My Master of Public Health(MPH) practicum exposure reinforced my theoretical training; It placed me at the heart of participatory research impacting the marginalized population. In addition, my experience mirrored all the topics that I have chosen for MPH course papers. Most of my course papers covered various topics such as homelessness, chronic diseases, housing, tobacco health inequalities, and the vulnerable population. Moreover, my team’s expertise has provided me with the best education to advance my learning. I have gained an in-depth appreciation of what goes into peer-led community-based participatory research: the people, the passion, the compassion, the sense of belonging, the skills, and the advocacy. It was both humbling and uplifting at the same time. It met above and beyond my set of learning objectives, including but not limited to research questionnaire development, data manipulations, teamwork etiquettes, and the exposure to proposal writing. Thank you for taking me under your wings and preparing me for the current Federal Work Experience Program(FSWEP) position as a Junior epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada(PHAC). I believe that the core of public health reflects on how societies look after their most vulnerable subpopulations. BRIDGE Center’s work, led by Dr. Pakhale, tries to close that gap. Indeed, my 2021 Spring/Summer experience laid the foundation for a strong public health practice lens.
Thank you
Hubi