Nationally Recognized Epidemiologist Shares How Alma Mater Prepared Her to Lead Florida’s COVID-19 Response

Dr. Shamarial Roberson shared her experience, words of wisdom, and inspiration to Florida A&M University graduates during Summer commencement ceremony

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On July 29th, Dr. Shamarial Roberson returned to her alma mater to deliver the commencement speech for the class of 2022’s summer graduation. Only six years ago Dr. Roberson graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) with a doctorate of public health in epidemiology and biostatistics. Dr. Roberson now leads the Health & Human Services sector of Indelible, one of Florida’s fastest-growing management consulting firms. Prior to joining Indelible, she was the Deputy Secretary of Health for the State of Florida, helping lead the state’s COVID-19 response.

“It was an honor to return to my alma mater as the commencement speaker to share my story. The education and fundamental lessons I learned during my time here at FAMU prepared me to be a public health leader during these unprecedented times,” Dr. Roberson said.

As a veteran leader, administrator, and recognized expert in the areas of epidemiology, health promotion, disease prevention, minority health, and health equity, Dr. Roberson is committed to promoting equity in minority and at-risk communities. She strives to bridge the gaps between public health programs and initiatives and communities, especially vulnerable ones.

“Since joining Indelible, Dr. Roberson has far exceeded our expectations in her role as President of Health and Human Services. Each day she contributes exceptional knowledge and leadership, providing clients with industry-leading insights and solutions,” said Joshua Hay, CEO and co-founder of Indelible.

As former Deputy Secretary of Health for the State of Florida, Dr. Roberson earned national recognition helping the state navigate and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, she spent more than 450 days at the Florida Emergency Operations Center, driving a portion of the pandemic response and guiding the management of more than two billion funds to help navigate the rapidly changing pandemic, keep Floridians informed, and work to control the pandemic.

“Dr. Roberson showed exceptional public health leadership during the pandemic. She was instrumental to the establishment of FAMU’s community-based COVID-19 testing site in April 2020 and our vaccination site in February 2021. These initiatives have made significant contributions to the health and well-being of our local community and the broader region, with more than 650,000 tests and 26,000 vaccines administered on this campus to date. We look forward to hearing her words of inspiration for our summer 2022 graduates,” said Dr. Larry Robinson, FAMU President.