MPH student making impact as athlete, advocate

Justin Kleppel is nothing if not persistent.

The UB track star says he’s always set big goals for himself — and he’s always found ways to get around the obstacles in reaching them.

In high school, his track-and-field dreams were nearly cut short by a severe scoliosis diagnosis.

“I went to see a specialist who told me that I would not do very well in a track-and-field career due to the degree of my spine curvature,” Kleppel recalls.

Not to be deterred, he committed himself to recovery.

“I just got very good at listening to my body and taking my time with extra work to make sure my body can function.”

Kleppel was able to join the UB track-and-field team as a first-year student, only to be shut down again by COVID-19 roster cuts. So he began training on his own, working out in the cold Buffalo weather and biking to a gym near campus. In 2021, he made the team again, winning two MAC bronze medals. He also won a competition overseas in Slovakia in the next two seasons.

And as a member of the Black Student-Athlete Association and the Stronger Together Task Force, Kleppel started the Bulls Pride Club, one of the only NCAA clubs for LGBTQ+ athletes.

Now a second-year student in the Master of Public Health program in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, School of Public Health and Health Professions, Kleppel, who is in his final season of eligibility on the team, continues to dream.

This time he’s aiming to one day be part of the U.S. Olympic bobsled team.

Kleppel was recently accepted as a member of the Team USA Bobsled/Skeleton (USABS) development program, joining a pool of athletes who receive coaching and support in their bid to compete for Team USA.

“It is a very competitive but great environment to grow and become better. The coaches are very supportive and provide a path for athletes to hopefully wear the U.S. uniform on a national stage,” Kleppel says.

Though he has not yet competed officially as a bobsledder, Kleppel has carried the drive that helped him succeed as a D-1 track-and-field athlete to this new endeavor.

“In January of 2023, I was invited to my first rookie camp,” he says. “At this camp, I learned the skills necessary for being a bobsled push athlete, and in addition to training for track and field, I also train to get my push times faster and faster.”

Reading, researching papers and writing reports between his various trainings, Kleppel makes a point to balance academics with his athletic pursuits.

“Both my work at UB and with the bobsled team provide a platform where I can inspire others, which I think is the greatest power of sports,” he says. “If you want to make a healthy change in your own life or community, it starts with one step. Every athlete, at any level, has taken this step. That first step is the hardest. Sports have given me the courage to take these steps in my own public health work.”

His interests in the MPH program focus on the intersection of public health systems and urban planning. Through his work as a research assistant in the Food Systems and Healthy Communities Lab, Kleppel hopes to make Buffalo a better place through food systems planning. There, he’s involved with several projects, including Growing Food Connections and Cultivating Healthy Places, which addresses food insecurity issues.

“We believe that food itself can be a lever and space for social transformation,” he explains.

Kleppel says his resolve to address inequities stems from a horrific incident.

“In 2022, I was on a bus with my team coming back from our MAC championship when the Tops massacre occurred. The event opened my eyes to the systemic issues that exist in Buffalo. Since then, the work I do is centered around equity and addressing root causes of issues,” Kleppel says.

A native of Queens, N.Y., Kleppel credits his upbringing for his passion to fight injustices.

“I am very proud to be from one of the most diverse places in the world. It is something that I believe has helped me be the person I am today,” he says.

Kleppel says he knew UB was the perfect place to pursue his dreams and make a difference because he would be exposed to “the best minds in public health and planning.”

After graduation, he intends to carry this belief into a professional career focused on addressing systemic issues through collaborative, interdisciplinary effort.

“One of my main goals is to make a U.S. sled with USA Bobsled. After that, I will focus my aim higher..”

Eventually, Kleppel hopes to have a job where he can support his Olympic dream: to make the world a better place while sliding down an icy track at 80 mph.