjoys gardening, hiking, dancing, painting, cooking and travelling.

Early Career Achievement

Laura Nagengast, MPH'22

Laura Nagengast is the Practice-Based Research Network Coordinator at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), where she leads community-based research initiatives that center the voices of clinics and the communities they serve. She works to connect healthcare providers, researchers, and communities across Nebraska, ensuring that public health programs and research are responsive and grounded in community needs. Her work focuses on translating research into practice in ways that reflect the lived experiences and priorities of the people involved.

In her previous role, Laura focused on developing community-centered programs that improved access to safe drinking water. She turned scientific research into practical guidance and educational resources, helping communities understand and respond to environmental health risks. These experiences shaped her commitment to integrating community perspectives into public health research and practice.

Drawing on her interdisciplinary background, Laura approaches her work through a lens of equity and engagement. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Women’s Studies from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a Master of Public Health from UNMC. She is also a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. Laura intends to continue placing communities at the center of her work, advancing health equity, and ensuring that public health research and practice reflect the needs and priorities of the people it serves.

Empowerment Award

Ashleigh Sutphen, MPH'21

Ashleigh Sutphen is the Director of Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Workforce and Operational Development at CityMatCH, a national membership organization supporting city and county maternal and child health programs within the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Public Health. In her role, she focuses on strengthening the MCH workforce, coordinating education and training efforts, and advancing the Meaningful Involvement of People with HIV/AIDS to help eliminate perinatal HIV transmission across the life course. With a foundation in public administration, Ashleigh leads key operational work, including multi-million-dollar federal grants, reporting, and budget management, all in support of CityMatCH’s mission. Her work is deeply informed by lived experience and a strong commitment to uplifting communities and improving health outcomes.

Ashleigh began her career in public health while earning her BS in Public Administration at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, working at a local non-profit Buffalo County Community Partners. Ashleigh was a PHEAST scholar and earned her MPH in Maternal and Child Health from UNMC in 2021. After graduating, she joined CityMatCH full-time and continues to live in Omaha, enjoying life with her husband, Morgan, and their rescue French bulldog, Blossom.