Public Health SPOTlight Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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In this episode, Sujani sits down with Adrian Leung, a public health pharmacist currently working with the province of Ontario to advance digital health. They discuss pharmacy and the current state of healthcare, the role of pharmacists in public health, and how pharmacy and public health can further intermingle to advance community health.

You’ll Learn

• What drew Adrian towards pharmacy and then public health later in his career
  • Adrian’s experience working in a long term care facility and how frustration with the current health system and a want to learn led to him pursuing a Masters in Health Administration
• What a day in the life of a public health pharmacist looks like
  • The work Adrian did with the COVID vaccine roll out
• How the role of pharmacists in public health is still evolving and the advancements in care that may come from merging the private and public sectors of health
• How digital health and technology further advances health and outreach to communities

Today’s Guest

Initially trained as a pharmacist, Adrian spent the first eight years of his career specializing in pharmacy service delivery for seniors living in congregate care settings including long-term care. He later pursued a masters in health administration to broaden his knowledge and skillset, and subsequently joined York Region's public health unit to help advance their COVID-19 vaccination campaign. In that role as a Public Health Pharmacist, he served as the COVID-19 team's pharmaceutical expert to advise internal and external stakeholders on appropriate vaccine inventory management (including proper storage, handling, and distribution) and promote vaccine effectiveness and patient safety. Adrian is currently part of a team that advances digital innovation and transformation initiatives in the province of Ontario.

Resources

• Follow Adrian on LinkedIn 
• Read more about pharmacy's role in managing COVID and opportunities for further integration into public health  

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In this episode, Sujani sits down with Anita Balan, a project director at the American College of Preventive Medicine. They discuss Anita’s journey through grad school and the pit stops she took along the way, and ways to add to your skills toolkit by seizing opportunities outside of formal education.

You’ll Learn

• How Anita discovered public health through a peer education opportunity on campus
• How politics and public health are closely intertwined
• The importance of being open to different opportunities that may not necessarily be in your direct field of work
• Anita’s experience and reflections on taking a break in between grad school
• How you can upscale your school without needing formal education
  • How volunteering is a valuable way to add skills to your toolkit
• How to cope with failures and feelings of low self esteem
• What’s next for Anita and how she is gathering information for her future career path through informational interviews

Today’s Guest

Anita Balan is a Project Director at the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM). Currently, she is responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of multiple grants funded through a cooperative agreement between ACPM and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, aimed at to strengthen public health systems and improve population health through national partnerships. Three of her projects focus on building the capacity of physicians, health systems and collaborating organizations to prevent diabetes, reduce hypertension and address COVID-19 among disproportionately affected populations. She provides staff support for the preventive medicine residency program directors and the Graduate Medical Education Subcommittee. Ms. Balan is a strong advocate for health promotion and disease prevention, investing in public health, public health law, addressing structural barriers and eliminating health disparities. She earned her MPH in Prevention and Community Health from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES). She serves on the boards of the National Capital Area chapter of the Society of Public Health Education (NCA SOPHE) and the South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA). She is a believer in life-long learning and enjoys being a student of Indian Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance.

Resources

• Learn more about the Emerging Leaders in Public Health Program 
• Learn more about becoming a Certified Health Education Specialist
• Learn more about Vote Smart
• Learn more about the American College of Preventive Medicine 
• Listen to the previous episode with Joanna Suder and Gwyneth Eliasson 
• Listen to the previous episode about informational i

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Today, unlock a world of innovation at the crossroads of entrepreneurship and public health consulting with Leah Roman and Vinu Ilakkuvan. They bring to light the motivations behind a groundbreaking survey on self-employed public health professionals, revealing the often hidden sides of self employment. Through candid conversations, we learn about the economic prospects of consulting and the pressing need for more academic training and support networks to arm future public health entrepreneurs with the tools for success.


You’ll Learn

• What prompted Leah, Vinu, and Laura to collaborate on “The self-employed public health consultant and entrepreneur workforce in the United States” and the method behind conducting the survey
• Key findings from the survey including demographics and formal training in skills related to entrepreneurship
• Breaking down the financial aspects of consulting and salary transparency
• The gap in support networks for self employed public health professionals and brainstorming how to bridge it
• What Leah and Vinu hope to achieve next with the results collected from the survey

Today’s Guest

Leah A. Roman, MPH, MCHES is the Owner & Principal Consultant for Roman Public Health Consulting LLC, where she helps public health organizations design effective e-learning solutions. She has 18+ years of experience providing training and technical assistance, health education, and project management services. Leah has a BA in Psychology (University of San Diego), a master of public health degree (Boston University), a certificate in e-learning instructional design (University of Washington), and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES). Leah lives in the Philadelphia, PA area (USA) with her husband and two children.

Vinu Ilakkuvan, DrPH, MSPH, is passionate about strengthening community-driven efforts to address the upstream, root drivers of health. She is Founder and Principal Consultant of PoP Health, a public health consulting practice that partners with community coalitions and collaboratives to transform health in their communities through policy and systems change. PoP Health helps coalitions engage in community collaboration, action planning, participatory evaluation, and effective storytelling. PoP Health also issues a biweekly newsletter, Community Threads, with tools and strategies for anyone seeking to improve community health 

Resources

• Connect with Leah on LinkedIn and read her blog post on how much to charge for consulting services 
• Connect with Vinu on LinkedIn and learn more about PoP Health
• Read more about the results from the The self-employed public health consultant and entrepreneur workforce in the United States survey
• Listen to previous episodes with Leah on

Support the show

Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.

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In this episode, Sujani sits down with Dr. Asad Naveed to talk about his work with the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, using social media as a platform for health education and mentorship, and providing guidance for those getting started in public health research.

You’ll Learn

• Asad’s on the ground work with management and prevention of Ebola in Sierra Leone and how he first became involved in community health
• How Asad’s field work led to a career in research and what his goals were when returning to school
• Perspective and making changes in global health systems
• Social media and the responsibilities that public facing figures and users have
• Tips on getting started and climbing up for those interested in public health research and social entrepreneurship

Today’s Guest

Resources

• Connect with Asad on LinkedIn 
• Read and subscribe to Asad’s guides and newsletter 
• Read the article about Ebola Virus in Children in Sierra Leone 
• Listen to the previous episode with Jennifer Monti
• Purchase the book, The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid 

Support the show

Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.

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In this episode, Sujani sits down with Bhargav Krishna to discuss his experiences pursuing higher education all around the world. Bhargav gives tips on choosing between programs, considerations that need to be made when choosing programs, and shares his experience with Harvard’s Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program. 

You’ll Learn

• Why Bhargav decided to pursue a DrPH and how he decided on a DrPH over a PhD 
• What made Bhargav choose to pursue Harvard’s DrPH program 
• Tips on choosing the right DrPH program
• A brief summary of what you might expect from Harvard’s DrPH program 
• Bhargav’s biggest learnings from the DrPH program and how he has changed as a professional since
• How Bhargav is using skills from the DrPH in his current work
• The diverse career paths that other graduates from the program are on
• Advice for anyone considering pursuing a DrPH 

Today’s Guest

Bhargav Krishna is a Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research. His research interests span areas of health policy, environmental policy, and environmental epidemiology, with a focus on the impact of air quality and climate change on health. Previously, Bhargav set up and managed the Centre for Environmental Health at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), where he led work on air quality, climate, and health. In this capacity, he served on Union and State government expert committees on air pollution, biomedical waste, and critically polluted areas. He has also carried out work on health systems and sustainable development across several states. Bhargav holds a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, a Master’s degree in Global Environmental Change from Kings College London and an undergraduate degree from Anna University, Chennai. He is Adjunct Faculty at PHFI and Visiting Faculty at Azim Premji University where he teaches environmental health and health policy respectively. He is also co-founder of Care for Air, a Delhi-based non-profit working to raise awareness of air pollution among school children.

Resources

• Bhargav Krishna’s LinkedIn 
• Learn more about Harvard’s DrPH program
• An alumni spotlight article on Bhargav

Other PH SPOT resources:

• Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this form
• Never heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.
• Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health opportunities every week by joining the PH SPOT community.

Support the show

Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.

Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text!

In this episode, Sujani sits down with Denise Chow, a 1st year MPH student studying at the Yale School of Public Health. Denise was accepted into all five MSPH/MPH programs she applied to and in this episode, she speaks about her application process and gives some great advice for others considering pursuing a graduate degree.

You’ll Learn

• How Denise came upon the field of public health and experiences led to her knowing it was the right field for her 
• What influenced Denise’s decision in pursuing an MPH vs. an MSPH and why she decided to enter the graduate degree right after completing her undergrad
• What considerations prospective students should make when deciding which schools and programs to apply to
• Denise’s decision making process and how she ultimately made the choice to study at Yale amongst the other schools she was accepted into
• Tips from Denise on how to strengthen applications for graduate school
• How having a solid support network is important through your education and career path, especially as a first generation student with unique barriers during the application process
  • How to go about building this support network
• Advice from Denise for others who may be considering higher education

Today’s Guest

Denise Chow is a 1st-year MPH student at the Yale School of Public Health. She recently graduated from University of California, Berkeley, studying Public Health and Education. Her research interests include mental health and well-being, qualitative and community-based participatory research, social and interpersonal relationships, and early childhood development among children, refugees, and displaced populations.

Resources

• Connect with Denise on LinkedIn 

Other PH SPOT resources:

• Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this form
• Never heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.
• Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health opportunities every week by joining the PH SPOT community.
• Contribute to the public health career blog: www.phspot.ca/contribute
• Upcoming course on infographics: phspot.ca/infographics
• Learn more about PH Spot's 6-week training program

Support the show

Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.

Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!

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In this episode, Sujani sits down with Brett Otis, the Communications Project Manager in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. They discuss Brett’s work at Harvard Chan on “The Nutrition Source” and the responsibilities of those presenting health information to the public. 

You’ll Learn

• Brett’s career path and how he came to work in public health communications 
• What a day as the Communications Project Manager in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan looks like
• What “The Nutrition Source” is and the process of producing this source
• Tips from Brett on how to consume health information from media
• Some lessons that Brett has learned about communicating public health information
• What the biggest challenges for individuals working in public health face when communicating health information
• Brett’s observations about public health communication during COVID-19 and what he has seen working well vs. what could be improved
• Advice from Brett for individuals who might be interested in a similar career

Today’s Guest

Brett O. Otis, ALM, is a Communications Project Manager in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where he lends strategic support to multiple initiatives, including the department’s primary public-facing website, The Nutrition Source, and annual Healthy Living Guide. He also serves as a key guest lecturer in the MPH course, Nutrition Communication in Practice. Additionally, he is a co-author of Eat Well and Keep Moving (3rd edition, 2016), a school-based nutrition and physical activity program developed for upper-elementary school children. Merging education and training in journalism, health communications, and sustainability, along with professional experience in public health nutrition communications, his work is all about making research accessible and useful to a range of audiences—from policymakers and educators, to the general public. 

Resources

• More info about The Ladder of Abstraction
• Read the Wired article about science literacy
• Frameworks resources
• Access The Nutrition Source and read the article about consuming science in media

Other PH SPOT resources:

• Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this form
• Never heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.
• Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health oppor

Support the show

Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.

Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text!

In this episode, Sujani sits down with Christina Ricci, an epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada and an avid volunteer. They discuss the importance of volunteerism and what motivates Christina to keep volunteering.

You’ll Learn

• How Christina got into the field of public health
• Christina’s volunteering journey and what motivated her to continue seeking out volunteer roles
• How Christina’s early volunteer experiences shaped her interest in public health and vice versa
• What some of the most rewarding volunteer positions have been for Christina and what skills she learned - both expected and unexpected
• Why it is important for Christina to continue volunteering, even after she landed a full-time public health job  
• How to identify and land volunteer experiences, both formally and informally
• How to integrate volunteer work into your resume
• Factors to consider before taking on a volunteer role
• Tips on how to balance volunteer work with other work and play
• Advice from Christina for students and early career professionals as it relates to public health volunteer work

Today’s Guest

Christina is an Epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada and completed her Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology at the University of Toronto. Outside of work she volunteers with various universities doing systematic reviews, as a program manager for an NGO improving disability services access and disability inclusion stigma in West Africa as well as with the United Nations to name a few. She has also started her own program for newcomers to Canada to connect them to resources through webinars and workshops.  

Resources

• Recommendations from Christina on where to look for volunteering opportunities
  • United Nations Volunteers
  • We Make Change 
  • Young Diplomats of Canada
  • FORA
  • Apathy is Boring
  • Unite2030
  • Capital Integration Movement 

Other PH SPOT resources:

• Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this form
• Never heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.
• Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health opportunities every week by joining the PH SPOT community.
• Contribute to the public health career blog: www.phspot.ca/contribute

Support the show

Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.

Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text!

In this episode, Sujani sits down with Tieisha Walters to discuss her experience with the Master of Public Health / Master of Science in Social Work program from Columbia University. They chat about what the dual degree is like and what doors it has opened for Tieisha.

You’ll Learn

• How Tieishia found her way into the public health field
• What motivated Tieisha to pursue the dual MSSW/MPH 
• Tieisha’s experience with the MSSW/MPH program and what she would have done differently
• What Colombia’s dual MSSW/MPH program is like including:
  • How courses are structured 
  • What practicum opportunities may be available
  • How social work and public health learning was integrated throughout the program
  • Main advantages of doing a dual degree 
• Advice from Tieisha for others who might be considering an MPH/MSW degree
• Tieisha’s experiences working around the world and how her knowledge in both social work and public health has benefited her
• Tips from Tieisha on searching for jobs with a dual degree

Today’s Guest

Tieisha Walters received a Master of Public Health and a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in 2017. After graduating from Columbia, Ms. Walters served one year as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Zambia. During her time in Zambia, Ms. Walters focused on reducing the prevalence of maternal and neonatal deaths. Upon returning to the U.S., Ms. Walters worked as a Resource Coordinator teaching sexuality education to high school students. However, when covid-19 was declared a pandemic, Ms. Walters decided to utilize both her MPH and MSW skills to assist her city (NYC) in combating this virus. Ms. Walters worked as both a Contact Tracer for NYC Health + Hospital and as a Public Health Analyst contractor for CDC. Presently, Ms. Walters is working as a Licensed Social Worker/ Community Partnership Manager for the Economic Opportunity Commission of Nassau County. Ms. Walters believes that her purpose on earth is to be in public service and to help improve the lives of others, one individual at a time.   

Resources

• Learn more about Colombia's MSSW and MPH Dual Degree 

Other PH SPOT resources:

• Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this form
• Never heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.
• Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health opportunities every week by joining the PH SPOT community.
• Contribute to the public health career blog: www.phspot.ca/contribute
• Upcoming course on infographics: phs

Support the show

Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.

Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text!

In this episode, Sujani sits down with Joanna Suder, a deputy attorney general representing the Division of Public Health for the state of Delaware. They chat about what tasks public health attorneys may be responsible for, how it was like working through the pandemic, and Joanna’s experiences writing “Pandemic for Babies”.

You’ll Learn

• How Joanna entered the field of public health law
• How health specialized law programs differ from regular law programs
• What public health law entails and what a typical day may look like for a public health attorney
• How Joanna’s workload and the cases she works on have changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
• What other professionals Joanna collaborate with in her work
• Other paths that people specialized in health law may go on to do
• Joanna’s experience co-authoring the book “Pandemics for Babies” and how she balanced writing a book along with her regular workload 
• The importance of understanding tech in public health law
• What advice Joanna has for others who are interested in following a similar path

Today’s Guest

Joanna Suder is a Deputy Attorney General in the Civil Division of the Delaware Department of Justice. She is currently the Unit Head for the Health Law Unit and supervises a team in addition to her work representing the Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services as well as the Division of Public Health. Joanna was the lead health attorney responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. In her ample free time, Joanna co-authors articles and children's books with her husband, an infectious disease epidemiologist. A true lawyer, Joanna wants you to know that nothing she says necessarily represents the views of the Delaware Department of Justice of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. 

Resources

• Listen to the previous episode with Neal Goldstein, the co-author (and Joanna’s husband!) of “Pandemic for Babies”
• Purchase “Pandemics for Babies” from the publisher or from Amazon

Other PH SPOT resources:

• Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this form
• Never heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.
• Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health opportunities every week by joining the PH SPOT community.
• Contribute to the public health career blog

Support the show

Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.

Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!