For Dr. Malinee Neelamegam, public health is about more than data. It is about the people behind it, the communities that inspire change and ensuring their voices are heard. A graduate of the USF College of Public Health (COPH), Neelamegam has built an academic career focused on healthy aging, brain health and health disparities while creating opportunities for communities to share their knowledge and shape research.

Recently, Neelamegam joined a growing list of COPH alumni recognized for their exceptional service and dedication to public health. She was awarded a 2026 COPH Outstanding Alumni Award, an honor she now shares with her husband Dr. Sharad Malavade who was a previous winner. She was one of two alumni honored this year with the award, presented on October 14 as part of the COPH Award and Recognition Ceremony.

Born and raised on the Malaysian island of Penang, Neelamegam is a first-generation high school graduate who earned degrees in biomedical sciences and business administration in Malaysia. Her introduction to public health came while working at the Ministry of Health Malaysia, where she was assigned to the government's clinical research division. The experience sparked her interest in research methodology and inspired her to pursue epidemiology.

“I loved the challenge of the work and knowing it was in service of others,” she said. “Being out in the community, meeting the people behind the data, showed me what public health is really about.”

With a Fulbright Graduate Scholarship, Neelamegam came to the United States to pursue her master of public health in epidemiology and global health practice. She chose the COPH for its strong foundation in epidemiologic methods and global health focus.

At COPH, faculty members, including her advisor, Dr. Janice Zgibor, encouraged her to explore aging and brain health.

Neelamegam’s favorite memories also include late nights in the computer lab with classmates, working through analyses and assignments together. She participated in the Public Health Student Association and enjoyed service activities organized through the USF Health Service Corps.

After completing her master's degree, she continued at the COPH to earn her PhD with a concentration in epidemiology.

Sadly, her doctoral studies coincided with profound personal loss. She lost her mother to pancreatic cancer during her first year and her son during her second year. Being far from home made an already devastating period even more difficult. Neelamegam credits her chair Dr. Kathleen O'Rourke, mentors Drs. Janice Zgibor and Aurora Sanchez and her department community with helping her persevere.

“I would not have made it through the program without the support system I found in my department and in Tampa,” she said.

One of her proudest accomplishments as a student was her dissertation research. Through the Australian Government's Endeavour Research Fellowship, she spent a semester at the Australian National University working with the PATH Through Life study. She gained experience with cognitive assessments and neuroimaging data, shaping her research on medication use and brain health.

After earning her doctorate, Neelamegam completed a postdoctoral fellowship through the Fogarty Global Health Equity Scholars program at the Yale School of Public Health, based at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. She coordinated implementation science training programs focused on HIV before joining the University of North Texas (UNT) Health Science Center College of Public Health as an assistant professor of epidemiology.

Today, she teaches graduate students, mentors doctoral candidates and leads research projects focused on aging and health disparities. She also partners with North Texas communities to improve health outcomes among underserved and immigrant populations.

“What I love most is the community partners I've been able to connect with and the opportunity to truly be a community-engaged social epidemiologist,” she said. “They never let me forget my why.”

Neelamegam continues to draw on the training and mentorship she received at COPH, striving to give her own students the same combination of high expectations and meaningful support.

She credits O'Rourke with shaping her approach to teaching.  “Her approach to teaching inspires how I teach my own students today,” Neelamegam said. “COPH faculty challenged us, believed in us and invested in who we would become.”

That commitment is central to one of her proudest professional achievements: founding the WRITE Lab, or Writing for Research Impact, Translation and Engagement. The summer scholarly writing institute at UNT brings first-generation scholars and community partners together to write and share their work.

During its first summer, several community partners told Neelamegam it was the first time they had received academic writing support on equal footing with faculty. The experience reinforced her commitment to ensuring community knowledge is valued and shared. In recognition of this work, she was selected as a 2027 Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity to help build and expand the initiative.

“I always thought that I was an accidental neuroepidemiologist, but I now realize that I am an intentional social epidemiologist,” she said.

Looking ahead, she hopes to continue serving communities through research, teaching, service and the growth of the WRITE Lab. She believes COPH gave her more than a degree. It provided the skills, mentors and support system that helped her through life's most difficult moments and prepared her to make a difference.

“Giving back means making sure the next generation of students have that same chance to thrive and to go on to make a difference in their own communities,” she said.

Fast Five

What did you dream of becoming when you were young?

A physician    

Where would we find you on the weekend?

With my family, probably at an extracurricular activity for kids.

What is the last book you read?

"The Breakup" by Kurt Andersen

What superpower would you like to have?

Manipulate time!

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

Sepet (A Malaysian movie!)