Category Archives: PROspective

An Accidental Career In Public Health

Category : PROspective

Jumping off from his last article about how to get a job at the CDC, Robert Merritt tells the story of how his own career in public health started. To read his previous article “The Many Roads to Federal Service at CDC” click here!


Written By: Robert Merritt

I always felt public service was my calling and destiny. I believe this was fostered by the community where I grew up in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (Fairfax County, Virginia). My neighborhood and county were replete with civil service and military families that encouraged and valued careers in public service. In fact, my own father was a career military officer. So, what path would I chose? Military or civil service?

So, in 1983, I started my undergraduate studies in Virginia at Washington and Lee University (W&L) as a politics major on the path to law school. At the time, I aspired to be a public prosecutor and even worked as an intern for the Rockbridge County Commonwealth’s Attorney. I really enjoyed the legal research part and the victim-witness engagement. However, the passion for the legal profession itself was absent. After that, switching to a business administration and accounting major seemed like a practical, smart move preparing me for a variety of public service administration opportunities. Although I found aspects of both interesting, I neither saw myself as an attorney nor an administrator. I lacked the interest and passion for these fields and was very unhappy – I checked out mentally, partied, and ultimately landed myself on academic probation. The W&L Dean of Students politely informed me that I must improve my academic record immediately or the university would sever its ties with me. 

To make a long story short, I found my academic home within the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The excellent faculty coupled with a challenging curriculum of theory, research methods, and practical experiences inspired me. I found that strong passion and desire for public service again. I was very eager to help people and make the world a better place for everyone. I really loved the applied nature of both these fields and their relevance to social change. It was important to me that I give back to the community and society at large. Thankfully I developed excellent quantitative and qualitative research, oral and written communication, and fieldwork skills that would pay dividends. In fact, my advisor encouraged me to consider applying to graduate programs in anthropology and sociology. Thankfully, with a lot of hard work and summer school, I graduated on schedule from W&L in 1987 and headed to Emory University’s Laney Graduate School. This was prior to the founding of the Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) in 1990.

I ultimately chose Medical Sociology and Research Methods & Statistics as my areas of concentration (with a bit of medical anthropology thrown in too). After my first year of graduate school, I was asked to serve as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for Emory’s Undergraduate Summer Program at the London School of Economics (focusing on medical sociology and public health). This program was co-directed by Drs. Richard Levinson and Karen Hegtvedt. By the way, this is the very same Richard Levinson that eventually served as the Executive Associate Dean at RSPH. I enthusiastically accepted but was subsequently cut from the program because student enrollment was too low to support a TA. I was disappointed and found myself unemployed for the summer. As luck would have it, Dr. Levinson was on sabbatical from Emory and not making the trip to London either. He was, in fact, working at the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Taking pity on me, he offered me a summer internship. Please keep in mind, I had no clue what CDC was or did at this point. It was just a job.

Upon reporting for work that summer, I was given two analytic projects and was advised it would likely take me the entire summer to complete them. I finished both in 10 days. I quickly became the most popular person in the group and was asked by the staff scientists to assist with their various analytical projects. I imagine it was my SAS, SPSS, and writing skills that attracted them (all practical skills honed at W&L and Emory). By the end of my internship, I must have completed a dozen or more projects and had a few publications. I finally learned what CDC’s mission was and how the agency impacted public health. It was a good fit for my skill set and my passion for public service. At the conclusion of the internship, CDC asked me to stay and compete for a permanent position. I was offered a position as a health scientist and worked in a variety of areas – behavioral epidemiology, cardiovascular health, smoking and health, and reproductive health until August 2000. At that point, I decided to leave the government and accepted a position in the private sector at a not-for-profit hospital system.

In that role, I served as Director of Clinical Research and Research Integrity Officer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Children’s) – one of the largest pediatric hospital systems in the United States. I had management oversite for 400+ active research studies and clinical trials; 35+ research support staff; and 75+ hospital-based investigators. As the hospital’s Chief Research Officer, I was responsible for research compliance, human subjects, and research training. I was also actively conducting research in a variety of pediatric sub-specialty areas and public health with collaborators from CDC, State and Local Health Departments, Emory University, and Georgia Tech. I remained at Children’s until 2005 when I returned to CDC.

As a supervisory health scientist, I currently serve as Chief of the Epidemiology & Surveillance Branch in the Division for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention (DHDSP). I also hold an adjunct faculty appointment at the Rollins School of Public Health and am a Fellow of the American Heart Association. My work tracks trends in cardiovascular risk factors and diseases; engages in epidemiologic and health services research, and supports evidence-based practice and programs.  Through epidemiology and surveillance, research, and science translation, this work helps state and national health agencies implement public health strategies to address the burden of heart disease and stroke.

My own academic and public health research career has spanned over 35 years with the Smithsonian Institution (SI), Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc., and the CDC. Although I landed in public health quite by accident, I am convinced that the education and passion I found at both W&L and Emory directly led to advancement and success in my career.  

Robert Merritt is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, Emory University, and The University of the South (Sewanee) where he received academic training in sociology & anthropology, medical sociology, public health, and research methods & statistics.  His research career has spanned over 30 years with positions at the Smithsonian Institution (SI), Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  He is currently working as a health scientist in the Division for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention (DHDSP) at CDC. 

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Mindfulness and Public Health

Category : PROspective

Written by: Alex Whicker

This semester I decided to branch out from my usual Maternal and Child Health and Epi courses to take something a little different: Mindfulness and Public Health (BSHES 583 with Dr. Nilaja Green). While I mainly hoped it would be a fun class filled with meditation and interesting discussions (which it is) I’ve been pleasantly surprised to learn about how closely mindfulness ties into the realm of public health. Mindfulness, I’ve learned, is a tool that can be learned not only to improve my own life, but the lives of my friends, family, and the people I will serve in my public health career as well!

One important teaching in mindfulness is that all living things are connected. This reflects the public health tenet that our health is dependent on the health of the people and environment around us. Just as our individual wellbeing can be affected by a neighbor having the flu or our community suffering from smog, so can our thoughts and emotions be impacted by those around us. This is why it is smart to be intentional about who and what we surround ourselves with. Beyond that, however, it is also important to carefully consider the thoughts and feelings we allow to rule our minds, as they can impact others whether we realize it or not. Similar to how washing our hands is a moral decision to decrease the risk of disease for those around us, practicing mindfulness is an act which can improve the interactions we have with others.

One of the most obvious ways mindfulness has connections to public health is its effective use as a tool for dealing with chronic illnesses, pain, grief, and mental health. One way that mindfulness helps people deal with physical ailments is by teaching us that our minds and bodies are one and the same and reminding us to attend to our bodies beyond just dealing with pain. Mindfulness can help us connect with the present moment through physical cues, such as through breathing, so that we might become more aware of our bodies and emotions. Noticing the physical sensations we’re experiencing can help clue us into what feelings we may be ignoring. A tight chest, for example, may be an indication of stress and anxiety, while feeling hot or antsy could be a sign of frustration or anger. In addition to improving the relationship between our mind and body, mindfulness is often used in dialectical behavioral therapy to help patients balance opposing thoughts. One common example of this which many struggle with is accepting that we may not be the cause of all of our problems but we are still responsible for our lives.

Mindfulness is useful for more than just caring for the patient. As public health professionals, mindfulness can also improve our relationship with ourselves and others. Working in a field that often witnesses suffering and pain can take a toll. Learning how to cope with our own feelings of burnout or powerlessness can help fuel us to continue serving others and responding to larger systemic or societal problems. Mindfulness teaches us to cope with uncomfortable or unpleasant thoughts and situations instead of ignoring or avoiding them. In this way we can be more present and honest with others when we encounter these inevitable experiences in our work. Mindfulness can also help us in our careers so that we may better focus and reach our goals. Learning to ask ourselves “why?” when we set goals can both serve as a reminder of our purpose as well as clarify what our intentions are when we are striving to achieve something.

Mindfulness teaches us not to judge our own thoughts and feelings. This helps us reserve judgement for others as well, so that we may create connections rather than divisions. Throughout this semester I have learned that there are many ways to engage in mindfulness. Whether it be through meditation, yoga, an intentional walk, or simply choosing to ignore the instinct of reaching for your phone in an uncomfortable situation there are numerous opportunities for us to incorporate mindfulness into our lives. If you’re interested in starting your own mindfulness journey, check out this website. This article may also be a great place to learn more about the intersection of mindfulness and public health.

 

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Battling Isolation: Using Social Media to Share Life-Changing Resources For Mental Health

Category : PROspective

Written by: Maclane Abbott

It is no surprise that college students are one of the most mentally vulnerable populations. Many students are already struggling with mental illness, and a large amount rely on social support for coping. With the decrease in social events,
recommendations and regulations keeping students at home, and continued navigation of virtual learning college students are at a disadvantage during a critical period in their life. Fortunately, social media has allowed the sharing of (otherwise unknown) helpful tips and resources that students can use to increase their mental health and prevent any relapse or decreased well-being while staying safe at home.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health
I think we can all safely agree that the coronavirus pandemic has significantly increased everyone’s anxieties and struggle with daily life while creating a terrifying uncertainty surrounding our futures. For college students specifically, we lost inperson classes, sporting events, graduation ceremonies, and in some cases, previously agreed upon internships and job opportunities. These jarring and unexpected events happened within the course of a few short weeks, and that doesn’t even include the losses of family members and financial struggles that were bound to start occurring over the next year.

According to a study conducted by the Texas A&M University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 71% of students reported increased stress and anxiety due to the outbreak (Son et al., 2020). Of these students, only 5% sought out mental health services, leaving the majority to decipher and understand their
situations without professional help. Unfortunately, this leads us to believe that most students in need are either unwilling or unable to receive help. The coronavirus pandemic forced most, if not all, on-campus resources for student
mental health to close their in-person operations and find ways to provide services virtually. This process wasn’t instantaneous and prevented students from access to the resources that were previously so easily accessible.

Thankfully, college students adapted and quickly began using social media to share their experiences with online resources, tips, and general advice on how to better maintain mental health through these troubling times. Despite some claims that social media is the downfall of society, this turned out to be invaluable for
students (and everyone else!) who were searching for help that their schools could no longer provide.

#LetsTalk #TogetherWeCan
The popular social media platform, Twitter, was one of the first to acknowledge to increasing need for mental health awareness during the early stage of the pandemic. In May 2020, the company partnered with over 60 mental health
and psychological organizations to spread information, resources, and helpful tips through various hashtags including #LetsTalk, #TogetherWeCan, #MentalHealthAwareness and other creative variations of the tags. The goal was to
create an honest and open conversation about mental health experiences and how to overcome them around the world. By the end of May, the hashtags had reached over half a million posts. Even today, you can search through these tags and findeven more discussions on available resources and personal stories of mental health amidst a global pandemic.

This Twitter movement kicked off the beginning of a necessary conversation. Many social media influencers and celebrities took to the platform to share their stories or simply try to normalize the act of seeking help. Several of these posts contained links to free or low cost online mental health services such as BetterHelp.com, Sharpen, Ten Percent Happier, and more, as well as sharing personal tips and tricks that were found to be successful. 

Try this…

Establish a healthy routine

  • A day of nothing may sound tempting, but it can harm your mental health. Try to find a routine that is structured as close to your pre-covid routine as possible. Don’t worry too much about following a strict schedule, rather create a general to-do list consisting of your necessary work and including break times and tasks that make you happy!

Stay active

  • Even short amounts of physical inactivity will start impacting your mind and body, so try to find ways to move around. If athome workout routines aren’t your style, try putting on your favorite songs and having a solo dance party!

Fight the boredom

  • Ignore the urge to sleep all day and try to find new hobbies and activities that stimulate your brain and create a sense of purpose. Accomplishing tasks is a fantastic way to start improving your mood.

Don’t let communication die

  • As difficult as it may be, staying connected with friends and family is critical to minimize the impending anxieties that come with isolation. Using phone calls, social media, or texting is a convenient way to check in on your loved one’s well being while simultaneously improving your own. If you are taking advantage of the isolation to avoid dealing with said family (no judgement because, let’s admit it, we’ve all got someone we are glad not to deal with as frequently) try joining support groups or discussion boards for whatever interests you and make new friends!

Don’t be afraid to get professional help

  • Perhaps the most important never be afraid to seek out help from a professional. Mental illnesses are common and frequently need professional intervention to remedy. It is nothing to be ashamed about, and most people will experience this at some point in their life! Explore your options and find what works best for you. Carly McCord, director of Telebehavioral Care at Texas A&M Health and Clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Medicine and Texas A&M College of Education and Human Development discussed the importance of seeking help in an article for Texas A&M Today, by stating “Too often, self-care can be perceived as selfish, especially in the workplace. However, in this case, self-care is actually self-preserving and selfless. If you are promoting your own health, then you are also helping other people.”

Mental Health Resources:
• Crisis Text Line
Text “HELLO” to 741741
• SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline (24/7)
1-800-846-8517
Text “TalkWithUs” to 66746
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255

 

Maclane graduated from Texas A&M in 2021 with a degree in Public Health and is now a first-year epi student with an interest in infectious diseases and reproductive epidemiology. She is serving on RSGA as one of the Epidemiology Department student representatives.

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Informational Interviews

Category : PROspective

By: Alex Whicker

While some of us started at Rollins with a clear idea of the exact field and job we want to work in, a lot of us came in with no clue what we want to do with our lives. One of the great things about being in graduate school, however, is having the opportunity to explore different career patch and learn about new fields. Whether this be through a REAL job, research experience, our APEs, or just conversations with faculty and professors there are endless opportunities to dip our feet into something new. One great way to learn about a career or field you may be interested in is through informational interviews.

Informational interviews are a great opportunity to ask someone what their job looks like and how they got there without as much pressure as a formal networking event or job interview. Most people are more than happy to attend an informational interview, if their schedule allows, so they can share about the field they’re passionate about and mentor people who are in positions they once were in. Beyond that, however, informational interviews are also a great way to network with people you might not normally interact with, potentially opening the door for opportunities down the line. If you don’t quite know where to start when it comes to informational interviews here are some quick tips:

  1. Identify the topic or job you’re interested in learning more about. Having a general idea of the field you want to know more about is best, so you don’t waste anyone’s time, including your own.
  2. Reach out to someone who works in the field you want to explore and ask if they’re willing to do an informational interview. This can be someone you already have a relationship with, like a professor or supervisor, or you can find someone through platforms like LinkedIn or Mentor Rollins to connect with people.
  3. Do your research. Before you meet with them, look up information on their company or job, if available, so you can make your questions more targeted and not waste time on information that can easily be find online.
  4. Come up with a list of questions. The person you’re interviewing has no idea what you want to know about their field. As the person initiating the meeting, you should be prepared to direct the conversation. More likely than not you’ll only have time for a handful of questions, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some backup questions handy if you happen to run through your main list too quickly. If you’re not sure what types of questions to ask, check out the Informational Interview Guide by Rollins Career Development.
  5. Take notes. Write down the name of the interviewee as well as the date you interview them and add any key information you might want to remember later.
  6. Follow up. Send a thank you note or email after the interview as a gesture of appreciation for them taking the time to meet with you. You can also send them updates on your academic/career progress to keep the door open for future contact with the person.

On top of being an excellent way to explore new topics, informational interviews can also be a good opportunity to practice your interpersonal skills to keep them sharp for networking and interviews. If you’re struggling to identify what type of field you’re interested in, or even if you have your eye on a job with no current openings, an informational interview can help you build connections with people and learn more about a career you might not have experience in. Just remember to always keep things polite and professional and go in with an open mind!

 

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From the Application Process to My First Semester as a Ph.D. Epidemiology Student: My Advice to Future Applicants  

Category : PROspective

By: Jorge Gonzalez Mejia

As our world and country transition, heal and continue to battle the challenges and hardships of the pandemic, a new group of determined and resilient candidates are applying to Ph.D. programs in epidemiology. From social risk factors to infectious diseases, students are interested in having the opportunity to drive innovative research in epidemiology, develop new methods, and address structural injustices that have impacted their communities. While many applicants are at different stages of the application process (i.e., thinking about potential programs, drafting personal statements, seeking reference letters, or preparing for interviews), many want to get more insight into the application process and what it is like to be a first-year Ph.D. student. In light of this, I would like to share some advice and experiences from the application process to my first year.

 

Applying to Ph.D. Programs. 

Applying to Ph.D. programs during a pandemic can be overwhelming and bring some anxiety. More people are applying to programs than in previous years, programs are getting more selective, and the pool of applicants is getting more competitive. On the other hand, applicants are experiencing more financial, physical, and mental health barriers than in previous cycles. For those going through the application process or thinking about applying, my advice is to plan ahead, create a personal timeline, and keep constant communication with the programs you are interested in. Creating a personal timeline will not only reduce stress but also keep you accountable for meeting personal deadliness –a key skill you will need as a Ph.D. student! Furthermore, it will give you flexibility for situations that might come up last minute. Lastly, constant communication with programs will allow you to learn more about their values, strengths, and community. If you think you are taking someone’s time, you are not! Faculty, students, and program administrators look forward to sharing their work with prospective applicants, learning more about their interests, and sharing information about their programs. At least I can guarantee that you will find this to be true at Emory!

 

You Were Accepted—Now What? 

Whether you received multiple offers or got the one offer you wanted, congratulations! Your hard work has paid off! Now what? While you need to rest and celebrate the magnificent news with your friends and family, there are some proactive steps you can take before your first day as a Ph.D. student. For those who have to make a decision, this time is paramount to getting to know programs better. Arrange virtual meetings, ask questions, contact potential advisors, compare offers, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program, and, if allowed, arrange an in-person visit. In the end, you want to make a well-informed decision and ensure that the program is the right fit for you. For those who committed to a program, in addition to some of the steps mentioned above, I would suggest getting to know your cohort and current students. This is a great time to get to know people with similar interests and share ideas on how to prepare and make the most out of the program.

 

What Should You Expect from Your First Year? 

While the answer to this question will vary among programs, I would provide some insights into what to expect from your first year at Emory. First, your first two years will be a combination of courses, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships –and your schedule will vary according to your previous degrees and courses taken. If you are interested in learning more about the specifics, I encourage visiting Emory’s Ph.D. Epidemiology requirements or program administrators to learn more about the requirements. Second, at Emory, you will find guidance and structure. Starting a Ph.D. program can feel like a Walmart experience, where there are tons of projects that you can get involved with, but you might not know where to start. While it is great to get involved in projects early on, it is okay to use your first semester to communicate your goals to your advisor, take your time in learning more about faculty’s research, and narrow down your interests. The good news is that all Ph.D. students at Rollins are required to take PUBH 701, a fantastic course that will allow you to think critically about your research agenda, time management skills, planning, career decisions, and individual development plan. Lastly, at Emory, you will find support, respect, and value for students and colleagues. You will find a diverse and welcoming community with a collaborative student body and faculty willing to listen to your needs, learn about your interests, and provide you with the tools you will need to accomplish your goals. At Emory, you will find people who care for you and who want to see you succeed.

 

While this short piece covers multiple topics that could be extended, I hope I briefly shared some of my experiences from the application process to my first year as a Ph.D. Epidemiology student at Emory. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions! I would be happy to meet with you or connect you with someone who can help you.  

 

 

Jorge is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology at Rollins School of Public Health. His research interests lie at the intersection of Latinx health, immigrant health, type 2 diabetes, and cardio-metabolic outcomes across the lifespan. Specifically, he is interested in the intergenerational psychosocial risk factors of immigrant populations and the role of potential mediators in reducing the risk of diabetes-related outcomes.

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Socializing While Social Distancing

Category : PROspective

By: Callie McLean

They don’t tell you that one of the hardest parts of adult life after college is moving away from the friends and family you know and trying to make friends in a new city. Add in a global pandemic, quarantines, and lockdowns and it seems impossible to socialize. How do you avoid feeling isolated and disconnected when you’re viewing everything through a screen?

It’s natural to resent screens and technology after being forced to spend so much time on them for work and school. However, one of the first steps to successfully socializing during this pandemic is to start utilizing this technology. It has been difficult not being able to travel to see my friends from college and my hometown. I was starting to feel really disconnected from them and was worried we would grow apart, which I know has been a sentiment shared by many. Before Covid, I loved watching movies with my friends and family. This is why the “Party” feature of many streaming services has been great because I can still watch movies and shows with the people I love and chat with them like we’re in the same room. It gives us something to look forward to and bond over. Another way I have tried to combat the feelings of disconnect is setting aside time to meet with my friends using services like Zoom and FaceTime. This way, we can see each others’ faces and hear each other’s’ voices and feel connected. We sometimes even assign themes to the nights or prepare games to play to make things a little more interesting.

Friendly competition is always a good bonding exercise. I have made use of services like GamePigeon, Facebook Messenger, TriviaCrack, and fantasy sports apps to play with my friends and family. This gives us a new, fun way to interact and something to talk about. It’s also good exercise for the mind! Many board games like Catan also offer online versions that can host several players! This is a great option for virtual game nights! Everyone can bring their own drinks and food to their computer and feel like they are with their friends and family without physically being there. (Pro Tip: When you start to lose you can also just exit the browser and blame it on your connection.)

I have used all of these services to help foster new friendships here in Atlanta as well. Moving to a new city where I didn’t know anyone was daunting, but fortunately Rollins gave me the opportunity to meet plenty of new friends! We got to know each other through virtual study groups, game nights, and movie nights. We’ve also had the luxury of being able to take proper precautions to meet in-person. I love going for walks in Piedmont Park or on the Beltline with my friends as a way to get exercise and socialize! (Another Pro Tip: If you get a dog people love to talk to you.) Outdoor hikes or picnics are also great ways to socialize with friends and explore new places while still staying safe! There are plenty of great restaurants that are offering take-out or you can stop by a grocery store and try your hand at making your own charcuterie board! It’s always fun to try something new with your friends.

We are living in incredibly difficult times and it can be easy to feel isolated while you’re stuck behind your screen, but it is important to lean on your support network. Socialization is so important, but so is your safety. The key is to take proper precautions to keep you and others protected. Using technology to your advantage through video calls, games, and movie nights is a great way to stay connected to your friends and family and build new friendships. Spending time outdoors is also a great way to get fresh air and be social. As always, remember to stay safe and get tested! 

 

Callie is a 2nd Year Epi MPH student pursuing a certificate in Social Determinants of Health! She is from Charleston, SC and got her B.S. in Public Health from the University of South Carolina in 2019. When she’s not in class she loves spending time in Piedmont Park or on the Beltline with her dog Pilsner. Callie served as one of the Rollin’s Social Chairs for the 2021 Calendar Year and enjoyed her time helping Rollins students stay social safely!

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The Struggles of Writing a Thesis

Category : PROspective

Getting an MPH or PhD in Epidemiology on its own is no easy feat. Add in jobs, APEs, covid, and any kind of personal life and it can sometimes feel like you’re drowning in responsibilities and expectations. For second year master’s students, as we enter our final semester, we are also faced with the massive obstacle of completing a thesis or capstone. As I’ve seen countless peers, like myself, struggling to work on their thesis recently I thought I would share some of my own struggles and the things that have made them a bit easier, in the hopes of making someone else feel a little less alone.

Take a break. This past week I spent almost an entire day struggling to find an answer to a question I wasn’t even sure I understood. After agonizing over tables and DAGs but accomplishing nothing for hours I decided to take a break and go on a short hike near my apartment. Getting away from my computer, experiencing some nature, and getting some activity outside of the 30 foot walk from my desk to the kitchen saved my mental health, and reminded me that I don’t have to figure out the answer to every question on my own. Sometimes, giving your brain some time to reset may be just what you need.

On that note, talk to your advisor! Or at least a professor that can help you answer those hard questions you just can’t figure out. As much as we’ve learned in our classes over the past year and a half, there is still much to be learned in the field of public health that can only come from experience. Our professors, advisors, supervisors, and even our peers can offer insight into a problem we may have never considered. Having someone to go over ideas with or ask questions to has made this process so much easier for me, which is the point! Just remember, you’re not going through this alone.

Ask someone to hold you accountable. When I initially created the outline of my thesis, I thought the deadlines I set for myself to complete various parts were doable. Now that I’ve adjusted those deadlines 3 or more times I laugh at my early optimism. If you, like me, are slow to complete any task without external pressure then maybe you can relate. Telling someone else– your thesis advisor, a friend, or even a parent– when you plan to complete each section may help you hold yourself accountable and finally put in the work you know you’re capable of.

Create an inviting workspace. I’m someone who is easily distracted and who often finds any excuse not to do my work (hence writing this article instead of my thesis). That’s why spending the majority of my time working on the couch in my living room was not cutting it for me. I recently revamped my study space and I cannot emphasize how big of a difference it has made. Having a desk chair that is actually comfortable to sit in is a big enough enticement to forgo working on the couch, where a roommate, TV, and kitchen are all within easy access to help me ignore my responsibilities. Moving a lamp by my desk to get better lighting has also given the space a cozier feel. While I’m still battling temptations like my bed and social media, having a comfortable, clutter-free, and inviting study space has definitely helped ease some stress and increase my productivity. If you want to make your desk more inviting consider adding a plant, candle, or even hanging a picture over it to add a little positivity to your workspace.

Ultimately, we’re entering a period that has so much stress and uncertainty. Figuring out post-graduation plans while reconciling that for many, this is your last semester of school EVER is hard enough without rising covid cases, returning to online learning, and the exhaustion of surviving through two years of a global pandemic. Be gentle with yourself and give yourself grace. You and your thesis don’t have to be perfect. And remember that if there’s something you can do that would add even a little bit of joy to your life in this uneasy time, it’s probably worth it.

 

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The Competencies of the RSPH Epidemiology Department

Category : PROspective

Welcome back to the Spring semester 2022 at the Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health. As we anticipate commencement at the end of this semester, I have been asked to describe what MPH and MPSH students should expect to be able to do by the time they graduate. In one respect, this question is easy for me to answer, because the Department and the Rollins School of Public Health have spent a lot of time describing the program competencies. These are the exact and complete answer to the question. The high level competencies for each degree program can be found in the student handbook, which is posted on the MPH/MSPH program Canvas page. For each high level competency, the department has a set of sub-level competencies, which go into greater detail.

For each competency, the department has a grid that ties the competency to specific courses, and even specific evaluation aspects of that course. For example, one high level competency that applies to all degree programs is “Formulate a research question and study aims.” This competency, and its sub-level competencies, then tie to specific degree requirements, including for this one completion of the Integrative Learning Experience. Every course syllabus must name the competencies it addresses and describe the specific sections of the course and evaluation methods that address them (this makes up the grid). All of these competencies and the grid were reviewed by a visiting committee put together by the Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health, (ASPPH) which sponsors the Council for Education for Public Health (CEPH). CEPH is the accrediting body for MPH, MSPH, and similar degree programs at schools and programs in public health in the United States and elsewhere. The Rollins School of Public Health went through its accreditation renewal in the fall of 2019, and was awarded the longest possible accreditation of seven years in 2020. The review found no educational aspects that required reconsideration, which is a remarkable achievement and indicative of the emphasis on education at RSPH. You can read the complete RSPH self-study and the accreditation report from CEPH at this link.

The evaluation of the curriculum is an ongoing effort. We regularly review changing methods and areas of educational emphasis in public health. For example, in 2020 the department reviewed its accredited competencies to see whether they adequately addressed racism as a public health crisis. Although the existing competencies did address the topic, our view was that the existing competencies should be improved. New competencies were developed by an ad hoc committee – we are fortunate to have on our faculty experts in this topic, and they contributed substantially to these competency revision. The competencies were reviewed and unanimously approved by the department faculty, and we are now implementing them into the curriculum requirements. As leaders in this development, the department was invited to present the new competencies to a joint meeting of the ASPPH curriculum and diversity & inclusion committees. They have also been shared with the CDC’s educational programs and with program directors and faculty at peer institutions. We hope that they will be influential as these colleagues develop their own competencies, and we know that our own competencies will undergo constant reevaluation and improvement.

I suspect that this column is not what was expected! You might have thought that I would provide a list of the knowledge, skills and philosophies that MPH and MSPH students should expect to master when they graduate. I would be remiss, though, to provide such a list as a single member of the faculty. Our department’s faculty and its committees have spent long hours considering this question and arriving at consensus views. A second group of faculty spent long hours arriving at the processes by which the competencies would be implemented and achieved in the curriculum. The school and department invested substantial time to prepare for the CEPH accreditation (the RSPH self-study document is 410 pages long!). CEPH spent long hours reviewing and evaluating the program, including a days long site visit (the CEPH report is 109 pages long!). And the process of self evaluation and improvement is ongoing, as illustrated by the recent revisions to competencies on racism as a public health crisis. I would be remiss to substitute my solo views for this body of completed work and ongoing effort. Hopefully this description of the effort provides an adequate substitute for the expected answer. I invite you to review the student handbook and accreditation documents, and we welcome your input as we continue to evaluate and improve the programs’ competencies.

 

Featured Image by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash


The Road to Academia

Category : PROspective

By: Lauren McCullough, PhD

While there are many paths to a career in academia, it is almost universally true that an advanced doctoral degree (research, professional, or clinical) is necessary. After obtaining your undergraduate degree, graduate education (first your master’s degree and then your doctorate) is the next step. In my opinion, two factors should be strongly considered. First, consider an institution with strong didactic training and at least one faculty you are interested in working with. They should be genuinely interested and available to train you! Doctoral education is a long road, and a great mentor-mentee relationship will keep you happy and satisfied through the graduate school experience. 

Similarly, going to a program that has opportunities to support your training (assistance-ships, traineeships, etc.) will reduce the economic burden later in your career. Following graduate studies, many trainees consider a postdoc which consists of a 2–4 year period where you would work closely with a faculty member and further develop your research skills. The decision to pursue a postdoc depends on your preparation and the type of academic job you want which could range from 100% teaching to 100% research.

The pros and cons of being an academic?

Like all careers, there are advantages and disadvantages to being an academic. Ask five academics to list their top pros and cons, and you’d likely get five different answers! Below, I attempt to summarize a few advantages and disadvantages:

Pros

  • Flexibility with your schedule – we tend to work at times that align with our productive hours (I’m a morning person) or that are convenient given familial and personal obligations.
  • Ability to focus on activities that you find interesting – this is a biggie for me. I can largely spend time doing the things I like (e.g., mentoring and grant writing) and less time on the things I don’t!
  • Independence – academics develop their own program of research and scholarly work. There is no ‘boss’ micromanaging your activities.

Cons

In my opinion, many of the cons can be managed–particularly if you’ve done some soul searching and know what type of academic job you want.

  • Teaching, research, or service expectations – despite the flexibility and independence that comes with being an academic, your institutions may have expectations that don’t always align with your preferences.
  • Propensity to bring work home – there is always another paper to edit, grant to write, service to complete, or email to send. Moreover, as ‘thinkers,’ the academic brain rarely turns off. I have to be deliberate in creating space for myself and my family.
  • Compensation – Generally, salaries for faculty are low, particularly when you consider the years of training. However, considering compensation alongside the intellectual freedom and flexibility that comes with a career in the academy, it may be adequate. If you get into academics thinking you will be wealthy, you will likely be disappointed!

Is being an academic right for you?

While there are no single definitive criteria to consider when deciding on a career in the academy, there may be characteristics that one should consider—first, a love of learning. Second, being comfortable not knowing—the longer I’m in the academy, the more I realize how much I don’t know! Third, a passion and excitement for the work you do; many aspects of being an academic are tedious and time-consuming, you need your passion to carry you through. Finally, tough skin. Rejection is inevitable. Our proposals and papers are frequently rejected. We face similar rejection from trainees or colleagues that we are trying to recruit or from our students through course evaluations.

The only way to truly know if an academic career is right for you is to do your homework. Talk with trainees, faculty, and leadership (consider chatting with folks at all levels: doctoral trainees to department chairs). Understand their path, unique skills, and interest, and most importantly: KNOW YOURSELF!

 

Dr. Lauren E. McCullough is Rollins Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health. Her overarching research interests are in the life-course epidemiology of cancer (breast cancer and lymphoma), specifically the contributions of obesity and physical inactivity to the tumor epigenome and microenvironment, as well as disparities in cancer outcomes. 

Featured Image by Patrick Robert Doyle on Unsplash


Data Analysis in the Real World

Category : PROspective

By: Nicole Luisi, MPH, MS

In movies and television, when a data analyst is assigned a task they spring to action, typing hundreds of words per minute without ever looking down from their wall of monitors — cut to them presenting the results, glossing over the details on how they scraped all the data from some website, performed a complex analysis, and solved a crime, all in about 60 seconds. Admittedly, it would make for some pretty boring television if they showed the 7 hours that person had to spend reformatting and cleaning a dataset, the 4 hours it took to resolve an error they encountered, or the 2 hours they spent staring at the screen trying to find the missing parenthesis that broke everything and caused them to question all of their life choices. Although we all envision ourselves solving the world’s problems with our fancy analyses, the reality is that real-world data can be messy, and we will probably spend 25% of our time on those fancy analyses and the other 75% on data cleaning and preparation.

In the classroom, we often use examples that demonstrate techniques (working with missing values, cleaning character data, etc.), but there is really no substitute for time and experience with real data. Real-world data is predictably unpredictable! Even the best systems can’t anticipate every issue that will occur during data collection, but it is safe to assume that you will encounter something you did not expect. Some things are just out of our control – your online survey platform could glitch and cause the skip patterns to fail, the intern you are training could accidentally enter data in the wrong table, a teenager might create a bunch of fake identities to repeatedly join your online study and scam you out of incentives, someone may even show up to enroll in person for your study and turn out to be 2 kids in a trench coat.    

So, what can aspiring data analysts do to prepare to work with messy, unpredictable data and stand out to potential employers?

  • Get a solid foundation in the platform(s) you plan to use most. At Rollins we focus on SAS and R which are both widely used in epidemiology, but if you have a dream job in mind, find out what that organization prefers. It’s great to have some working knowledge of a variety of tools, but you want to get really good with one or two. If you like the structure of a class, you can consider formal classes and workshops offered by companies like SAS or R Studio, and there are a number of great online platforms that offer training as well (LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, DataCamp). There are also a lot of useful books out there with companion websites that provide datasets and practice exercises.
  • Get some experience with real data. Again, you can only simulate so much in the classroom – working with real data (and its issues) will expose you to all kind of things. This experience might come through formal opportunities with employment, internships or volunteer work, through a thesis or practicum, or even on your own through the use of publicly available data. There is a ton of public health data available online (Census, NIH, CDC), and if you just want to play around and improve your skills, people have created all kinds of interesting datasets and made them available online (Github, Kaggle, FiveThirtyEight) – go ahead and download a dataset full of Netflix movie reviews, sportsball stats, Twitter posts with the latest controversial hashtag, anything that is interesting to you!
  • Practice, practice, practice. Programming is otherwise known as…learning a programming language. Classroom training is only part of this – it can get you the foundation but to really excel you must put in the time. If you were trying to learn a new language, even after taking a traditional class, you might spend an hour a day on Duolingo, listen to songs in that language, or read books and articles in that language, looking up any words you don’t know along the way…it’s the same thing here. The more practice you get, especially with real data, the more you will have to draw from when you encounter something new. You don’t have to know everything (I certainly don’t), but you will get better at doing things from memory that you have done dozens of times, and you will also remember unique examples that forced you to learn something new. Much like reading will expand your vocabulary, practice will add techniques to your toolbox that you can adapt when faced with similar tasks later on.
  • Focus on other related skills such as problem solving, communication, and critical thinking – it’s not ALL about programming. Even if you are starting out in a position where you don’t have a lot of input, you can still exercise these skills as an analyst. The best data analysts I have worked with are detail oriented people that take the time to ask questions (even of themselves) and carefully evaluate their own work. In some ways as an analyst it’s helpful to be a bit of a pessimist (at least that’s my excuse) – I spend a lot of my time anticipating things that could go wrong to prevent and identify data quality issues. As a hiring manager, I think programming and analysis skills are necessary, but I also think it is important to give equal weight to other skills like subject matter expertise, creativity, communication skills, attention to detail, etc. I would be more likely to hire a well-rounded person that has experience working on a real study, over someone with numerous technical skills and certifications on their resume that has only ever done this type of work in a classroom.

If you want to be a great analyst, in some ways you will always need to consider yourself a student – I learn something new every day doing this type of work. Spend some time early in your program figuring out what appeals to you most in terms of software and data and then get to it!  

 

Nicole Luisi (MPH, MS) is a Director of Data Analytics and Informatics Projects in the Rollins School of Public Health, and an instructor in the Department of Epidemiology. She also teaches several courses for the Executive MPH program and serves as the EMPH Applied Epidemiology thesis advisor. Featured here is her dog, Doug, doing some casual data analysis.

 

Featured Image by Sai Kiran Anagani on Unsplash


Upcoming Events

  • Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Seminar Series March 28, 2024 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Seminar Series Event Type: Seminar SeriesSeries: Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Seminar SeriesSpeaker: Jie Chen, PhDContact Name: Porchia Coleman-ArnoldContact Email: Porchia.Arnold@emory.eduRoom Location: CNR PLAZA - Rollins AuditoriumTitle: Retrospective detection of multiple change points: Methods and Applications
  • Humphrey Fellows Noontime Seminar Series March 28, 2024 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Networking and Guest Lecture and Meeting and Special Event and Student Event; zoom.us… Online Location: https://zoom.us/j/95325531576Event Type: Networking,Guest Lecture,Meeting,Special Event,Student EventSeries: Noontime SeminarSpeaker: Various Speakers - see details by dateContact Name: Kris ValerianoContact Email: kvaleri@emory.eduRoom Location: RRR_R809Link: https://sph.emory.edu/departments/gh/fellows/humphrey-fellows/index.htmlFellows will present on a topic pertaining to their home country, culture and/or their work in public health.Deb Mcfarland Room, 8th floor RRR.3.28: Abeselom Gutta, MD &Yeshoda Aryal, MPH4.11: Ola Ziara,…
  • Emory Farmers Market Stroll April 2, 2024 at 11:00 am – 1:30 pm Networking and Special Event Event Type: Networking,Special EventContact Name: Staff CouncilContact Email: rsphstaffcouncil@emory.eduLace up your sneakers and join the RSPH Staff Council for a refreshing walk to the Emory Farmers Market. Grab lunch, support local businesses, and stay as long as you like. Meet between RRR and O. Wayne Rollins Buildings at 11 AM to walk over as a…

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