(light, dreamy music)
>> After I graduated from the Department of Epidemiology
I accepted a Postdoctoral Fellowship
with the Department of Population, Family
and Reproductive Health.
I was conducting research with that fellowship,
mostly implementation science-based research
and then became faculty after my post-doc.
I was faculty for a few years and then
went to the Health Department,
became the Director of Social Epidemiology and Evaluation.
That led to my current position,
which is the Public Sector Initiatives Lead
with the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.
(light, dreamy music)
I provide technical support,
generally around the opioid crisis
to a number of city and state agencies across the U.S,
who are responding to the opioid crisis.
The other part of my position involves research and teaching
as well as mentoring students.
(light, dreamy music)
I found my first position after graduate school
through word of mouth and I would say
that's my biggest piece of advice in terms of
finding a position after you graduate is networking,
so while you're at the school,
definitely try to get involved as much as you can
in different research projects without overwhelming yourself
so that you can get as much exposure as possible
to different skills
but also the individuals who may be hiring you later
will know more about you
and it'll make it easier when you graduate
to find a position.
(light, dreamy music)
Hopkins provided me with a lot of tools for my tool belt,
particularly the technical aspects of what I do.
So translating research, understanding research, really,
and the implications of the research,
understanding the broader scope
of the context of the research.
I think I came very well prepared
to the public sector to provide.
Some of the things that were a little more challenging
was how to translate that research for a more lay audience.
We're trained very well at the University
how to talk to other academics.
What's more challenging is how to know
all the intricate details of the research
but kind of throw that away and find the kernel
of the research that the public sector really needs to know
based on what their current activities
and what their needs are and so providing things like
graphics and one-pagers, briefs
and doing that in a way that doesn't have
a bunch of technical jargon.
It's something that I had to learn a little more on the fly.
(light, dreamy music)
Some of the experiences that I would recommend
while you're at the University
is to do community-based participatory research.
What that will allow you to do is understand some of
the challenges that our public agencies are experiencing,
as well as learn about how to communicate well.
Some of the other opportunities at the University
include the PHASE internship through SOURCE,
where you're really getting the experience
of working in the community in a non-academic setting.
I also recommend a lot of the service learning courses
that the faculty teach here and those are growing in number.
Again, what that will help you do
is apply your technical expertise in a more general setting.
(light, dreamy music)
For epidemiologists who are looking for
a public sector position,
I think what you will find is that the public sector
generally pays a little less; it's on the lower end
of the range for epidemiologists.
Some of the benefits that you'll get
in the public sector setting are pensions
if you decide to stick with it long-term,
and the experience that you'll get;
the real, practical practice-based experience
that you'll get in the public sector
is from my perspective definitely worth the paycheck.
(light, dreamy music)
What I would say is working with a public sector partner,
particularly at the local level,
is really valuable experience
because you have such an opportunity
for impacting programs and policies
compared to something like the CDC or FDA,
where there's a lot of bureaucracy.
That's not to say it doesn't exist at the local level
but you have an opportunity to really encounter
those who have direct contact with individuals
that we are hoping to serve, so I would say that
generally those positions are considered less prestigious
but the bang for your buck in working
at a city or state public health agency is great
because you'll have the kinds of knowledge
that will help create greater impact in the long run.
(light, dreamy music)