In conversation with Dr. Gonzales, Audrika asked him a question that I have been wondering throughout this entire course: “If the system is irreparably broken, as we have shown time and time again, what can we do to fix it?” If I were to have asked the question, I likely would have added, “And if you’re working in such a broken system day in and day out, how do you keep any sort of passion? How do you not just constantly feel like you’re screaming into the void?”
Although I did not ask the second part of the question–it was not phrased the way that I would have phrased it–someone did ask Dr. Gonzales a question of the same sentiment as what I would have asked. He answered both questions in a similar manner, which is that the best way to make actionable changes in the world of public health is through supporting small causes. Every city likely has grassroots harm reduction centers and organizations, and you will be able to see and feel the effects of the work that you do in those organizations. Above all, passion is something that absolutely must be present to find any satisfaction in the world of public health.
With every public health leader that has come to speak with us, I have either asked them or heavily considered asking them the exact same questions. They are what I’ve been considering throughout this entire course.
Dr. Gonzales also discussed something at length that I have heard–and thought–a plethora of time: “During Covid, ‘public health’ failed us.” He argued that that is an entirely unfair sentiment, by quoting an essay that he’d recently read: “Who has the power?” How is it fair to say that public health failed during Covid when epidemiologists are not the ones making decisions about how to lead a country through a pandemic? How can a career so underfunded and disregarded be said to fail when they weren’t even involved in the process?
The idea of public health “failing” is one of the reasons that I am a bit apprehensive to enter the field. I don’t want a repeat of the past 2 years, but with me being at the head of a sinking ship with nothing other than a bucket. I don’t know how I’ll be able to find my inner passion in the face of a system that seems rigged against the work that I’m trying to give to the world.
But then… I think about the stories that we’ve heard this past semester. I think about the young doctor that had Thanksgiving dinner with Dr. Del Rio. I think about the millions of lives that were lost to so many pandemics–the millions of lives that were lost inequitably in so many pandemics–and I think that doing nothing in this field would leave me far less satisfied.
It really hit me the way you phrased your dilemma of entering the field of public health as a situation of “I cannot imagine myself NOT being a part of it” despite the very known, clear downsides of it. Throughout this semester, the class seminars have really made me realize that the image I used to aspire after – of standing in front of millions to speak about public health – is NOT the life for me, since I very much would prefer a role in which I have a greater sense of control; with that said, I still think it was an important insight for me to further sharpen my aspirations towards the career of a physician scientist. I applaud you for fearlessly continuing forward with your passion for the public health, despite all the seminars we have heard this semester, and wish you the best!
The issue you face with public health is a similar dilemma I come to in facing the criminal justice system. One piece of advice my externship supervisor gave me which I have found highly motivating is a to play your role in a way that reduces harm within the system we have. While we do need people on the outside reforming these systems, it is still pivotal to have effective individuals on the inside providing quality care and advocacy in a way that reduces harm from inequities.
Makalee: Great post and I think Dr. Gonsalves suggest to start locally is on point. Often, over the last ten years, when I have felt overwhelmed by the political moment watching the erosion of rights and the rise of hate, I feel helpless and don’t know where to start and every time, starting locally has been the answer.