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Kimberly Navarrete’s journey into public health and medicine began at Dominican. The university’s strong undergraduate research program, combined with numerous opportunities for meaningful community engagement, led Kimberly on a path to the UC Berkeley School of Public Health’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program in infectious disease and vaccinology.

When she begins her studies at UC Berkeley in August, Kimberly will deepen her understanding of infectious diseases, specifically arboviral diseases, while working toward enrolling in medical school, with the eventual aim of becoming a surgeon. 

Though Dominican's small and supportive community was an ideal fit for Kimberly, who graduated in December 2024 with a degree in biology and minors in chemistry and public health, it was an experience she almost missed. Initially unsure about Dominican, it wasn’t until a high school guidance counselor at Sebastopol’s Analy High School encouraged her to take a closer look at the university that Kimberly began to see the potential for her academic and professional growth.

After visiting Dominican’s website and reading about research opportunities led by faculty members whose work piqued her interest, Kimberly became intrigued. She delved into faculty bios, CVs, and journal articles. She noticed that the first-year research methodology course series, which integrates seven units of research into the science major, paves the way for students to join a research lab and deepen their studies. 

The opportunity to spend significant time working in a lab was a major draw.

“Dominican makes it very easy for undergraduates to join a lab, and that was really important to me,” Kimberly says. “I have been able to work in the lab and gain exposure to research in ways that would not have been possible at other universities.” 

After completing the research methodology course sequence her first year, Kimberly joined the late Dr. Roland Cooper’s malaria research lab. Dr. Cooper, who specialized in the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, had spent more than 23 years researching the disease with funding from the National Institutes of Health and various private foundations. Over the years, his work and mentorship inspired future MDs and PhDs to set ambitious goals and not limit their aspirations.

From Dr. Cooper, Kimberly learned to become an independent researcher who also collaborates within a team. “Dr. Cooper gave his students space to be independent but also taught us the strong work ethic and dedication needed to excel at future institutions and professions,” she recalls.

Kimberly’s junior year saw her joining the Dominican/Kaiser Permanente Pre-Med Mentor Program, which provides undergraduates the opportunity to shadow physicians for two semesters. She particularly enjoyed her ICU/respiratory rotation, where she gained insight into critical care and respiratory therapy, observing multidisciplinary teams manage patient care and perform procedures.

Through various service-learning courses, Kimberly worked in and learned from the wider Dominican community. Her service-learning placement at San Pedro Elementary School opened her eyes to educational inequities in Marin, and her experience at the Marin Community Clinic allowed her to witness non-profit healthcare services and patient education in action. Despite her demanding schedule, Kimberly also took on leadership roles, serving as president of the Latine Unidos club.

Kimberly’s interest in public health was inspired by Dr. Michaela George, associate professor of global public health. Dr. George’s Emerging Challenges in Global Public Health course proved to be a turning point, leading Kimberly to realize that public health was a crucial aspect of medicine. 

“I saw that public health would be a great addition to the clinical work I was doing,” Kimberly notes.
Dr. George teaches her undergraduates to draw on data to examine public health challenges. She engages her students in the study of public health through hands-on work with community partners. 

“We look to our community partners for subject matter expertise,” Dr. George says. “I bring my academic expertise in terms of data analysis, or designing a program evaluation, or whatever the community partners greatest needs are.”

Through these collaborations, students learn to develop measurement tools, research protocol, interview subjects, and present findings. Students also learn to read and critique peer-reviewed journal articles, submit an IRB application, compose a scientific abstract, apply a mixed methods research approach, collect data, and interpret the results.

Since graduating in December 2024, Kimberly has continued working closely with Dr. George on a program evaluation for the Marin Healthy Youth Partnerships (MHYP), a nonprofit focused on reducing alcohol consumption and substance abuse in Marin youth. She is working with Dr. George on a program evaluation for MHYP’s Raising the Bar campaign, which is aimed at changing the social norms around adult alcohol consumption and substances use at youth-centered events.

The opportunity arose after the MHYP executive director visited Dr. George’s public health class and mentioned their need for a bilingual person to assist with a new grant focused on changing social norms around alcohol consumption within the Spanish speaking community and youth-centered events.

This type of community collaboration, Dr. George says, fosters a reciprocal relationship where both students and partners benefit, demonstrating the impact of applied public health education. The community partners gain data-based insight into their organizations and students gaining valuable skills and experiences that prepare them for both the workplace and graduate school.

Public health, Dr. George says, is innately collaborative. 

“I bring my academic expertise in terms of data analysis, or designing a program evaluation, or whatever the community partners greatest needs are.”

Kimberly’s decision to pursue an MPH degree will not only enhance her medical career but also further her commitment to improving public health through early prevention of infectious diseases. 
“Public health emphasizes early prevention, which is something every clinician should care about.”

_{Photo: From left to right -  Kelsey Fernandez, Executive Director of Marin Healthy Youth Partnerships (MYHP); Kimberly Navarrete; Lisa Klein, Director of the Raising the Bar campaign; Don Carney, Youth Transforming Justice, an MYHP partner organization; Michaela George. Students in Dr. George’s Health Research Methods class are doing a program evaluation for the Raising the Bar campaign.}