Dr. Sharon Telleen always wanted to work with children and found that becoming an educator would be a perfect fit. She combined her interest in psychology and health with her academic pursuits, becoming a licensed psychologist and a research assistant professor in maternal and child health in the 1980s. Since 2011, she has been a Research Associate Professor Emerita in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Furthermore, she has had the opportunity to address various public health issues within her communities, including the high infant death rate in Illinois. Additionally, she has identified effective strategies to reduce the number of violent incidents and gang-related activity surrounding youth. Alongside the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Telleen was hands-on in helping physicians in Ukraine identify the public health factors affecting children in the 1990s. Recently, Dr. Telleen has become involved with the National Trust for a historic preservation project which is part of their African American Saving Places Heritage Action Fund. Along with receiving a grant with a colleague for the project, she has received numerous grants for her other work, as well as an honor for public health service from Delta Omega in 1996.