Statement of Purpose

Christian Fell (cmfell@uncg.edu)

My initial exposure to public health and helping undeserving individuals began with my
grandfather’s influence. He worked in thirty-two countries to establish the initial healthcare
infrastructure and creation of self-sustained companies. How can I possibly compete with such a
strong determination and work history? By earning a well-rounded education and pursuing my
interest in public health at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC Chapel Hill).
My main interest is the dual Master’s in Public Health and Registered Dietitian program for
nutrition. Over time my wish to pursue public health was formed by my previous experiences in
Jones County, and my current college county, Guilford County, which suffers from health
disparities. They both experience similar issues of food insecurity, being labeled as food deserts,
and having a high incidence of poverty rates. Overall, a public health degree can only help to
bridge the gaps in populations that are suffering from nutrition related preventable diseases, lack
of food access, and dietary interventions.
My Bachelor’s Degree will be in Nutrition with a concentration of dietetics from the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC Greensboro). The City of Greensboro has an
ongoing history of food disparities. In 2014, it was ranked number one in the nation for food
insecurity. During my undergraduate years, I had the opportunity to actively participate within
specific community and university organizations which specialize in helping newly found
immigrants and those who require emergency meals. A Food Recovery Chapter was founded at
my school, and it specialized in the transferring of excess food to reduce food misuse and waste.
Often, as a shift leader, I ensured that the food remained in safe temperature ranges, recorded
food waste, and physically donated food to a local Salvation Army.
My most memorable moments of volunteering were at the Glenhaven Community Center
for New North Carolinians where I directly worked with individuals from Bhutan, Nepal, and
Northeastern India. It was during this time that I developed unique communication skills to
overcome strong language and cultural barriers. During the afternoons, I worked with children
ranging from five to twelve years of age with various needs in language arts and mathematical
homework. Nutritional deficiencies were evident with certain children such as misshapen teeth
and signs of dermatitis. Despite the nutritional quality assurance that school lunches provided, it
was not always enough to last through the hours that the children were at home. During the
evening, I worked with the adults to improve their language skills to pass the Citizenship Test.
On that account, most of the adults that I worked with were at least fifty-five years of age or
older. The importance of this event was my ability to remain flexible while teaching because
memorization and retention of information at that age are not ideal. Changing my method of
working through the association of events and relevance to their lives resulted in improved
results. By teaching them information about simple nutrition and basic English skills, I made
connections about their culture, environment, and personalities.
During the Spring Semester of 2018, I began working at Greensboro Urban Ministry
which consisted of giving emergency food supplies and serving at a local community kitchen. It
was at this time that I also had to write a full grant proposal based on a community garden for a
class project. Writing a grant helped me bridge the gap between actively assisting individuals
and helping the community as a whole. By working directly with the Urban Ministry, I handed
out to individuals who may not receive another meal. On the other hand, grant writing expands
my ability to earn opportunities and services to help others who are in dire need. By successfully
participating in the community to help individuals and writing grants to receive outside
assistance, then the odds of overcoming health disparities are increased.
Meanwhile, during the Summers of 2016 and 2017, I was fortunate enough to earn an
internship at a local Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Department. I spent most of my days
helping clients receive vouchers, performing nutritional clinical appointments, and assisting in
extra programs such as Pregnancy Care Management. Although I left home to earn a secondary
education, I realized that most of my clients were individuals who previously attended my high
school. Reflecting on this internship, the high rates of poverty, premature birth rates, inadequate
food access, and forms of malnutrition became evident amongst communities. My time at WIC
made a great impact on the local community, but both WIC and SNAP assistance are not
necessarily enough for many individuals under government assistance. This is especially true
when faced with socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural factors. For example, many
pregnant mothers were either anemic or iron deficient, had gestational diabetes, and some
children had fluoride deficiencies due to limited assistance and healthcare interventions.
Ultimately, it was at the end of my internship when I made the connection that even with
governmental assistance more work is required to meet the needs of individuals facing
uncertainties in nutritional and other physiological needs.
In the Summer of 2018, I completed an internship at my local hospital near my
hometown. During this time, I was taught that increased patient visits, readmissions, and health-
related disparities are due to the lack of healthcare access, malnutrition, and low socioeconomic
status. My supervisor was kind enough to allow me to shadow with clinical dietitians where I
was learned a plethora of healthcare skills dealing with: nutritional screening, diagnosis,
intervention, and team-based decisions amongst physicians and nurses. At the same time, I
participated in conducting screenings using specific parameters and assessments such as BMI,
albumin levels, and patient length of stay and last visit. Moreover, I witnessed the backside of
the operations by working with patient services. By shadowing in the clinical setting and actively
working in patient services, I observed the direct impacts made in the kitchen with regards to
decision-making strategies and food-related practices. The clinical dietitians directly influenced
and requested specific dietary changes as needed for each patient. For example, a specific patient
required soft foods, and the dietitian worked in conjunction with the speech-language pathologist
to make a proper request to the kitchen. Accordingly, by working with the patient service staff, I
prepared meals based on the correct diet and taking phone calls for a meal request from each
patient.
In the Spring of 2019, I would like to develop and enhance my ability to understand and
conduct research. My first step towards this goal is by participating in undergraduate research
with Dr. Jared McGuirt. He is actively working on examining the impact of retail food policies
and their associated behaviors on diets, as well as the analysis of food systems. In addition, I will
learn the basics of geographic information systems and map analysis to expand my exposure
with research. I will use my knowledge of systematic reviews and critical literature reviews to
further my understanding of research methodologies and applications of findings.
UNC Greensboro has developed my foundational knowledge of nutrition, health
disparities, and food insecurity. I have earned the opportunity to work with specific populations
at risk and can contribute to the School of Gillings through my previous experiences. However,
UNC Chapel Hill has the means and capabilities to bolster my education to bring forth unique
opportunities. If I am accepted into the dual MPH and Registered Dietitian program, I will
enhance my skills of improving nutrition for undeserving individuals. Thereby, I believe that I
have the potential to be a well-rounded candidate for the School of Public Health at UNC Chapel
Hill based on my previous experiences.

My prerequisite course requirements have been satisfied by:

UNC Greensboro – Greensboro, NC
Chemistry
- General Descriptive Chemistry I & II (CHE 103/104) with corequisite lab Introductory
Chemistry Lab (CHE 110)
- Introductory Organic Chemistry (CHE 205) with corequisite lab Introductory Organic
Chemistry Lab (CHE 206)
Biochemistry
- Nutrition/ Human Metabolism (NTR 531)
Human Anatomy
- Clinical Human Anatomy (KIN 291) with lab as part of course credit
Human Physiology
- Human Physiology (BIO 277) with lab as part of course credit
Microbiology with Lab
- Fundamentals in Microbiology (BIO 280) with lab as part of course credit
Human Nutrition
- Advanced Nutrition (NTR 560)
Introduction to Anthropology
- Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (ATY 213)

Lenoir Community College – Kinston, NC

General Psychology
- General Psychology (PSY 150)