What’s Next for the Class of 2013: Leah Jarvis

Leah Jarvis, MPH ’13, Population and Family Health

I just started at Engender Health, which is an organization that works on issues related to reproductive health around the world.  I’m a program associate for monitoring evaluation and research.  I’ll be working mostly on seeing how programs are implemented in different countries and assessing the effectiveness of different programs that provide reproductive health, including long-acting and permanent methods of contraceptives, and address issues of gender-based violence.

At the Mailman School, I spent my practicum in Burkino Faso with the Population Council doing an evaluation of a program that works with migrant adolescent domestic workers. They come to the cities to work as domestic workers and are generally isolated and are not in school, have very low levels of education, don’t get paid very much, and are vulnerable to a lot of sexual and financial exploitation.

Having the opportunity to do an evaluation in the country where a program was being implemented really gave me good experience with the obstacles that can happen in developing countries in terms of transportation and power outages and language barriers. My practicum, as well as many of the classes that I’ve taken at the Mailman School, gave me a good perspective and grounding and will serve me directly in the position that I just started at Engender Health.

Engender Health is one of the organizations that I’ve been really interested in working for and continually checked their website for new job postings. I got in touch with somebody through a Mailman School grad who knew somebody that was working in there, and they helped me get in touch with the people who were doing the hiring.

What’s Next for the Class of 2013: Kevin English

Kevin English, DrPH ’13, MPH  ’01, Sociomedical Sciences

I direct the Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center, which is one of 12 tribal epidemiology centers across the country. We provide public health surveillance, community health assessment, capacity building, and student development work with the American Indian population in our area. This includes all of New Mexico, Southwestern Colorado and portions of Utah and Texas. More than 10% of the population here is American Indian.

Most of the time when you see public health surveillance reports they classify people according to race and ethnicity. There is typically a column for Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics, sometimes Asians; everyone else is collapsed into an “other” category. Very rarely do you see data for American Indians. One aim of Tribal Epidemiology Centers is to fill this gap. This is especially critical as American Indians experience significant health disparities, which are often poorly documented. At the same time, Tribal Epidemiology Centers strive to improve data access and quality for Tribes. We also expand upon surveillance and assessment to strengthen the capacity of Tribes to translate data into action. This includes prioritizing leverage points for intervention and collaborating directly with Tribes to develop culturally-centered health promotion and disease prevention interventions.

I came to the Mailman School for my Masters in 1999. When it came time for my doctorate I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Even though New York City may not seem like the most likely place to train for future work in Native American health, I knew the School would be the right fit for me again. I needed to strengthen my skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Gaining those skills was invaluable. My coursework and research experience also helped me think about the social environment in which health disparities are created. There is no better place in the country than the Mailman School to gain that perspective. For me, the School’s Sociomedical Sciences Department is unique in its commitment to explore the many intersections between the social sciences and health. It is this nexus where we can find the answers to some of our most pressing public health research questions as well as the solutions to appropriately address and  ameliorate health disparities.

I’ve been working in various capacities with American Indians for almost 20 years. After graduating with a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree I went to Central Oregon to work with the Indian Health Service as a  clinical pharmacist. Now, I work directly for tribal communities in the field of public health. This is a model I really like. It suits me and I am fortunate to have this incredible opportunity.

What’s Next for the Class of 2013: Becca Loeb

Becca Loeb, MS ’13, Biostatistics

I’m working in the Department of Psychiatry at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as an Assistant Research Biostatistician. I consult with investigators to help them with study design, grant writing, and statistical analysis. I also have the opportunity to mentor research assistants in how to work with data and use basic statistics.

I work closely with the Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Department, which provides outreach services to immigrants and low-income cancer patients in the New York area. I help to evaluate the different programs they run. For example, they run a food bank program at public hospitals in the city, and I’m helping them assess who is using them, how often, and if pantry use is associated with improved health outcomes. I’m also involved in behavioral sciences research, focusing on cancer prevention and the effects of cancer treatment on cognition. And I am working on a randomized controlled trial assessing a scheduled smoking cessation intervention, a study tracking sun protection behaviors over time in people with a family history of melanoma, and a study on the impact of chemotherapy on memory.

The Mailman School really prepared me for this position because the coursework covered a wide range of statistics and research designs. My coursework in epidemiology and in clinical trials design has really come in handy in my new job and set me apart from job applicants with a basic statistics master’s degree.

I found out about the job from the Biostatistics department, which periodically sends out job listings. My background in psychology and the training I received at Mailman School made this one a really great fit. It’s been great so far and I’m learning a lot. Everyone I’m working with has a positive attitude and feels a sense of purpose in what they’re doing here.

What’s Next for the Class of 2013: Martin Mendiola

Martin Mendiola, MPH ’13, Health Policy and Management

Working at a start-up is fantastic. One of the great things about working at a small organization is the ability to work on multiple projects. You’re not siloed. You’re actually working with different departments on everything from strategy to product development to implementation. At Happtique, we feel that we are at the forefront of healthcare or what’s going to be the new version of healthcare. It’s a really exciting time.

My Mailman School adviser Professor Fred Hyde put me in contact with the person who would later become my boss at the Greater New York Hospital Association, and asked her to explain in greater detail the services that the organization provides. They play a role in many different aspects of healthcare: they have a lobbying component, which was of interest to me since I was a policy student at the Mailman School. They also have a ventures arm that identifies operational and efficiency opportunities on the business side of healthcare. Professor Hyde felt that meeting with someone that had access to all of these divisions would be beneficial as I continued to develop my long-term career plan. It was during this meeting that I first learned about Happtique. I offered to assist them in order to learn more about the medical technology field while earning my Masters degree. I worked with them on a limited basis while I completed my education, and was offered a fulltime position shortly after finishing at the Mailman School last December.

I think that one of the real benefits of a Mailman School education is that it’s not just about memorizing facts. They focus on teaching skills and problem-solving for the future because the problems that we have in healthcare today aren’t the problems that we’re going to have in 10, 15, or 20 years. The Mailman School constantly challenges you to pick areas of interest and then analyze the problems that can or will arise in the future. I think that’s one of the skills that has really helped me in my current job as we introduce a new technology solution into the healthcare system.

What’s Next for the Class of 2013: Michelle Nolan

Michelle Nolan, MPH ’13 in Epidemiology

I’m working as a data analyst at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. I’m using the statistics knowledge I gained at the Mailman School to analyze different datasets that are coming in on a real-time basis to identify trends in prescription painkiller misuse.

My new job is giving me the chance to develop a surveillance system, which is an incredible responsibility given to someone who is just out of school. I’m also loving the opportunity to work with datasets that are real-time. Every morning when I come in, I’m the first person who has seen that data and the first person to run an analysis. It’s pretty exciting.

The Department of Health wanted someone with mapping skills, statistics, and experience with mortality data; it seemed like a perfect job for me. I thought it would take six months to hire me, but they wanted someone to start immediately. They were willing to work with someone who was attending school at the same time so I started in January.

I had fantastic professors while I was at the Mailman School, particularly in the Biostatistics department. Professor Martina Pavlicova and Professor Roger Vaughan gave me the skillset that I needed to do the type of analysis that I’m working with on a daily basis. In my interview, they grilled me on statistics and they tried asking me trick questions. But, because of the in-depth work faculty put into making their students successful, I was able to answer those questions. And that’s what ultimately got me the job.

Targeting Obesity in a NYC Public School: My Practicum Experience

Christine Raper, MPH ’13 in Sociomedical Sciences

With a background in psychology, education, leadership, and now public health, I have always had a passion for teaching others. I previously worked with students in all grades of the K-12 sector and at colleges and universities, so I have always been interested in how people learn information and apply the knowledge they have attained. At the beginning of my second semester at Mailman, I was able to find a practicum experience that perfectly matched my personal and professional interests.

In January 2012, I began a one-year practicum at P.S./I.S. 187 Hudson Cliffs School, a combined elementary and middle school located in the Hudson Heights section of Washington Heights. Working as an intern for the Parent Teacher Association’s Wellness Committee, I was able to work closely with the parents of elementary and middle school students to make changes that were both feasible and sustainable.

A major part of my work at P.S./I.S. 187 Hudson Cliffs School was to revise the nutrition curriculum for elementary school students. Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new MyPlate recommendations as a guide, I created a nutrition curriculum and implemented it with the first graders, teaching three weeks of nutrition lessons to eager seven-year-olds. Working with the PTA’s Wellness Committee, we also started the Budding Chefs program, which teaches elementary school students basic cooking skills to spark their interest in health and wellness. We also held a third annual KidFit event, an obesity awareness and prevention health fair open to the Washington Heights community.

The nutrition lessons that Christine created and taught at P.S./I.S. 187 Hudson Cliffs School

After working with P.S./I.S. 187 Hudson Cliffs School for some time, I began to recognize the need for more programs that related to the middle school students. I decided that I would use my ideas as a proposal for my Master’s Thesis. As a Health Promotion track student (same as the Health Promotion Research and Practice certificate program), I chose to write my thesis as an intervention proposal, focusing on the preadolescents in Hudson Heights. My master’s thesis, titled Life’s a PEACH (Parents, Educators and preAdolescents for Children’s Health) is a theory-guided and evidence-based tri-level intervention to decrease preadolescent obesity in Hudson Heights. Working with preadolescents, their parents, and school administration, the intervention program focuses on nutritional and physical activity changes that can be made at home, in school, and in the community.

As graduation is closing in, with less than two months until the big day, I have taken time to reflect on my experiences over the last two years at Mailman. My practicum opportunity at P.S./I.S. 187 Hudson Cliffs School is one of the bright memories I will take with me after I leave this great city. To all the first year students: Choose how you spend your time wisely, and take in as many experiences as possible, because two years go by more quickly than you think.

This post was adapted from the Students for Food Policy and Obesity Prevention (FPOP) blog

SHARE’s Spring into Service: Alternative Spring Break

Spring break was about more than just rest and relaxation for members of the student group SHARE (Strengthening Healthcare through Actionable Research and Evidence). For us, it was time to spring into service, working with City Harvest and Habitat for Humanity to give back to the New York City community. The two projects were part of an alternative spring break initiative.

Supplying Fresh Food in Queens for Families in Need
By Naomi Kruger, MPH ’14 in Health Policy and Management and Co-director of Community Building for SHARE 

Our first project took place on Thursday, March 21, when Chloe Lanzara, Rachel Leep, Nora Springstubb, and I volunteered with City Harvest’s Mobile Market in Astoria, Queens. It is just one of several locations that distributes fresh fruits and vegetables twice a month, free-of-charge, to hungry New Yorkers. Each of the mobile markets is located on a New York City Housing Authority site in communities with high rates of obesity and diabetes, making the free access to nutritious food of great value to residents.

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Over the course of our day, we joined several other volunteers in setting up the market and distributing the food. From weighing onions, bagging sweet potatoes, and counting grapefruits, to handing out bags full of vegetables and fruit to the market attendees, we aimed to increase access to healthier food.

Bringing Pep & Some Pop to East Harlem Seniors
By Charishma Chotalia, MPH ’14 in Health Policy and Management and Co-Director of Community Building for SHARE

The following day, on Friday, March 22, four other Mailman students and I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity at a senior center in East Harlem. Hialy Gutierrez, Mala Dorai, and Sophia Steinberger joined me at the Corsi Senior Center, which hosts various activities for older adults, including lunch service, recreational events, and holiday parties. We contributed the full day to painting the entryway and upstairs waiting area in an effort to revitalize the space and make it more welcoming for the seniors who use its services.

SHARE group sets the groundwork

End goal!

During both Alternative Spring Break projects, we were able to step out of the classroom and give back to a community that really appreciated our help.

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SHARE exists to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and knowledge to support Mailman School students in conducting robust, actionable research to potentially inform health policies and practices. For more information, please visit http://www.share-initiative.org.