As president of the Barnett College of Public Health Alumni Association and a part-time adjunct professor, Temple alumus Marvin Nichols stays closely connected to CPH while working full-time at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center. There, he manages the data and contract work for the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program—a national effort to slow a growing epidemic. “I like data and maps,” he says. “Spatial context tells the story. It helps explain why something’s happening and where, and that’s what public health is all about.”
The timing fits: November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and Nichols’ team is helping shape policies that improve care for people living with or at risk for the disease. He develops data strategies, oversees implementation, and helps translate insights for senior leaders. “If something doesn’t work,” he says, “we ask what we can learn from it. Policy shouldn’t just look good on paper—it should help people.”
Before federal service, Nichols worked as a respiratory therapist. Coming to Temple as an older, nontraditional student, he wanted to understand why health outcomes differed so sharply from place to place. Pairing public health with geography and urban studies gave him a framework to connect the dots. “You can’t explain what’s going on health-wise without explaining what’s going on socially and geographically,” he says. “Those layers make the picture clearer.”
That same curiosity guides how he teaches. “Be curious,” he tells his students. “Ask questions, professionally and personally. Don’t be afraid to talk to people who see things differently.” He smiles at Temple’s reputation for resilience: “Temple tough isn’t just a slogan. It’s a culture of perseverance.”
Nichols credits Temple with changing his life. A first-generation college graduate, he found professors whose passion pushed him to aim higher and classmates whose diversity broadened his perspective. “Temple opened doors my family could never have walked through,” he says. “Now I feel like it’s my turn to hold that door open for someone else.”
As Alumni Association president, he encourages graduates to reconnect, mentor, and see the college’s transformation firsthand. His favorite stop is Paley Hall’s Simulation Center, where students learn across multiple disciplines in spaces that mirror real-world settings. “It’s a game changer,” he says. “If local hospital leaders saw it, they’d want to hire our students immediately.”
Between his roles in government, teaching, and alumni leadership, Nichols embodies the kind of impact Temple inspires—rooted in data, driven by community, and sustained by curiosity. “That’s the chip on our shoulder as Temple people,” he says. “We want the world to work better. We want people to be healthier. Every day, that’s what keeps me going.”