The Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health recognized outstanding individuals whose work is making a meaningful difference. Honored for their achievements in service, scholarship, innovation, and leadership, these changemakers represent the next generation of professionals dedicated to improving health outcomes and building stronger communities. Learn more about their goals, passions, and visions for the future of public health.

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Excellence for Impact Award

This award recognizes an outstanding Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (M.S.C.I.), Master of Science in Health Informatics (M.S.H.I.), or Ph.D. graduate who demonstrates excellence in academic and professional achievement and shows potential to impact public health or clinical practice. Recipients include individuals with strong academic records, an accepted manuscript in a major journal, or receipt of a competitive grant and whose work may influence policy or contribute to clinical advancement.

Carol Xu, M.P.H.
Degree: Master of Public Health (2026)
Concentration: Health Economics, Systems, and Policy

As a child, Ms. Xu was drawn to opposing worlds: the precise logic of math and the boundless freedom of music. At Emory University, she began on a premed biology track before shifting paths, graduating in 2024 in economics and music.

As an M.P.H. student, the Dallas native achieved exceptional accomplishments in public health research and policy while working as a research assistant for Zachary Sturman, J.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Health Economics, Systems, and Policy in the O’Donnell School of Public Health (OSPH). Under his mentorship, she authored two peer-reviewed publications in AJPM Focus and The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, showcasing her strong skills in research, data analysis, and scientific writing.

She was one of OSPH’s first M.P.H. students selected for the Archer Fellowship Program, which prepares future leaders through public service, academics, and professional networking in Washington, D.C. She translated her substance use research into real-world impact through a competitive internship with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the nation’s leading agency on substance-use disorders and mental health conditions, gaining experience engaging with congressional representatives, legislative staff, and federal agency officials. Her work revealed how inefficiencies in the nation’s fragmented healthcare system prevent vulnerable populations from receiving lifesaving care.

Recently, she completed a health policy research internship at the Cato Institute, one of the world’s leading policy think tanks. She plans to return this fall as a full-time research associate, focusing on immigration policy.

She is currently spending the summer at the College Division of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina after being accepted through a competitive audition. There she will perform professionally as a violinist in a festival orchestra and serve as a teaching assistant to world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

“Music has always been a huge part of who I am, and it continues to inspire my work today in health policy,” she said.

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Community Engagement Award

This award recognizes an outstanding M.P.H., M.S.C.I., M.S.H.I., or Ph.D. student committed to improving public health through community engagement. It honors individuals who have made a significant community impact through initiatives, programs, or collaborations addressing public health challenges and who exemplify the OSPH values of opportunity, integrity, collaboration, innovation, and service.

Ada Abaragu, M.P.H.
Degree: Master of Public Health (2026)
Concentration: Applied Epidemiology

Born in Nigeria, Ms. Abaragu moved to the United States with her family at age 10. A dedicated spelling bee competitor, she spent one summer working her way through a Webster’s Dictionary, and by seventh grade she earned top placements in school- and regional-level competitions.

She became interested in epidemiology after taking a course at UT Dallas during which she learned how health, culture, and society are interconnected. She paid particular attention to infectious diseases and environmental influences on their spread. Ms. Abaragu graduated from UT Dallas with a major in biology and a minor in public health.

Prior to her M.P.H. studies, she gained valuable experience working within Rwanda’s health system and brought that knowledge to her academic work. In her Health Systems Science class at OSPH, Ms. Abaragu led her team to victory in the Global Health Systems Tournament by highlighting Rwanda’s innovative public health strategies in resource-limited settings.

At UT Southwestern, her research focused on finding better ways to reuse interviews and other qualitative data so a wider range of people’s experiences and perspectives are reflected in public health research and decision-making. She also served as the OSPH student representative on UTSW’s Sustainability Committee.

Out in the community, she interned with Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ office, helping to expand access to safe, affordable housing across the county. Additionally, she volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and with AmeriCorps VISTA at a local hospital system.

Her broad experiences and dedication to community service reflect her passion for tackling complex public health challenges. “This summer, I will work toward publishing my research on accessibility in qualitative research. My long-term interests lie in maternal and infectious disease epidemiology, with the goal of contributing to improved community health outcomes,” she said.

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Alumni Memorial Scholar Award

This award is presented annually at commencement in memory of UT Southwestern alumni who passed away the prior fiscal year. Administered by the Office of Student Financial Aid in partnership with the Office of Alumni Affairs, the award recognizes graduating students who have demonstrated outstanding academic excellence in their program.

Victor Basil, M.P.H.
Degree: Master of Public Health (2026)
Concentration: Quantitative Data Sciences

Growing up in Grapevine, Texas, Mr. Basil became fascinated with the study of chemical and life biology. He turned his lifelong curiosity into an academic path, earning a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies with minors in biology and chemistry at the University of North Texas.

At UNT, he completed an internship at Children’s Health, where he witnessed firsthand how public health interventions save lives. He translated trauma data findings into actionable public health campaigns by promoting car seat safety, presenting ATV security recommendations to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and educating patients and families about safe sleep and firearm safety.

Mr. Basil excelled at OSPH, earning the Excellence in Public Health Scholarship and maintaining a 4.0 GPA. He demonstrated exceptional leadership as M.P.H. President of the Public Health Student Association and as a representative on the Student Leadership Council. One of the school’s first Archer Fellows, he completed advanced training in federal health policy in Washington, D.C., producing data-driven briefs on cancer outcomes for national stakeholders. As a graduate research assistant, he contributed to cancer care delivery and health disparities research, including a first-author article in JAMA Network Open examining access to tailored cancer resources.

Outside of his studies, Mr. Basil is a foster parent for teens with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and a youth mentor with Denton County Friends of the Family.

His UTSW training continues as he pursues a doctorate in public health with a concentration in health economics, systems, and policy. “After earning my Ph.D., I plan to attend medical school and specialize in either genetics and/or pediatric palliative care. Long term, I plan to conduct clinical research while also seeing patients so I can develop a well-rounded understanding of clinical concerns,” Mr. Basil said.

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Hoffman Endowed Scholarship

The Hoffman Endowed Scholarship is a full-tuition award recognizing students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, deep dedication to public health, and an exceptional commitment to improving the well-being of their communities.

Eyad Alrabbat, M.P.H.
Degree: Master of Public Health (2025)
Concentration: Quantitative Data Sciences

Born and raised in Garland, Texas, Mr. Alrabbat was driven by curiosity about how things work and a desire to use his ideas to improve lives. He grew up in the safety of an American bubble, largely unaware of how different other lives could be. He was 13 when he came across a photograph of a Syrian boy whose body had washed ashore after his family’s attempt to flee Syria during the civil war there. Safe in the U.S. as a Syrian American, Mr. Alrabbat said he began reckoning with the disparity between his circumstances and those abroad and thinking seriously about the inequities behind it.

Public health offered the tools he sought to investigate and address problems at the community level. After earning a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from UT Dallas, he joined the inaugural M.P.H. cohort at OSPH, where he received the Hoffman Endowed Scholarship from 2023-2025. Working as a graduate research assistant for his mentor, Sukh Makhnoon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences and in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, deepened his understanding of a researcher’s role and shaped his approach to inquiry.

While pursuing his M.P.H., he managed operations, staff, and patient flow at primary care and Ob/Gyn clinics. He also served as chapter adviser and mentor for BEAM Venture, a Dallas-based nonprofit that brings Lean Startup entrepreneurship education to middle and high school students, teaching them how to identify problems, test ideas, and develop innovative solutions through real-world experimentation. “Those roles weren’t separate from my studies. They kept me connected to communities I want to serve,” he said.

Now Mr. Alrabbat continues developing Medical Integration Navigation & Access (MINA), the nonprofit he founded to support health navigation and education for refugee, immigrant, and medically underserved communities in North Texas, projected to launch later this year. He currently serves as Manager for Fundraising and Program Development at Helping Hand for Relief and Development, where he leads data-informed initiatives in program strategy and impact reporting.

He sees a future in medicine, which will deepen his understanding of patient care and expand his ability to directly address individual and community health needs.

Mohamad Moussa, M.P.H.
Degree: Master of Public Health (2026)
Concentration: Quantitative Data Sciences

Born in Ottawa, Canada, Mr. Moussa moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area at the age of 3. Early on, he was drawn to a wide range of subjects, including biology, literature, philosophy, and astronomy. His broad intellectual curiosity shaped his academic path, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from UT Dallas, with minors in psychology and creative writing.

Mr. Moussa lives with Becker muscular dystrophy, a neuromuscular disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness leading to limited mobility. He uses a wheelchair but has always been laser-focused on overcoming obstacles and achieving his goals.

His medical condition sparked a passion for academic medicine and research, leading him to attend medical school at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. However, after one year, Mr. Moussa withdrew because he felt his disability made it difficult to meet the physical demands of the curriculum. Disappointed but undeterred, he did not regret his year in medical school.

A professor then encouraged Mr. Moussa to consider public health as a career path that could draw on his unique medical background, public speaking skills, and interest in human health. He was particularly attracted to the field’s breadth and flexibility, which offered diverse opportunities without confining him to a single career field.

He was accepted into the M.P.H. program at the O’Donnell School of Public Health, where he received the Hoffman Endowed Scholarship for 2024-2026. Mr. Moussa particularly enjoyed his epidemiology coursework and completed his Applied Practice Experience (APE) practicum degree requirement with the Association of Persons Affected by Addiction in South Dallas, a nonprofit recovery organization that provides peer-led support, recovery, coaching, and community resources for people and families affected by substance use and mental health challenges.

Mr. Moussa is now exploring the next step in his career. “I’m seeking opportunities in biostatistics or epidemiology and am also considering pursuing a Ph.D. in epidemiology, with the goal of building a career in research or academia,” he said.

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OSPH Excellence in Teaching Award

This award recognizes and honors OSPH faculty who have made meaningful contributions to student learning through impactful, innovative teaching and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Tammy Leonard, Ph.D.
Professor of Health Economics, Systems, and Policy

As a child, Dr. Leonard taught herself math from the pages of a World Book Encyclopedia. That curiosity soon deepened into a love of chemistry, then engineering – a field that fused everything she loved about problem-solving, numbers, and discovery.

She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University. In 2001, she took a leave from her first engineering job to teach high school in a small Belize village. “I was in Belize when 9/11 and the Enron scandal rocked the U.S. economy – events that also devastated Belize’s economy,” Dr. Leonard said.

After riots erupted there, she helped secure a high school campus in that country and comfort traumatized students, wondering how violence could have been prevented. Searching for answers, she realized systems thinking behind her engineering training could address crises rooted in economic instability. She returned home and pursued additional economics training, graduating from UT Dallas with master’s and doctorate degrees in economics.

In 2023, she joined the OSPH faculty, distinguished by its diverse range of skill sets and spanning multiple disciplines and areas of expertise. “The team science environment at UTSW is really enriching, and it’s wonderful to work beside so many talented, smart, motivated, and caring colleagues,” she said.

Recognized for her exceptional impact as both an educator and mentor, Dr. Leonard brings complex topics such as housing, economic stability, and community health to life through engaging, discussion-driven, and applied learning experiences that help students connect theory to real-world challenges. Students consistently praise her supportive mentorship and dedication to their academic and professional growth.

She believes the core of education is discovery – helping students connect the dots in their own way so each insight is original, meaningful, and lasting. She offers seasoned advice to new educators striving to make a lasting impact.

“Share yourself. Selfless service plants seeds that bloom beautifully,” Dr. Leonard said.