This episode is a bit different, and comes as a result of my reflection over this first year of podcasting.  I’m asking several questions, even though I can’t hear your responses.  The questions are really for your benefit, not mine.  They will hopefully spark the kind of energy that will help you explore your thoughts and motives and perhaps lead you to discover a bit about your own public health career journey.  I strongly encourage you to listen, and think about the questions and the message that I share in this episode. DrCHHuntley.com

People often use the terms interchangeably, but they are different.  The goals of mentoring and coaching are essentially the same, to help the individual develop skills and achieve success.  Mentoring and coaching work together to help you achieve success.  However, the way that mentoring and coaching function are different. Understanding these differences will help you explore available resources, understand what resources are best for you, and may also help you as you network with other professionals. After listening to this episode, I encourage you to visit the home page (DrCHHuntley.com) and request a demo of all of the available resources offered on my website.

Communication skills are important for all professionals, especially those in public health. Good communication will help you present research, relay information to community members, coordinate with co-workers, and build relationships within the public health field. Developing your communication skills has many rewards. Be sure you document your experiences that involve the use of these skills.

We are quickly approaching the 1-year anniversary of the Public Health Epidemiology Careers Podcast! In this episode, we’ll offer three ways that you can help us celebrate.

Volunteering is a great way to gain experience, network within your community, and get closer to the public health career you desire. Unfortunately, some people have difficulty fitting in the time or energy to volunteer. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or complicated! In this episode, I address a common myth about volunteering and share an alternative way of approaching the idea of volunteering.   

This episode is brought to you by the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Epidemiology Section, where I serve as a part of the leadership team.   Learn more about the APHA Epidemiology Section. Dr. Oscar Alleyne is the Senior Advisor of Public Health Programming at the National Association of County Health Officials (NACHO), which provides leadership and support for 2,000 county and city health departments across the country. He specifically focuses on infectious disease, informatics, public health preparedness, and pandemic and catastrophic response.

The annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) is coming up later this year, so this is a good time to seriously consider attending. In this episode, I discuss what the APHA is, what happens at the annual meeting, and how it can help you grow your public health career.

This episode summarizes a discussion from our community, where a member wanted to learn more about the role of an epidemiologist.  She has just completed her undergraduate degree in life sciences and is interested in pursuing her master of public health, specifically in epidemiology.  She asked for feedback, comments, and feedback from other epidemiologists in the group.  This was a popular discussion, and one that I felt everyone could benefit from in the form of this podcast episode.  It is so important to have an understanding of the role of epidemiology, even if you’re not an epidemiologist.

In this episode, I answer a question submitted by one of the members of our community.  The question comes from someone who is about to start a DrPH program. The program is a hybrid program, with the majority of the coursework being delivered online.  Her questions are regarding the anticipated struggle to manage time between work, home, and school. 

In this episode, I’m happy to share with all of you an interview with Eric Pevzner as we discuss some important and very interesting details about the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, (EIS) program.  There is a great deal of information covered in this episode, which is why the show notes page for this episode is so comprehensive and includes links to find out more about what is discussed in the interview. CAPT Pevzner is Chief of the Epidemiology Workforce Branch in the Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, and Chief of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Program. He is also a Captain in the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service.

This episode is a little different, as I share discussion responses to public health topics in one of our community groups.  Not only do I share the questions, responses, and comments from members of the group, I also provide my feedback as well.  At the end, I summarize and present takeaway messages and tips for taking action.

This episode will help you understand how the program, Developing Your Public Health Career Strategy was formed, the purpose of the program, and who the program is designed to serve. This is an important episode for everyone to hear, both students and graduates.  If you’ve already completed your degree in public health, but have been facing challenges getting into the field, then you definitely want to listen to the full episode. You’ll be able to hear in my voice just how important this is to me and how much I care about this topic.

Practicum is a supervised field experience, part of a master’s degree program.  Maximize this experience and lessons learned, whether you’ve already completed it or it’s in your future.  This is your journey, and you should own this experience as a part of it.  In this episode, I share a bit about my practicum experience with the Office of Minority Health conducting a diabetes prevention program. I also share just a few examples of how I benefited from my own practicum experience, but there are many more ways to benefit beyond what I mention.  If you are required to complete a practicum as a part of your degree, then I encourage you to listen to this episode and enroll in the workshop that is designed to help you understand and prepare.  See the link below for registration information.

In this episode, I share my thoughts about some common public health career challenges that so many people are facing.  Not only do I discuss the challenges, but I also identify some strategies to address these challenges.

Motivating you to rise up, take action, and advance toward your public health career goals means that we can collectively impact public health around the world.  That is why I’m sharing insights, as well as providing tools and resources to help as many of you as I can.  The five tips that I discuss in this episode will really help you move forward.  Below are some highlights, but please be sure to listen to the full episode.

This episode is a little different from the usual flow, and includes a story about a conversation I recently had with my mother and what I learned from it.  I took away a lesson from it that I share on this episode, because I think you may benefit from it as well.  At the very least, it might make you smile.

During the first 98 days of this year, I lead a team of amazing people in the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) health promotion campaign, the 1 Billion Steps Challenge.  My team, DrCHHuntley and Friends, finished in 6th place out of 392 teams!  We are super proud of that accomplishment.  What I learned through this experience was far beyond anything that I had imagined when I started.  In this episode, I share my journey and the lessons learned along the way.  As I share these lessons and my story, I encourage you to consider leading a health promotion campaign and provide you with some resources to get started.

This week April 2 – 8, 2018, is National Public Health Week (NPHW), which is an initiative of the American Public Health Association.  The theme this year is Healthiest Nation 2030, Changing Our Future Together.  The first of our series of workshops will be available this week, and the timing of these workshops couldn’t be better, as the purpose aligns well with the surgeon general’s opening keynote message of NPHW.  After hearing the Dr. Jerome Adams, I was so encouraged and inspired that I changed the planned episode for this week for the one you’re listening to now.  If you were not present to hear his speech and did not attend the live webcast, then I encourage you to find the recording at some point and listen to his message.

In this episode, I introduce you to Dr. Laurie Elam-Evans, who shares her journey into public health, as well as insights and helpful strategies and tips. Dr. Elam-Evans is the Lead Health Scientist and Team Leader for National Immunization Survey (NIS) Team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she has worked for over 27 years accumulating a wealth of public health knowledge and experience. She is also the current Chair of the American Public Health Association (APHA) Epidemiology Section.  Be sure to listen to the full episode and explore the resource links shared below.

In this episode, I introduce you to Dr. Cynthia Hickman.  She is an active researcher, public speaker, and nutritional health educator.  At an early age, she knew she wanted to be a nurse and she shares her journey through nursing and explains how she was a natural educator and developed a passion for nutritional health.  After a rewarding career in nursing, including 25 years of nursing experience, Dr. Hickman pursued and accomplished her PhD in Health Services.  Her plans are to explore teaching opportunities outside of nursing, without abandoning her nursing foundation (as she says: “once a nurse, always a nurse”).  She is very active with research, nursing organizations, speaking, and sharing information.

Public Health Epidemiology Careers Podcast Born out of my experiences, I am “being the change that I want to see.”  In this episode, I speak clearly and boldly so that people who choose to connect with me fully understand my purpose and motivation.  I provide answers, clarity, and direction. Answers to these questions: Why do I care about helping other people get into public health careers? Why do I host this public health careers podcast? Why do I create public health career guides and free resources? Why do I offer public health career coaching programs? Clarity about purpose, who this podcast and resources are for (and who it’s NOT for). Direction in terms of 4 specific action steps for action-takers.  This time, you’re going to have to listen to the full episode and at the end I give the 4 Action-steps for Action-takers. I am “being the change that I want to see.”  After listening to this full episode, there will be no question about my purpose, enthusiasm, passion, focus, heart to serve, desire to teach, my happy upbeat spirit, my positive and motivating outlook, or my natural tendency toward encouraging and empowering and inspiring others!

In this episode, I introduce you to Christian Vigil, as he shares a great story of the global public health initiatives with Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC). He shares his amazing journey into public health, and how he combined his personal experiences growing up, his education, and his passion to see positive changes in health throughout his community. Christian talks about the robust health system in Cuba, and how MEDICC is taking action to help foster collaborations between the Cuban health system and communities within the United States. You definitely don’t want to miss this episode!

This episode is a quick message to share some ideas about how you can begin to apply the knowledge that you’re learning as a student, right now.  You don’t have to wait for the perfect volunteer opportunity or internship to come along before applying what you’re learning in your coursework.  Listen to this brief episode for some quick tips and ideas to get you started. Tips covered in this episode include ideas for: Health Promotion Program Assessment and Evaluation Raising Awareness Sharing Knowledge Occupational Health and Safety Let me know if this episode sparks some ideas for you!

A large portion of my audience includes people who have completed their degree but struggle with getting into the field of public health for one reason or another.  Questions about how I became an epidemiologist were (and still are) the most common questions I received on LinkedIn, because people really wanted to know how I managed to get into the position that matched my degree. That is one of the main reasons I started this podcast.  I place a big emphasis on motivating students and encouraging them to “own” their journey through graduate school (instead of just surviving) and to develop a broader view of the possibilities within public health, regarding careers. Recently, I’ve decided to focus on a better way to help those of you who have already completed your degree, but face challenges getting into the field of public health.  Instead of working one on one, I developed a program that can help several at once and begin to foster a new community where you can start to encourage one another, network, and begin to achieve your career goals. I polled members of the podcast group on Facebook, and found interesting results.  The number one career challenge that people who had already completed their public health degrees faced was lack of experience or skills needed to get into the field.  The second biggest challenge, which was very close to number one, was the belief that public health job opportunities are limited. Please listen to the full episode for more details.

This interview is filled with wisdom and powerful messages that will motivate and inspire you to pursue your public health career goals with a new burst of energy and enthusiasm.  That is how I felt after my interview with Samantha.  She is a first generation college graduate, who has propelled through more than her fair share of challenges.  She doesn’t complain, but instead has built upon every event and continues to pursue her goals.  I encourage you to listen to the full episode here.

We are all super busy people, juggling work, family, and other responsibilities.  If you’re in graduate school, then that adds another layer of responsibility. Organizing your life in a way that accomplish all of the tasks that are in front of you seems to be a never ending challenge.  Some days we handle things well, get lots of things checked off of our to-do list, while other days are the exact opposite.  We live and learn and keep moving forward, right?  Well, today I want to speak to you briefly about the importance of personal development time.  We cannot expect to meet the challenges that life hands to us every day if we don’t take care of ourselves.  So, as difficult as it may seem, it is so important that find a way to integrate some personal development into your routine so that you can be strong enough to handle the rest of what needs to be done.

In this episode I interview Angel Algarin.  He provides guidance and helpful tips for becoming actively involved, and gaining public health experience.  Angel is a doctoral student, working towards his PhD in epidemiology.  He is a very active member of the American Public Health Association’s epidemiology section, as well as a few other national and local organizations. 

Avoid information overload! It is important to reflect on the abundance of information that we take in from the many resources that are available to us.  In this episode I discuss some ways to reflect and take away the messages from each episode that speak to your situation and help you face your challenges.  I also discuss how to access the resources that I make available to everyone and ways to put them to good use.

This episode continues the discussion with Dan Rutz, who shares his successful 30 year journey through radio and television broadcasting where he was able to develop and use his expertise in communication to advance public health.  His career path includes success with the Cable News Network (CNN), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) as well as his current initiative called My Growing Edge. Be sure to listen to episode #21, which is part 1 of the interview. In this episode: Dan gives advice and tips to recent graduates who are are interested in a public health career. Dan shares tips for people interested in careers with large agencies like CDC. Be sure to listen to part 1, where Dan discussed My Growing Edge, his current initiative.   At the end, I attempt to summarize the key points and rich information shared throughout the entire interview with Dan (part 1 and part 2).   Please visit the show notes website for this episode for more information and links to connect with Dan.

This is an informative and interesting interview with Dan Rutz, who shares his successful 30 year journey through radio and television broadcasting where he was able to develop and use his expertise in communication to advance public health.  His career path includes success with the Cable News Network (CNN), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) as well as his current initiative called My Growing Edge.   

In this episode, I interview Dr. Jennifer Rounds-Bryant, commonly known as Dr. Jenn.  Dr. Jenn is a genuine and authentic coach who demonstrates a high level of excellence as the normal level of service that she provides to her students.  She is an exceptional PhD coach who combines her experience as a licensed clinical psychologist, 16 years teaching graduate students and chairing dissertation committees, as well as 20 years of experience publishing research in peer reviewed journals.  She refers to her services as “flipping on the light” to help shed light on your path and prevent you from stumbling in the dark.  She refers to herself as an “outcomes junkie” because she helps to encourage students and move them forward to graduation.  Dr. Jenn shares valuable information as you get to know her in this episode.  Even if you’re a masters degree student, I encourage you to listen to this episode.  Dr. Jenn discusses impostor syndrome as it relates to graduate degree students (masters and doctoral), and shares information about how she addresses this issue with her students.

This episode focuses on a few things you can do to wrap up this year and start preparing for the new year. There are so many new and exciting updates that I shared with you in the last episode that will help us wrap up a great year and prepare to start a new one.  Please take some time to listen to that episode if you haven’t already, so that you’re up to date on the most recent changes.  Our community has developed and grown, and I hope that we continue to grow.  We started with just a small community page and progressed to adding this podcast show, and connecting on broader social media platforms. In addition to the community page on my website, I realized the need to meet you where you are, in your social media platform of choice.  However, remember that everything is still connected back to the website.  Think of the website (DrCHHuntley.com) as home. In addition to this week’s episode, I encourage you to listen to the previous episode as well (episode 18).  This is a good time to make sure that you’re prepared and ready.  Enjoy the rest of this holiday season and get ready for exciting new adventures in 2018!  We will hit the ground running with our first episode of the new year. 

There are so many new and exciting updates that I share with you in this episode.  I discuss how the community has developed and how we are growing.  The community that we started with has progressed to adding this podcast show, and connecting in broader social media platforms. Instead of connecting in just one site, I realized the need to meet you where you are, in your social media platform of choice.  However, everything is still connected back to the website.  Think of the website (DrCHHuntley.com) as home.    Updates New promo video on the home page, which replaces the image that was there before. After polling one of my Facebook groups, I realized that a lot of people were accessing the podcast episodes through links in the emails that I send out.  So, I wanted to make it easier for everyone to be able to take advantage of the ability to subscribe to the podcast and enjoy the convenience of doing so.   The page to subscribe to the podcast has been moved and is now more visible as a sub-page under the podcast tab.  There is now a short video there that demonstrates how to subscribe, and the links below the video will take you directly to the podcast show on the platform of your choice. RESOURCES is a new page where all of the links to the various tools and guides that have been created over time.  Soon to come will be links to workshops that I offer and other resources as they are developed.  It is convenient to have all of these resources available in one place on the website.  The community page has been revised, adding a new category “Leading by Example” and I encourage you to check it out.  I especially encourage you to read my post “I’m a Walking Example” where I open up about my passion for walking in a way that I have not opened up before.  Also, consider joining my team in the 1 Billion Steps Challenge 2018.   Email updates will change and start to include more information beyond just announcing the newest podcast episode.  Please make sure you’re opening and scanning your emails every week so that you stay in the loop and know what’s new and upcoming, and you don’t miss anything.  If you’re not currently receiving emails from me, then you can click here to subscribe to receive regular updates.

In this episode, I discuss some important and essential strategies for building a strong professional network. Professional networks have become the primary way that people are finding new job opportunities.  Building a professional network is more than just having a profile on LinkedIn, although that is an important tool and resource to use.  Building a strong network starts with genuine beginnings that develop into long-lasting quality professional relationships.  Five Essential Strategies for Building a Strong Professional Network The connections within your network should be mutually beneficial connections.  Don’t just look to connect with someone, considering only how they can help you.  Instead, think about what you have to offer them and how you may be able to help them as well.  Remember that relationship building is a process and takes time. Start with whatever the initial interest is, and look to build upon that as you get to know the other person When your motives are sincere, then networking is more natural. When it’s all about you getting what you want from connecting with a person, then your intent can come across as mechanical, pushy, or rehearsed.  Versus being motivated by sincerely wanting to learn more, gather information, and share your ideas thoughts and plans with others (mutual and reciprocal -  learn and share – give and take) It is a good idea to start networking with your close connections, and expand from there.  (family, friends, classmates, coworkers, supervisors, professors, and so on)  Start networking by Using social media, volunteering, alumni associations, professional societies and organizations, events at work or within your industry. DrCHHuntley.com/podcast

In this episode, I discuss how you can identify your passion for public health and how to use that passion to help you progress through grad school, gaining experience, and preparing for your career.  Last week Steve Vick the significance of having a strong and deep interest in your cause and how that energizes you to do the day to day work of running a nonprofit organization.  That sparked a great deal of thought, and led me to apply that concept to public health, graduate school journey, and career paths.  Here are a few of the highlights: What area of public health are you most passionate about? I guide you through some thought-provoking ways to help you identify the areas that you are most interested in, most often. Some examples: Health-related policy Health promotion activities Health Interventions Certain/specific populations Once you’ve identified your area of special interest in public health, then you can begin to look for opportunities to become an example, learn more, and volunteer.  Connecting with these opportunities will begin to feel more natural and help you progress along.   Click here to request your FREE copy of the Public Health Organizations, which is a list of global public health organizations to help you explore organizations that are connected with the areas of public health that you are most interested in and passionate about.

This podcast episode is an interview with Steve Vick, founder of Nonprofit Ally.  Nonprofit Ally is a community website loaded with resources to help those who are interested in starting a nonprofit organization.  Steve is the executive director of Noble Paws in Alaska, where the mission is to help people with disabilities find new means of mobility and independence with the help of sled dogs.   He has a background in journalism and never planned to pursue a nonprofit career.  He shares his personal experience with nonprofit organizations and what led him to start Nonprofit Ally.  Website for this episode  

In this episode, I discuss some of the common myths and misconceptions regarding nonprofit organizations compared to for-profit businesses.  I encourage you to investigate truths instead of accepting some of the common myths that surround the topic of nonprofit organizations to gain a deeper understanding for your own benefit.  I also encourage you to explore career and volunteer opportunities within nonprofit organizations, as well as any ideas that you may have had regarding starting a new nonprofit organization to serve the population that you are passionate about helping.

In this episode, I discuss some of the highlights of my experience sharing my research at two different national conferences.  There are so many things I’d love to go into, but instead I focus on some action points that will hopefully motivate you to plan to attend your first meeting, or take your meetings to the next level if you are already actively attending your association’s annual conference.  If you have not done so already, please listen to the last episode, where I discussed some of the benefits of membership in public health associations.  As a student or recent graduate, I emphatically believe that becoming actively involved in a public health association can help you prepare and advance your career.  As a mid- or senior-level profession, there are great opportunities for you to continue your career growth and development, as well as mentoring, guiding, and helping others who are the next generation of public health leaders.  

In this episode I discuss some of the benefits of membership in public health associations.  Although there are many important reasons for you to become involved in public health associations, I focus on seven benefits in this episode.  It is important that you not only become a member, but that you also become actively involved.  Public health associations can provide you with the opportunity for professional development, as well as chances for continuing education, research, and networking.  

In this episode, I interview Dr. Harold Whitfield.  Dr. Whitfield discovered a passion for statistical analysis early on, and has worked for many years providing statistical analysis to a diverse group of students in many different fields of study.  He is a highly qualified dissertation statistician who has a B.S. in Psychology, an M.Ed. in Counseling and Development, and an Ed.D. in Counselor Education. He is a vocational rehabilitation manager, and also works as a freelance statistician.  I encourage you to listen to this episode and get to know Dr. Whitfield, and learn about the services he offers.  He may be a good resource for many of you, helping you maximize the journey through your dissertation process.    

In this episode I discuss five tips that will help you experience a successful journey through your dissertation, so that you are best prepared for entry into your career field.  There is so much more to the dissertation journey than simply surviving the process.  The tips that I share in this episode will help you strengthen and better prepare yourself for entry into the career field that you desire.  

In this episode I discuss several resources that you should maximize as a student, so that you are best prepared for entry into your career field.  It is difficult to know when you will need to use the knowledge and skills that you obtain as a student, in your career.  By making the most of some of the resources that are available to you as a student, you will strengthen and better prepare yourself for entry into the field. 

In this episode, I continue sharing strategies that will help you prepare for and transition into a public health career.  The information in this episode will be helpful for graduate students, as well as recent graduates who are trying to secure their public health career positions.  There is a great deal of valuable information shared here, and I encourage you to listen to the full episode.

In this episode, I share my journey and transition from healthcare to public health and the lessons that I learned along the way.  My background is in medical laboratory technology, specifically microbiology.  People often ask me about how I transitioned into the field of public health, and how I became and epidemiologist.  In sharing my story, I also prepare you for what will follow in the next few episodes.  This and the next few episodes are part of a series of trainings that many students and recent graduates will find very helpful.  I encourage you to listen to the full episode, and tune in for the full series.  

In this episode, I interview Dr. Frazier Beatty.  We discuss some of the different education pathways to careers in public health, specifically online and traditional brick and mortar universities.  Dr. Beatty has an impressive background including US military service, as well as other governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations,  and private industry.  He has completed undergraduate and graduate level education in both online and traditional university programs, served as faculty, dissertation chair, and University Research Reviewer (URR).  He truly has a heart for education and service in public health.  Additionally, he is the group owner of the American Public Health Association (APHA) group on LinkedIn.  

In this episode, I discuss five actionable tips that busy online graduate degree students can use to help them balance the busy demands of graduate school and life. What starts out as excitement about starting graduate school can often drift into a silent frustration for many.  Trying to juggle school, work, family, and other obligations can be overwhelming.  I will share with you some strategies that can help you regain your focus, control your journey, and achieve success. Although any graduate student may find this information to be helpful, I’m specifically targeting online graduate students because of the special challenges that online students face.  Some of the common challenges include adjusting to the online environment, feelings of isolation that can be self-defeating, adapting to the fast pace of the coursework along with the high demands of life in general, and the need to develop a strong system that will help you stay on track and succeed.

In this episode, Dr. Juanita Braxton shares her passion for community focused public health interventions, as well as her passion for educating and serving communities.  She considers her PhD in public health to be her “community service” degree, as it provides her with the opportunity to give back to her community in many ways.  Tune in to the full episode so that you can take in all that she shared, which is truly encouraging and inspirational.

In this episode, Dr. Kathy Bianco shares her educational and career journey, connecting her healthcare career with public health.  She shares some of the challenges she faced along the way, and how she overcame those challenges to successfully complete her doctoral degree in public health.  Additionally, she shares her goals and ambition for bringing public health to physician assistant programs in California.  If you have not listened to the full episode, then I encourage you to do so.  There is so much value in her story and I’m thankful that she was generous enough to share that with my audience in this episode.   Thank you for listening!  

How do you explain your role as an epidemiologist to the non-scientific community?   As an epidemiologist, I often struggle with how to explain epidemiology to people who are not familiar with the field or my profession. I'm not sure when I've diluted the definition too much or when I've provided a little too much complex information. When I'm in a social setting and people are talking about themselves and describing what they do for a living, my mind is often racing for which versions of the definition of epidemiology will be the best to use in the conversation when it becomes my turn to respond. How do you respond in similar situations? What do you say? How do you explain your role as in epidemiologist in a way that is easily understood?   I explore some of the responses I've received to these questions in this episode.   Thank you for listening!