Why I chose Public Health
Since I began my career as a registered dietitian I always knew my calling was to impact health from the sidelines. I wanted to influence healthcare in a way that would allow health professionals to conduct their work to the best of their abilities. I wanted to expand my reach to provide the tools and infrastructure needed to facilitate change at the organizational, community, and policy level.
Working as an RD, I became frustrated with the lack of resources we were provided; especially considering I worked with one of the most vulnerable populations in New York City. Finding educational materials that fit the needs of my clients was next to impossible so, I started to make handouts of my own. What I discovered was that I really liked it! I began obsessing over the language and content of my handouts.
Over time, I wanted to see if my client's health status had improved as a result of my efforts, but I didn't know how to. With a lot of help from the IT department, and endless amounts of data entry, we began to measure our client's outcomes. I was proud of the work we had done, but I still had trouble determining if I had made any true impact. So, I decided to get my Masters in Public Health (MPH) to obtain the skills I needed to get the job done.
I entered my masters program hoping to obtain the knowledge that allowed me to create effective health programs and communications campaigns. More specifically, I was interested in the assessment of populations and health care programs that use modern technology to inform, inspire, and influence change among large groups of people. What I discovered was that my communication instincts were always on target, but I lacked the framework necessary to organize instinct into practice. I am now able to integrate my instincts, experience, and knowledge to improve the health and quality of life of those in need through effective health communications and programming.
An example of this was a public service announcement (PSA) I had the pleasure of working on. This PSA integrates assessment techniques and public health theory to create a message that aims to encourage public housing residents to take part in a an annual survey. The purpose of the survey is to provide targeted health education to residents to improve their health and quality of life.
Working as an RD, I became frustrated with the lack of resources we were provided; especially considering I worked with one of the most vulnerable populations in New York City. Finding educational materials that fit the needs of my clients was next to impossible so, I started to make handouts of my own. What I discovered was that I really liked it! I began obsessing over the language and content of my handouts.
Over time, I wanted to see if my client's health status had improved as a result of my efforts, but I didn't know how to. With a lot of help from the IT department, and endless amounts of data entry, we began to measure our client's outcomes. I was proud of the work we had done, but I still had trouble determining if I had made any true impact. So, I decided to get my Masters in Public Health (MPH) to obtain the skills I needed to get the job done.
I entered my masters program hoping to obtain the knowledge that allowed me to create effective health programs and communications campaigns. More specifically, I was interested in the assessment of populations and health care programs that use modern technology to inform, inspire, and influence change among large groups of people. What I discovered was that my communication instincts were always on target, but I lacked the framework necessary to organize instinct into practice. I am now able to integrate my instincts, experience, and knowledge to improve the health and quality of life of those in need through effective health communications and programming.
An example of this was a public service announcement (PSA) I had the pleasure of working on. This PSA integrates assessment techniques and public health theory to create a message that aims to encourage public housing residents to take part in a an annual survey. The purpose of the survey is to provide targeted health education to residents to improve their health and quality of life.