Kenneth Swaringer was pursuing a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) when he served as a Region IV PHTC Pathways to Practice Scholar in the Fall of 2023. He chose to intern with the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, where he created a continuing medical education (CME) course focused on the common barriers that prevent at-risk individuals from getting screened for lung cancer. During his field placement, Kenneth researched the process of lung cancer screening and associated disparities and interviewed key stakeholders to aid him in the creation of the CME course. Upon completion of the course, Kenneth recruited a group of oncology healthcare providers to attend a pilot launch and provide feedback on the CME course.

According to Kenneth, this experience helped him to become more culturally competent and highlighted the importance of promoting health equity in healthcare.

“After the completion of my Master’s program, I intend to apply to medical school. I aspire to be the first doctor in my family to specialize in medicine… I am extremely grateful for this experience because my research has shown me how to be a more culturally competent healthcare provider… I intend to hone my skills in order to be the best physician that I can be. I also intend to share my knowledge with others to decrease disparities in the field of healthcare and promote health equity for all individuals.”

Carmen Cummings was pursuing a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Behavioral Health Promotion and Education at Jackson State University when she served as a Region IV PHTC Pathways to Practice Scholar in the Fall of 2023. She chose to intern with Converge: Partners in Access, where she researched the impact of current abstinence-only and abstinence-plus sexual health education policies in Mississippi and provided recommendations for improvement. During her field placement, Carmen provided educational material around emergency contraceptives, developed an Excel sheet of family planning clinics within the state of Tennessee, and assisted the training manager with transferring online training data to a new H5P content platform.

Carmen also developed an infographic about emergency contraceptives for Mississippi State University students and developed social media promotion for a Period Packing Party. This event allowed individuals to assist Converge in partnership with a community organization called 601 for Period Equity with packing menstrual supplies for those in Mississippi.

According to Carmen, this internship influenced her professional growth and aided in her academic training.  

“Overall, this internship influenced my professional growth by learning to be flexible on tasks or projects that may be assigned and needed to be done in a short timeframe…I have been able to see and learn how a community health non-profit can operate and the unique, subtle, but needed ways an organization can influence and aid in improving the health of population…. This experience also aided in my academic training by being able to disseminate health related information to audiences and provide knowledge on population health and health resources.”

Gwendolyn McNeil was pursuing a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health when she served as a Region IV PHTC Pathways to Practice Scholar in the summer of 2023. She chose to intern with the Durham County Department of Public Health, where she contributed to the 2023 Durham County Community Health Assessment (CHA) and developed an executive summary report (ESR) on health equity. Gwendolyn collaborated with the Partnership for a Healthy Durham to participate in Community Listening Sessions to gain a better understanding of Durham’s history and the current state of the county and develop strategies to improve health equity.

During her internship, Gwendolyn had the opportunity to attend subcommittee meetings for the Partnership for a Healthy Durham, which consisted of collaborating with health workers, social workers, non-profits, and residents about the top five health priorities in Durham County. She also spent time researching and collecting data that provided insight into previous injustices that occurred in Durham County and helped her to provide information and recommendations to contribute to the CHA.  

According to Gwendolyn, this internship provided her with opportunities that will assist her throughout her career in public health.  

“My biggest takeaway was that health equity, specifically racial health equity, will not be reached without gaining historical context. Whether I decide to stay in Durham or go somewhere else, I will ensure that I am knowledgeable of the history of the community to ensure all my work is done with an equitable lens. 

I am thoroughly grateful for this experience that the Region IV Public Health Training Center has provided me, and I am excited to see what is next in my professional career.” 

Shelby Ackermann was pursuing a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Population Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, while concurrently in veterinary school at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine when she served as a Region IV PHTC Pathways to Practice Scholar in the summer of 2023. She chose to intern with the Office of the State Veterinarian at the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. During her placement experience, Shelby worked on biosecurity, surveillance, and preparation strategies as well as the development of educational materials to inform individuals about potential health implications related to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). HPAI is “a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease that is distributed worldwide… and possesses significant economic, social, and environmental implications.” 

During her field placement, Shelby spent time touring slaughterhouses and meat processing plants in northern Alabama to review their biosecurity and humane handling protocols. She also gained experience conducting disease surveillance testing on chickens and goats. Shelby interacted with backyard chicken farmers and distributors across the State of Alabama and developed a PowerPoint presentation and infographic to educate individuals in the poultry industry about HPAI.  

According to Shelby, the internship provided her with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience learning how animal health disasters are prevented, prepared for, and managed.

“As a veterinary student, much of my education has focused on recognizing and treating disease within a single individual. While this is very important, it is crucial to consider the effect of disease on whole populations and the impact it can have more broadly on public health and alternately, the impact of population health on single individuals…Educating individuals empowers them to make informed decisions to protect themselves and their animals from an animal health emergency and prevent some of the economic, social, and environmental downstream effects of these events. In my future career, I want to work to minimize the upstream risk factors and sources that lead to disease rather than simply treating disease as it appears.” 

Sadie Taylor was pursuing a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Information and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Louisville when she served as a Region IV PHTC Pathways to Practice Scholar in the spring of 2023. She chose to intern with the Franklin County Health Department (FCHD) located in Frankfort, KY, which “serves a mixture of both urban and rural community members within central Kentucky.”

During her field placement, Sadie taught sex education at local elementary schools, helped facilitate biometric screening events, completed intake and distribution of supplies for the Syringe Exchange program, compiled youth engagement events for the Just Say Yes program, and participated in professional development training and events.

According to Sadie, the field placement experience provided the opportunity to learn about harm reduction, preventative services on the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels as well as the various roles of a local health department.

“Before this placement, I was thoroughly unaware of the broad range of services offered by the FCHD, and the systemic and financial barriers each of these programs face when coming to fruition. After working at this placement for several months, I can now say that I am very likely to end up back at a local health department upon graduating. I appreciate how the work that is done at the FCHD is hands-on and tangible; you have the ability to receive feedback and evaluate the impact of a project firsthand.”

Philip Rosenbaum was pursuing an Executive Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Prevention Science at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health when he served as a Region IV PHTC Pathways to Practice Scholar in the summer of 2022. He chose to intern with IPRCE—the Injury Prevention Center at Emory—which works to “mitigate the staggering impact of injury in our community by using a data-driven and participatory approach to address the most significant injury concerns in Georgia and the Southeast region.”

During his field placement, Philip analyzed data from the National Survey on Children’s Health (NSCH) to develop a report describing the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as well as the risk and protective factors of ACEs in the state of Georgia. He also updated data associated with cases of child abuse and neglect for the Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences:Data to Action (PACE:D2A) project—an initiative to consolidate, summarize, and communicate data related to ACEs in Georgia.

According to Philip, the field placement allowed him to sharpen his skills in quantitative analysis and statistical programming while working with new groups of people.

“This was my first experience working with complex survey data. Learning about all the considerations to be taken was eye-opening. While the data is publicly available, it requires specific skills and understanding before someone can make any sense of it… While I still have a lot to learn about statistical methods and modeling, the introduction to using these skills in the professional context was inspiring.

Working with new groups of people is always a welcome challenge for me. The members of the PACE:D2A work extremely well together and were a pleasure to learn from…I was grateful for the opportunity to work with the PACE:D2A team and to the Region IV Pathways to Practice Scholarship for the support.”

Andrea Johnson was pursuing a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health when she served as a Region IV PHTC Pathways to Practice Scholar in the summer of 2022. She chose to intern with the South Carolina Community Health Worker Association (SCCHWA), which consists of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and supporters who are working to build a “healthier South Carolina through the promotion of education, networking and advocacy for the community health worker profession.” Currently, SCCHWA is working to expand its database of CHWs to include workers in smaller and/or rural clinics.

During her field placement, Andrea assisted with the Community Health Worker Identification Expansion Project, which aims to locate new CHWs who work at community-based organizations, such as churches or small health clinics, or those with a similar job title under the umbrella of community health workers. Because these CHWs are not normally affiliated with major hospitals or agencies, they often struggle to provide quality care to residents due to a lack of resources such as funding, education, or staff.

One of Andrea’s projects included designing a questionnaire to assess where CHWs are located in rural areas of South Carolina and to identify the populations they serve. Once identified, these CHWs and their locations are added to the SCCHWA database. Using metrics gleaned from the questionnaire, Andrea also created informational flyers and graphics highlighting the successes of CHWs throughout the state and their impact on the health of the communities they serve.

According to Andrea, a major takeaway she gained from her field placement was realizing the importance of CHWs on community and wellbeing.

“I learned from both the data and my own observations that CHWs are not only effective at reducing healthcare costs and improving health outcomes, they are also effective at supporting community members and building trust in medical professionals and the healthcare system, especially in communities that the medical system has historically undermined. From the interviews we conducted with some CHWs, it became clear that they connect on a very intimate level with their clients and bridge gaps regular doctors and nurses cannot. While CHWs’ impact on health is still being quantified, they make a real and tangible difference in individuals’ health and their perception of the healthcare system.

During my internship, I gained exposure to the field of community health workers and insight into the work CHWs do for individuals and their communities. This experience has solidified my desire to work in underserved minority communities, specifically focusing on increasing access to social services. After graduation, I want to assist in promoting the community health worker profession and potentially do the work myself to provide affordable and accessible care to residents of underserved communities.”

Kayla Torres was pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham when she served as a Region IV Public Health Training Center (PHTC) Pathways to Practice Scholar in the spring of 2022. She chose to intern with the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), specifically in the Office of Health Equity and Minority Health (OHEMH) to assist staff in addressing COVID-19 health disparities among underserved, racial, ethnic, minority, and rural populations.

During her field placement, Kayla assisted ADPH staff with several projects, particularly the Unincorporated Community and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) initiatives. She worked to translate documents from English to Spanish, designed communication strategies for various audiences, built partnerships, created questionnaires, and provided recommendations for public health strategies to employ in the community.

According to Kayla, her time with OHEMH was a “prodigious experience” that reinforced her knowledge of public health strategies.

“There were many lessons learned, especially the importance of teamwork and building partnerships. Through this internship, I was able to experience hands-on communications and alliances to decrease COVID-19 by increasing vaccination rates in the State of Alabama.

Having the opportunity to recognize the influence of policies and interventions that partake in the community was a remarkable experience. The OHEMH staff provided me with the tools to expand my skills and encouragement to continue assisting the public.

I aim to work as a health policy analyst to update and implement effective strategies. Having built new relationships and improved my ability in communication has solidified my desire to work with the underserved community and minority health. Learning how to conduct quantitative and qualitative data has made me feel prepared to work in the public health field.”

Fiona Bock was pursuing a Master in Public Health from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health when she served as a Region IV PHTC Pathways to Practice Scholar in the spring of 2022. She chose to intern with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a professional membership organization dedicated to improving women’s health in “an equitable world in which exceptional and respectful obstetric and gynecologic care is accessible to all.” Founded in 1951, ACOG is comprised of 12 districts representing various areas in North and South America. Fiona’s placement included working with the ACOG’s District IV Committee, which includes members from the District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and the West Indies.

During her field placement, Fiona’s primary project was to work with the District IV Health and Equity Reflective (HER) Care Committee in order to publish an academic article on their recently created Health Equity and Respectful (HER) Care Toolkit – an online health equity training tool designed to reduce disparities in women’s health care. Distributed to hospitals and women health care providers, the toolkit contains seven resources to train medical students, residents, and fellows in implicit and explicit bias and how these affect the health outcomes for women.

According to Fiona, she learned that racial and ethnic disparities in women’s health and health care persist despite increased public awareness. At the end of her internship, Fiona stated:

“It is important to acknowledge that racism and bias can result in inequities in diagnoses and treatment toward certain groups and populations. The [HER Care] Toolkit provides an opportunity to incorporate these strategies for promotion of social justice into healthcare strategies. Practitioners should work to ensure that health care is free from racism and bias, treat discrimination as a risk factor for poor health outcomes, and advocate for policies seeking to eliminate inequalities in health care and health outcomes.”

“My placement at the ACOG through the Pathways to Practice Program was a valuable experience. I had the opportunity to work alongside public health professionals who are actively improving women’s health and health care. This experience allowed me to apply the skills and knowledge I have gained during graduate school and apply them in a real-world setting. As a result, I now have an ever-greater appreciation for and understanding of public health.”  

Cameron Nix was pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington when she served as a Region IV PHTC Pathways to Practice Scholar in the spring of 2022. She chose to intern with SEEDS of Healing, Inc., a non-profit organization in Wilmington, NC, whose mission is to “deconstruct myths that perpetuate fear and stigma and generate sustained support for Black and African American women with diagnoses of HIV.” Her placement also included work with the Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) Infectious Disease Specialists, who serve people living with HIV while striving to “create an equitable and centralized access to HIV care.”   

During her field placement, Cameron was responsible for several projects including assisting in the coordination of the 5th annual #ThinkRedILM HIV/AIDS 5K Walk/Run for Seeds of Healing, Inc. (SOH), as well as developing webinars for the organization’s social media platform – SOH Time – which was developed for Black women with a positive diagnosis of HIV. However, her primary project was to plan and implement the first Patient Advisory Council (PAC) for the NHRMC Infectious Disease Specialists with the goal of creating an “open means of feedback and communication between patients and clinical staff and support the goal of patient-centered care.” The PAC would also allow patients an opportunity to provide feedback during the merger of NHRMC with Novant Health.  

According to Cameron, the PAC project was a success in that it afforded patients the availability of a platform through which they could communicate and provide feedback directly with the Infectious Disease Specialists at Novant Health. At the end of her internship, Cameron stated:  

“I gained essential transferrable skills during my internships such as communicating with patients and clinic staff and increasing opportunities for patients to be in control of their care. The experience I gained working with underserved communities, primarily PLWH [people living with HIV/AIDS] and those who are uninsured and underinsured, is invaluable in understanding the barriers to quality care marginalized communities may face.”