Dr. Jamile Tellez Lieberman

Tell us about yourself.

Born in Laz Paz, Bolivia, I was raised in Tennessee and attended college in North Carolina before re-locating to Philadelphia for graduate school in public health. I completed my MPH and then my DrPH degree at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health. My dissertation comprised a mixed-methods study of the mental health impacts of parental deportation or the anticipation of parental deportation among U.S.-citizen, children of Mexican immigrants and the role that anti-immigrant/anti-Latino discrimination/racism may play on that pathway. Since I finished my DrPH in 2022, I have been living and working in Philadelphia, enjoying all the city has to offer. In my free time, I like to try new restaurants and take day drips out of the city with my fiancé.

Why did you pursue a DrPH?

I wanted to learn how to do participatory research and community health praxis without losing my connection and commitment to people, as opposed to data.

What are you currently excited about in your job?

I get to have direct and immediate impact on the health/well-being and lives of the communities I serve, that makes me excited to go to work every day! I also get to tackle different challenges, so it's never boring, like planting trees, hosting vaccine clinics, engaging in neighborhood planning, and more!

If you could write a book about your life, what would the title be and why?

Moving Between Worlds: The Power of Belonging Nowhere and Everywhere; I have been navigating different identities and sociopolitical spaces most of my life.

What is something interesting about you that we should know?

I am adopted and have 5 siblings who are also adopted from Bolivia and Guatemala. We are a chosen family!