Orlando-area alumni and friends of the USF College of Public Health had two opportunities to connect during the week of the Florida Public Health Association (FPHA) Conference.
Prior to the conference, Dean Sten Vermund hosted a reception for Orlando-area alumni and friends of the college on Tuesday evening at an off-site location. It was a wonderful evening of reconnecting, building new connections and celebrating the impact of our COPH community.
(Photo courtesy of Beth Ahmedic)
The following evening, July 29, COPH alumni, students, faculty and staff gathered at the FPHA conference hotel for an informal meetup. The convenient location made it easy for conference attendees to stop by and connect, while Dean Vermund’s presence offered another opportunity to meet the college’s new dean and connect with college leadership.
(Photo courtesy of Anthony Ianelli)
“The hotel had a bar and restaurant area right next to where the FPHA conference was taking place, which made it an ideal location for those attending the conference earlier in the day,” Anthony Ianelli said. “Alumni could easily transition from the conference to the meetup without having to travel to another location.”
Ianelli, COPH assistant director of recruitment and student outreach and an adjunct instructor, co-hosted the event with Samantha Lopez, a learning designer in the COPH’s Lifelong Learning Academy.
This event was also hosted in collaboration with the USF Orlando Alumni Chapter, and COPH MPH alumnus Andrea Aspina Rey.
“It was also great to see two USF Orlando alumni who were not attending the conference join us for the meetup,” Ianelli added. “Their participation highlighted the value of creating opportunities for alumni to connect, even when they are not attending a particular conference or event.”
(Photo courtesy of Anthony Ianelli)
“People seemed genuinely interested in chatting with the dean, and those conversations felt meaningful,” said Lopez.
Together, the two events highlighted the strength of the COPH community in Orlando and the value of creating opportunities for alumni and friends to connect. If we missed you this year, we hope you’ll join us in Orlando in 2027!