Katherine “Katie” Blomkvist heard a lot about Lehigh University before attending the College of Health (COH) to get her Master of Public Health (MPH). Who did she hear from? Her two sisters, of course. Together, they all enrolled at Lehigh in Fall 2023, and spent their first semester all on campus. Her older sister, Maddy, attended for her Master of Business Analytics, and her younger sister, Emily, is a rising junior in undergraduate programs. Blomkvist herself attended Syracuse University for her undergraduate degree in public health, and then decided Lehigh was a natural next step.
Before she set foot on campus, she spoke one-on-one with faculty members like Won Choi and Albert Liu from the departments of population health and community and global health to learn more. During her conversation with Choi, Blomkvist mentioned her commitment to research, and past experience working with a refugee resettlement agency in Syracuse, N.Y. Choi connected her with Professor Rochelle Frounfelker, assistant professor in the department of population health, who conducts projects based on similar populations. After her conversation with Frounfelker, Blomkvist was soon on her way to Lehigh.
"When I first met Katie, I was impressed by her enthusiasm to dive right into any research project and become a member of the team," Frounfelker said. "She made wonderful contributions to the research of multiple faculty here in the COH during her time here as an MPH student."
Blomkvist has worked on three qualitative research projects with Frounfelker. Her primary focus was exploring how Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) experts understand the relationship between WASH insecurity and mental health, in collaboration with Frounfelker and Professor Gabrielle String, who holds a joint appointment in the department of community and population health and environmental engineering in the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Blomkvist recently finalized a manuscript for journal submission, where she serves as the primary author—an inspiring first experience for her.
While Blomkvist was making a decision on graduate schools, she noticed the qualities that set Lehigh apart, like a partnership with the United Nations (UN). Soon after arriving at the College of Health, Blomkvist began working for Caring and Living as Neighbors (CLAN), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) out of Australia. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for children and their families living with chronic health conditions in resource-poor settings globally. Blomkvist represented CLAN as a UN Youth Representative, and acted as a voice on behalf of the organization.
Blomkvist presented the CLAN’s findings to the UN as a way to advocate and bring awareness to their work. Lehigh was the nation's first university to implement the United Nations Youth Representative Program, and Blomkvist acted as the first graduate representative in the COH. In March, Blomkvist spoke on behalf of CLAN at the Commission on the Status of Women, and also travelled to UN meetings in New York with fellow Lehigh representatives.
Her involvement in the College of Health and drive to build relationships also led to her participation in the Seton Hall University Hybrid Case Study Challenge in November 2024. The competition is built for teams to address issues that may arise in the healthcare setting. Blomkvist’s team, led by Albert Liu, tackled a hypothetical situation where the emergency department was being overused in a hospital.
Blomkvist and her fellow Lehigh teammates proposed a three-part solution: stationing community health workers, launching a mobile health unit for primary and preventive care, and supporting long-term community wellness. As the first team from Lehigh to compete, they were awarded second place. Blomkvist said that the experience sharpened her problem-solving and communication skills and showcased the power of team-based thinking.
“Put your foot in everyone’s door! I’ve had different opportunities because of my relationships with different professors,” Blomkvist said, offering advice to current students. “Get to know your professors personally; have them learn the quality of work that you do.”
She will miss getting coffee with her sisters and spending time together on campus. But what Blomkvist will miss equally as much: Lehigh family. At the graduation celebration in April, Blomkvist was awarded Master of Public Health Student of The Year. This recognition was both a testament to her hard work in her studies and the relationships she fostered with faculty and fellow students—community that makes the College of Health a better place to be.
