Gabby Ruiz joined GW in Fall 2020 and began her role as a Graduate Student Assistant (GSA) for the Center of Excellence even before starting classes. She was involved from the very beginning, during the startup phase when the Center had just received its funding.
She contributed heavily to foundational efforts: helping build out the website, reporting structures, and project tracking systems. A major part of her work involved tracking all activities tied to the grant, student engagement, faculty publications, student projects, and other activities.
What Drew You to MCH? How has that evolved?
Gabby always had a singular focus on Maternal and Child Health, initially planning to become an OBGYN. However, her disillusionment with how women and infants are treated in the healthcare system led her to pivot to public health. Initially considering epidemiology, she discovered MCH through online searches and immediately connected with GWU’s program description.
“If you go read the program description for MCH at GWU—it’s everything that really interests me.”
At GWU, her interests spanned broadly across interpersonal violence, global health, and female genital mutilation (FGM), which became the focus of her culminating work.
Gabby credits her time at the Center of Excellence with deepening her understanding of maternal mortality and morbidity, and her specific exposure to topics such as FGM and the Black Maternal Health Crisis in Dr. McDonell's MCH I course, and broader teachings on health disparities ignited and guided her way.
“Everything I learned just reaffirmed why I was there.”
Where are you currently working?
Gabby currently works at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), a nonprofit organization serving state and territorial public health leaders. She is part of the Maternal and Child Health team, focused on the mortality and morbidity portfolio, which includes perinatal mental health, behavioral health, and related policy work. Recently, she has also been collaborating with the Chronic Disease and Health Improvement team on issues like perinatal hypertension and Alzheimer's-related projects. Her position remains highly relevant to her MCH focus from GWU.
Reflections on the Job Search Process
Gabby’s current job was her first job after graduating. She started applying a few months before graduation and received multiple offers, but was selective, prioritizing subject matter relevance, work-life balance, and a reasonable salary.
Gabby emphasized networking and leveraging GWU’s alumni and faculty connections. She also used LinkedIn Premium and noted how often professional circles in the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area looped back to GWU. Her current supervisor and their supervisor both attended GWU, and one was even a former GSA, like her!
“Networking, networking, networking… and just simply playing the numbers game.”
The Most Useful Skills from GWU and the Center of Excellence
Gabby highlighted several transformative experiences and mentors:
- Dr. McDonell’s mentorship and Gabby’s work with The Mother Lab helped her develop skills in grant writing, research, and publication.
- MCH Policy course with Dr. Anne Markus: Practical legislative and policy brief writing, a skill she uses regularly.
- Project management under Jerry Franz was instrumental. She learned Drupal, HTML, website editing, and how to work with contractors.
Unexpected Lessons from Post-Grad?
Gabby has learned to be flexible and patient. She emphasized that the pace and bureaucracy of real-world public health work differ significantly from the academic environment. She also warned against over-achievement and burnout, encouraging graduates to prioritize self-care and speak with an active rather than a passive voice.
Share a personal or professional win!
Gabby proudly shared two major wins:
- She has a 16-month-old son and values the flexibility her remote role offers in parenting.
- Professionally, she participated in a policy training with Missouri’s Title V director that ultimately led to the creation of a free dental clinic for prenatal individuals, something she helped initiate but didn’t foresee would have such a lasting impact.
CoE Shoutouts!
A special shout-out to Jerry Franz, whom Gabby praises for being so dedicated to helping her navigate job searches, salary negotiation, networking, and program management.
She also praises Dr. Vyas, Dr. Ruiz, and Dr. McDonell, all of whom are hardworking, tenacious, and passionate individuals who are very involved in their work and commitments.
Final Advice for Current Students
- Don’t give up!
- Leverage connections!
- Be aware of funding cycles and how they affect the job market!
- Stay ready!
- Reach out and ask for help, especially to alumni like herself.
“Don’t give up. Link with me on LinkedIn. I’m always happy to support students, talk to students, help with negotiation of salaries, resumes, cover letters…I’m always here to support.”