C A M P U S Shaping the Future of Health A gift by Linda and D. Brooks Zug ’67 endows College of Health internship fund Putting classroom learning into action through hands-on internships is a longstanding tradition at Lehigh. A $1 million gift from Linda and D. Brooks Zug ’67 will help fund those opportunities for students in the College of Health. The Zugs have endowed the Community Health Student Internship Fund, which will ultimately support 10 to 12 College of Health students who undertake summer internships and provide themwith a stipend for educational, travel or living expenses while they work at community organizations, nonprofts and other organizations. “This gift will allow us to ensure that the College of Health will be a leader in educating students who gain the practical experience that they need to shape the future of health and of our region,” said Provost Nathan Urban. A goal of the College of Health is to ensure that its students participate in experiential learning, such as internships, research projects and study abroad. Health nonprofits, however, often are unable to ofer paid internships. “With their gift, Brooks and Linda help make it possible for more students to accept an internship with a health nonproft, including students who need to earn income in the summer,” said Elizabeth Dolan, interim dean of the College of Health. “The College of Health seeks to educate students from communities with health disparities so that they can go back to their communities to make a diference. The Zug fund will enable students to build crucial experiences to fulfll that career vision.” The frst Zug intern, population health major Carson Snyder ’23, worked as an intern at Public HealthManagement Corporation in Philadelphia, a nonproft provider of public health resources in Pennsylvania and Delaware. “I’ve jumped onto a lot of diferent company projects, in particular promoting a $10 million grant to encourage vaccinations across Pennsylvania and Delaware,” Snyder said. From interviewing clients and crafting their stories to discussing and recording the data, Snyder produced aweekly newsletter, “My Vaccine Counts,” to sharewith clients. “The focus has been on Covid-19 vaccination, specifcally in underserved populations,” she said. Giving to the College of Health helped Brooks honor the vision of his late brother, Charles Zug III ’52, a physician and chief of surgery at St. Luke’s until his death in 1982. The college’s population health mission is something Brooks says his brother would’ve found meaningful. Brooks majored in accounting at Lehigh and received an MBA from Harvard. His early career in investment banking and investment management led to his co-foundingHarbourVest Partners in 1982, a venture capital and private equity frm. He was president of his alumni class for more than 25 years and served as a university trustee 2000-08. His philanthropic support of Lehigh over the years has been diverse.—Cynthia Tintorri C H R I S T A N E U COMFORT CANINES The Lehigh University Police Department has welcomed a four-legged friend—a yellow Labrador Retriever named Grace. She is one of two therapy dogs joining Lehigh’s force to offer comfort to students and connect with the community. In October 2021, the Peer Health Advisors and the Coffee Club brought therapy dogs to campus for a de-stressing event. Police Chief Jason Schiffer said he remembers seeing a comment online about how interacting with the therapy dogs was the best thing the student had experienced since being at Lehigh. From there, the idea to add therapy dogs to the LUPD teamwas planted. Grace has already received much attention. “Watching the interaction between our students and Grace is heartwarming,” Schiffer said. “The ultimate outcome is putting a smile on people’s faces, alleviating some stress and making students’ Lehigh experience better.” Grace’s partner, Lt. David Kokinda, has seen a bond growing between them, evident in how she lies beside his chair when he works and rests her head in his lap when he drives. “I’d like students to come up and say ‘hi’ to Grace and me,” Kokinda said. “I’d imagine most students wouldn’t walk up to a police officer because they see us as an adversary, but we’re a resource.” 1 2 | L E H I G H B U L L E T I N
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0OTQ5OA==