Lauren Kennedy and Kylee Sullivan have been selected as MEHA’s 2019 Emerging Professionals. As awardees, Lauren will receive a scholarship to attend NEHA’s 2019 Annual Education Conference (AEC) and Kylee will receive a scholarship to attend the 2019 Yankee Conference. Congratulations, Lauren and Kylee!
Lauren Kennedy is an Environmental Health Specialist at the West Springfield Health Department. She attended Connecticut College and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, with a focus on natural and social sciences. From these courses she learned that the intersections of environmental initiatives and community health are where valuable impacts can be made. Lauren was inspired to get involved with public health to discover those intersections. A couple trending challenges in public health that interest her are predicting and preparing for how climate change will affect public health, and also building the staff or networks to address the struggles that residents with mental illnesses face. When Lauren is not working at the Health Department, she weightlifts and spends time outdoors with her cat and dog. Occasionally, she travels down to Connecticut to visit her sister and friends. She also enjoys giving back to her high school by coaching the girls’ track and field team.
Kylee Sullivan is a Health Compliance Officer in the Town of Arlington. As a Health Compliance Officer, she enforces various public health regulations and works directly with residents to address their health concerns. Kylee is particularly interested in urban health issues including rodent activity, climate change, and homelessness. Kylee attended the College of the Holy Cross, earning a B.A. in Psychology and Peace and Conflict Studies. While at Holy Cross, Kylee was a four-year member of the varsity women’s ice hockey team. Her passion for community-based public health developed after working at UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA. Kylee holds a Masters of Public Health from Boston University with a concentration in Environmental Health. An Arlington native, Kylee enjoys working in her hometown to protect and promote the health and safety of the community. Outside of work, Kylee can be found on the bench as Arlington High School’s girls’ ice hockey assistant coach.