Flexibility, Empathy, and Patience: A Year Later

A year ago, I wrote a PROspective column to welcome students to the Department of Epidemiology at the start an academic year that would be largely completed by virtual learning. This year, we are fortunate to anticipate an academic year that will be largely completed by in-person learning. It is a big and important step towards the lives and learning styles we remember from before the COVID-19 pandemic. But we are not all the way back to the before times. The column below contains many of the same messages from last year, with updates to reflect what we have learned in the last year and what we anticipate in the year ahead of us. We will all be learning, adapting, and improving as we go. That process will accrue benefits most rapidly if we recognize and practice flexibility, empathy, and patience in our endeavors and interactions. Humans are remarkably adaptable and resilient, much more so than we sometimes realize, especially when we can recognize common goals, reorient quickly when necessary, and maintain composure in the face of hardship. With that in mind, I want to take this opportunity to share a few suggestions that, in the past, have helped students to make the most of their Fall semester at Rollins.

Stronger Together

One of the great strengths of the science of epidemiology is that those who study it come from widely different personal and professional backgrounds. We embrace the diversity of perspectives as a strength. In our previous educational experiences, some of us studied public health, while others studied biology, mathematics, economics, psychology, languages, or arts, among others. What you already know will help you with your curriculum this semester, so let it shine through. Bring your unique perspectives to your classrooms and share it with others, and listen to the unique perspectives that others will share with you. Realize, also, that because of the differences in earlier education and experiences, some parts of the curriculum will come easier to you and some will be more difficult. This too will be an individualized experience.

There is no point in comparing your academic progress with your peers; you will only steal your own joy by making such comparisons.

Commit to growing your network

The ongoing social and physical distancing related to the pandemic response will make it more difficult to develop a professional network. We humans are pack animals and having six feet or a computer screen between us is an unnatural way to socialize. It is critical, though, that we adhere to these public health requirements during this pandemic – to protect our own health and the health of our entire community. Finding solutions and strategies for how to develop a social and professional network despite the barriers starts with realizing that it is a problem, and you will have to invest more than the normal effort to solve it. Get to know your peers in the program through the shared experience, even if less than optimal. Imagine how nice it will be to one day greet them with a smile not hidden behind a face covering. The department’s Canvas site provides guidance on how to network with faculty. The guidance suggests that your initial contact with faculty include a specific request. My friendly amendment is to keep the bar low for that ask. For example, many faculty members hold regular meetings with their research groups. Rather than asking to join their groups, ask to listen in on one of their research group meetings. That is not difficult to arrange and provides a point of entrée to the group’s network.

Don’t forget career skills

The department’s overriding educational goal is to prepare students to be influential public health practitioners. The knowledge, skills, and philosophies that you will learn in the classrooms will be instrumental in achieving this goal. Important, too, will be the career skills that, despite often being complex and nuanced, are seldom part of the classroom learning experience. This PROspective column has often addressed these skills, so I encourage you to read the archives and begin work on honing these professional competencies. Once again, the artificial social interactions related to pandemic response will make it more difficult to practice these skills. Recognize the problem, and plan to solve it. Realizing the importance of career skills and learning how to practice them will be instrumental in your success while at Rollins and for many years thereafter.

We can do it!

Welcome to the department and thank you for your faith in us to provide an excellent learning experience this semester. The faculty and staff have worked hard to prepare, and are ready to change and improve as the semester progresses. We look forward to working with you to make it a success.

Featured Image by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash