Public Health Teacher of the Year Achieves Outstanding Participation in Community Science

A poster announcing the 2023 Public Health Teacher of the Year, with a man smiling, graphics, and text details.

April 2024

EcoHealth Awards Public Health Teacher of the Year to Sierra Madre Middle School Teacher Ravi Dev Anandhan

Ravi Dev Anandhan (Dev) from Pasadena Unified School District was awarded Public Health Teacher of the Year for 2023
Community science and professional development for teachers are critical in building students’ participation in their communities.

Local middle school students and teachers successfully completed another year of community science to protect against mosquitoes.

May contain: adult, female, person, woman, laboratory, and head — Teacher Mr. Dev participating in professional development course

“All of the 2023 participating alumni from our Cal Poly Pomona Teacher Professional Development class substantially increased their students’ participation this year,” said Education Specialist Kriztian Luna. “We are blown away by Mr. Dev’s student enrollment and participation success with nearly 100% of his 189 students.”

This training gave me every reason to be motivated towards a common cause to help save lives by eradicating an invasive species in our neighborhoods.
Mr. Dev, Sierra Madre Middle School, Pasadena Unified School District

Mr. Dev’s persistence and passion helped achieve such a high participation rate. “There is no secret, (it is) my passion to educate 100% of my students to learn something that is life saving for them and their families,” he added.

Motivated to make a difference, Mr. Dev enrolled in the Cal Poly Pomona Teacher Professional Development Course offered by the EcoHealth Vector Education Program in 2022.

“I received so much knowledge and hands-on experience out of the two-day Cal Poly Pomona training,” said Mr. Dev. “This training gave me every reason to be motivated towards a common cause to help save lives by eradicating an invasive species in our neighborhoods.”

EcoHealth’s Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D. continues to grow due to the 2023 participating teachers: Danny Woo and Giselle Arguello, 6th Grade Science at San Jose Charter Academy, Leslie Allizedah and Sawsaan Harb, 8th Grade Science at Lone Hill Middle School, and Candice Felix, 6th Grade at Arlene Bitely Elementary.

For more information on San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District’s EcoHealth Program visit VectorEducation.org.