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<\/p>\nOakland University alum Dana Parke named inaugural recipient of Pi Sigma Alpha Young Alumni Award<\/p>\n
Oakland University alum Dana Parke has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Pi Sigma Alpha Young Alumni Award, a national honor recognizing early-career excellence in political science. Parke was chosen from 20 highly qualified nominees from colleges and universities across the country.<\/p>\n
Parke graduated from Oakland University in 2013 with a triple major in International Relations, African Studies, and French Language and Literature. As an undergraduate, she studied abroad for a semester in Senegal, was the Outreach Editor for Pi Sigma Alpha\u2019s Undergraduate Journal of Politics, and co-authored peer-reviewed publications \u2014 accomplishments that reflected both her academic drive and global perspective.<\/p>\n
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\n Dana Parke with Professor Matthew Fails (Photo courtesy Terri Towner)<\/p>\n
\u201cDana was one of those students you don\u2019t ever forget \u2014 a unique combination of intellectual curiosity, work ethic, and compassion and concern for the broader world around her,\u201d said Matthew Fails, Ph.D., professor of political science. \u201cHow she managed a triple major, studying abroad for a semester in Senegal, and co-authoring peer-reviewed publications as an undergraduate is a mystery to me, but I\u2019m so fortunate that our paths crossed. Watching Dana achieve such professional success is so rewarding as a faculty member. I can\u2019t think of a single other student who better exemplifies Oakland\u2019s values, and it is deeply satisfying to see her recognized on this national stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was nominated by Nicole Mathew, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, who submitted a compelling letter outlining Parke\u2019s journey from undergraduate excellence to international leadership.<\/p>\n
Since graduation, Parke has built an impressive record of leadership at the intersection of public health, global development, and housing equity. She has worked at Henry Ford Health in Detroit since 2013, starting in its Global Health Initiative department, where she led international medical education and research programs in Haiti, India, Jamaica, Ethiopia, and Ghana, and later managed COVID-19 vaccine trials. She also received her Master of Arts in International Development from the University of Denver, where she received the full-tuition Si\u00e9 Fellowship and studied housing in South Africa.<\/p>\n
Since 2021, Parke now leads initiatives to address social determinants of health locally among Henry Ford Health\u2019s primary care patients, with a passion for housing.<\/p>\n
Her work has helped secure more than $2.7 million in funding to provide home safety repairs to prevent falls among older adults in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Detroit. The initiative was recently published as a case study by the World Health Organization. In addition, Parke has authored numerous policy publications focused on global health, women\u2019s rights, and strengthening healthcare infrastructure worldwide.<\/p>\n
Despite her global impact, Parke has remained deeply connected to her alma mater. She has mentored students, served as a keynote speaker at induction ceremonies, judged student research symposia, co-taught a graduate course in the School of Health Sciences, established an endowed study abroad scholarship in memory of her host father from her time in Senegal, and most recently joined the Donna and Walt Young Honors College Board.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am so deeply honored and grateful to be the inaugural recipient of the Pi Sigma Alpha Young Alumni Award,\u201d Parke said. \u201cThis recognition is a testament to how the experiences, skills, and connections I gained at Oakland University led me to where I am today. For example, my study abroad in Senegal gave me fluency in French and international experience that equipped me for my global health career.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\n Dana Parke with Professor Terri Towner (Photo courtesy Christina Walker)<\/p>\n
\u201cMy OU professors particularly impacted my journey \u2014 in addition to honing my analytical and research skills, they gave me advice and made connections that pointed me to Henry Ford Health and to pursuing my Masters at the University of Denver,\u201d she added. \u201cBecause of OU, I have a career that I am proud and passionate about, improving health and housing outcomes at home and abroad. Having received so much from OU, it\u2019s important to me to remain an active alumna and give back to my community.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of this national recognition, Parke delivered the keynote address at the Pi Sigma Alpha National Student Research Conference in Washington, D.C., on February 28, 2026. Her keynote was titled, \u201cDeterminants and Determination: Building a Career to Improve Health and Housing Equity at Home and Abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am incredibly proud that the first recipient of this national award is one of our students,\u201d said Terri Towner, Ph.D., professor of political science and president of the Pi Sigma Alpha National Honor Society. \u201cDana exemplifies the values we strive to instill in our students and alumni: academic excellence, civic leadership, and a deep commitment to improving the lives of others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parke\u2019s selection as the inaugural Young Alumni Award recipient not only highlights her remarkable professional accomplishments, but also reflects Oakland University\u2019s enduring commitment to preparing graduates who lead with purpose \u2014 locally and globally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oakland University alum Dana Parke named inaugural recipient of Pi Sigma Alpha Young Alumni Award Oakland University alum…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7291,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-205862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}