How would you explain your discipline and/or research to those unfamiliar with the subject?
It would be challenging to separate public health from everyday life. Public health is sidewalks, child tax credits, registration forms offered in more than one language, or affordable transportation. Each example provides an opportunity to better the wellbeing of others; public health is hiding in plain sight!
What do you wish your colleagues/friends/family knew about your work?
Your wellbeing is not determined by interactions with clinical medicine, alone. Public health should be thought of with a broad net as it offers you the ability to use creativity when addressing health needs.
Have you learned/discovered anything during your experience at UNH that’s surprised you? If so, what?
I am amazed how initiatives at the micro level, coupled with community engagement, can have such a great impact. I feel we want to go for the big movement to make changes quickly, however I have learned to value the magnitude of the small and local initiatives. While at UNH I have discovered the ingenuity of New Hampshire’s public health professionals who utilize the local approach.
What do you consider your biggest challenge?
How do you begin? There are so many causes worth addressing, but sometimes you just don’t know how or where to start working.
What motivates you?
Knowing I have the opportunity to make change in my community and better the lives of others. With the skills and knowledge from my coursework I feel empowered to go out and find ways to help those who are underserved.
What are you most proud of?
It has been encouraging to see how my coursework enhances my professional work. The way I approach my professional work feels advanced by the connections and frameworks reviewed in class.
Why did you choose UNH?
I had been living in D.C. and working for Congress when I was looking for a MPH program. My search within the D.C. area did not feel relevant to me; the programs could not offer a real sense of how public health works in a state like New Hampshire.
What do you plan to do with your degree?
I want to help develop the public health infrastructure in New Hampshire. I hope to use the MPH degree to connect my experience in the federal government and pursue medical school to work as a physician caring for patients in and outside of the clinical setting.
