#WeAreEmoryEPI: Meet the 2020-2021 Communications Team

As the hiring process for the next Emory Epi communications team begins, we want to highlight the current members and their experience over the past year. Emma Butturini is tasked with The Confounder, Saarav Patel runs @rollinsepilife on Instagram, and I, Malay Mody, manage @EmoryEpi on Twitter. We responded to a few questions about our roles and the best parts of our jobs!

What is your role on the communications team and what does a typical work week look like for you?

Emma: I am an editorial associate so my main job is to update the Confounder website with job postings and events, and set up the weekly newsletter that gets sent out to students and alumni. I normally spend a little time every other day posting job opportunities as they are sent in by alumni or faculty, then on Sunday afternoons, I get the newsletter ready to be emailed out on Monday morning.

Saarav: My official title is “Social Media Associate,” and I primarily work with the Department of EPI Instagram account! In a typical week, I will go through emails and correspondence with faculty about events on campus, and think of which posts and stories I will be making for the week. I try to attend as many events I can, just so I can better advertise the events in the future. I have a planning process for the layout of the page that I follow pretty closely, too.

Malay: I am also a social media associate and I mainly handle the @EmoryEpi Twitter account! In a typical week, I will be sure to manage the Twitter DMs along with any mentions and other departmental or relevant university-wide news. I specifically try to focus on events at Rollins and the exciting work that the Epidemiology faculty and students are doing! I also am in charge of writing posts for our #WeAreEmoryEPI series on The Confounder, so I contact a featured student or alumnus weekly and put together the interview piece. 

How do you balance your work for the communications team with your other work and academic responsibilities?

E: I try to plan out my work for the week as much as possible and divide up any larger tasks or projects into smaller pieces so that I can space them out and check off a few things from my to-do list every day. This strategy has helped me a lot to balance school with my work at the Confounder and my REAL job over the past year.

S: I am very good at planning my days, so I try to allot a specific number of hours each week towards this position and keep work related to this job outside of those hours (responding to GroupMe’s, sharing stories from other Rollins accounts) to a minimum.

M: I try to have certain tweets and topics planned out from the beginning of the week so that I only have to keep up with news throughout the week. Given the busy nature of Twitter, this is only possible to a certain extent but it helps me ensure that I am able to provide consistent content without using all of my time during the week.

What new skills have you learned or further developed through your role?

E: I think the biggest thing I have learned is how to effectively tailor communications and content to the needs and interests of your audience, whether through writing articles highlighting student work, identifying opportunities for current students, or updating the website to improve user-friendliness.

S: I only had social media experience through my personal accounts prior to this role, and this job has allowed me to learn about social media insights and analytics. I also feel more connected with the RSPH EPI faculty, which is a huge plus.

M: In the past, I had never run a social media account with the specific aim of disseminating information and growing the only exposure of an organization. This role has taught me how to report academic findings and how to tailor posts to gain views and engagement.

What is the most interesting/rewarding part of your job?

E: The most rewarding of the job has been being able to help connect students to new opportunities and resources that help them during their MPH experience, and hopefully afterward.

S: I love being able to see and share all of the events that are happening on campus, and being able to disseminate that information feels really good. People tagging #WeAreEmoryEPI on their stories for us to share is also really cool.

M: I love when I post a tweet or a student spotlight that starts a conversation online between colleagues and friends. During such a tough year for everyone’s social lives and workplace communities, I like to think that we can help bridge the gap a little bit until we are all in-person again.

How does your work in this role fit with your overall personal/professional goals for your MPH?

E: This role has been very helpful to me because I am passionate about science communications and my work here has taught me a lot about thinking intentionally about who your audience is, what their needs are, and how to deliver information differently depending on what you want your readers to take away from a piece in the end.

S: In my opinion, most modern careers will incorporate some sort of technology/social media aspect; this job has allowed me to show that my skills are applicable to a public health position.

M: As a future physician-epidemiologist, it will be critical for me to be able to succinctly convey information in a digestible manner to my patients and colleagues. I think that my position specializing in Twitter is the perfect platform for this and will serve me well in my future profession.

What is your favorite part of working on the communications team?

E: Beyond my regular work, I have really enjoyed getting to work on several different projects for the website and having a lot of creative freedom for how to complete them. One of my favorite projects so far was writing an article series over the summer that highlighted the incredible work Emory EPI students were doing in different areas of local COVID-19 response.

S: My favorite part of working on this team is the flexibility. If there is a week that I need to be less present due to my academic schedule, I am able to easily convey that and work with my team to figure out a solution.

M: My favorite part of working on this team is the ability to work on my own time from anyplace. As graduate students, we are all extremely busy and pulled in several different directions but this job is the perfect way to stay engaged in the Emory Epidemiology community with your own schedule.

Is there any advice you would like to give to first years who might be interested in joining the team and working more closely with the department?  

E: My biggest piece of advice would be even if you are not as experienced with the platforms we use, as long as you are excited and willing to learn, you will be able to succeed and be a great contributor to the team! Getting to work with faculty and staff in the department is a really great opportunity, so if you are at all interested, I would say go for it and apply!

S: I’d recommend anyone for this job who has unique ideas for the Department’s social media presence. It is a really fun way to engage with faculty and staff, and allows you to develop and flex skills that are applicable to modern public health-related careers.

M: I’d unequivocally recommend that you apply for this job! There is so much you can learn regardless of which platform you’re in charge of, and you get to work on a fun, dedicated team as well!

Thank you for checking out this week’s #WeAreEmoryEPI, we were so excited to share our experiences and hope any first-year students will consider applying for a position with us! If interested, please apply by March 16 here for communications associate and here for social media associate.