Community Outreach and Engagement
The Office of Community Outreach and Engagement is committed to fulfilling our mission of improving the health and well-being of the people and institutions of Ohio, the nation and the world. We accomplish this goal by connecting our faculty members, staff and students with eager community partners such as patient groups, healthcare providers, professional organizations, community agencies and schools. We make it a point to focus on providing members of the college with project development skills and tools, financial assistance and support to future and active community-focused projects. Through our efforts, we support the College of Nursing’s ability to engage in unique teaching, research, learning and service activities that directly affect our community’s health.
If you are interested in working with us, please complete our community partner form or email Melissa at latto.8@osu.edu.
Message from the Director
Welcome to the College of Nursing’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement – we’re glad you’re here! I joined the office in spring 2022, and am excited and honored to serve as director. My research team has had the privilege of partnering with the Columbus community (e.g. churches and faith-based organizations, public elementary schools, Head Start, WIC) for the past 10+ years to co-develop scalable foods- and nutrition-related policy and programmatic solutions to improve the nutritional health of children and families residing in historically redlined neighborhoods. The College of Nursing has a long history of conducting high-quality, relevant and innovative community-engaged scholarship that advances the scientific literature and has real and lasting impacts on the health and well-being of the surrounding communities. In my role as director, I look forward to honoring this tradition, and advancing the college's mission to improve the health and well-being of our neighbors, locally and globally.
Melissa joined the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement in the fall of 2022. Her educational background includes a BA in psychology with minors in English and philosophy from Wittenberg University. She provides support in bridging the gap between members of the College of Nursing and various organizations and agencies in the Columbus community. Through the development and implementation of programs and initiatives, she works alongside the director to coordinate engagement and recognition opportunities for the College of Nursing.
Megan joined the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement in the fall of 2022. She is an undergraduate student studying communications with minors in business and non-profit studies and has a background in volunteer leadership, non-profit management, and fundraising campaign coordination. As a student assistant, Megan helps facilitate community programming and all other functions of the office. With a passion for outreach, she looks forward to a career in community relations both during her time at The Ohio State University and beyond.
