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In her last semester as a master of public health student in the Department of Health Science, Melissa Pompa feels the need now more than ever to use her knowledge and skills to make a difference for firefighters in the wake of the California wildfires.  

“There’s going to be a lot of research I hope on first responders and firefighters and bringing that awareness into the needs they have, and I hope other universities take that into account in their scope of research, addressing things like respiratory illness, post-traumatic stress, and anxiety and depression in first responders,” Pompa said. “My hope is that right now, as public health students and representatives, we start looking into more detail on that.” 

Pompa works as a graduate fellow for the ��ɫ���� Center for Latino Community Health’s Harvesting Healthy Habits program -- an initiative to address nutrition needs in families within local underserved communities. She is passionate about addressing the needs of what she calls another underserved community – LA County firefighters and first responders. Even before the fires -- last fall -- Pompa took it upon herself to run the Long Beach Marathon in support of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Canine Therapy Program, and was able to raise $2,700 in support of LA Fire Department canines and their handlers, after finding out a disparity exists between the number of canine units available and firefighter crews who rely on their services. 

In addition, Pompa has worked with Department of Health Care Management Professor, Dr. Jeremy Ramirez, on the Wounded Warrior Service Dog Program, helping Dr. Ramirez to establish guidelines for the training and matching of service dogs for disabled veterans. 

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“As a student, I’ve been very fortunate to gain experience in helping the community in different ways, from being an advocate, to fundraising, to working at Harvesting Healthy Habits with Dr. [Melawhy] Garcia…through my personal journey, I’ve been able to combine my passions to make a difference.” 

Pompa, who has made friends with many first responders and firefighters throughout her journey as an advocate, encourages others to donate to the LAFD Wildfire Emergency Fund to help cover the costs of essential tools and safety equipment for LAFD firefighters on the front lines. 

Pompa points out that as we learn more about the long-term effects of California’s recent wildfires, it is important to consider the measures taken by public health professionals to address the physical and mental needs of firefighters and first responders.

“Public health is about prevention. What can we do to help prevent some of these outcomes, including health risks to the community from fire debris?” Pompa said.  

Those are some of the health questions Pompa hopes to address in finishing up her MPH studies at ��ɫ���� and continuing with her research post-graduation. Currently, she hopes to gain more experience in the public health workforce – applying to such jobs as a public health advisor for the CDC. In addition, she’d like to start further research in addressing the needs of firefighters as she applies to Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) programs (��ɫ���� just started its own one of a kind DrPH program). Pompa said she would like to find other people who have similar research interests to hers. 

“It’s almost overwhelming sometimes to think about the number of things you could do with a public health degree,” Pompa said. “But it’s important to find your niche.” 

Pompa, whose best friend is a firefighter in Northern California and has two sisters who served in the US Army, has her sights set on one day becoming a health specialist or program planner. The South-Central LA native says she has been galvanized by studying at ��ɫ����.

“[Working for the Harvesting Healthy Habits project] has given me that multidisciplinary approach to understanding the needs of different communities, and it’s something that I am grateful for and will take with me after I graduate.” 

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