Katherine Cox matriculated at GW in the summer of 2023, bringing with her an interest in the history and health of women and children. She calls public health “a jack of all trades” because you take skills and knowledge from multiple disciplines and translate them into real world impacts. Knowing the basics of different, yet related, subject matters and how they all fit together in the bigger picture of public health has helped her succeed in her postgrad career.
In her time with the CoE, she became a jack of all trades herself, working on an IEP for reproductive health policy, leading the Leadership Training Program, conducting a needs assessment with the Virginia Department of Health, and learning the ins and outs of the third floor office. In describing her time with the Center, she said, “I was basically a ‘Yes man’ for opportunities.” When reflecting on her time at GW, she has “nothing but great memories” and is glad that she took advantage of every opportunity offered to her.
What Drew You to MCH?
Katherine has always been interested in MCH topics, even before choosing to pursue her MPH. In undergrad, she minored in history and used those credits to focus on the history of women, children, and vulnerable populations in the United States. As a senior in college, Katherine knew she wanted to continue her public health education, especially seeing how policy changes were impacting MCH populations. After doing some research, she applied to schools based on the recipients of the MCH Center of Excellence grant. One of the main draws of GW’s MCH program was the emphasis on policy embedded within it. Combined with the curriculum, the work of the CoE, and caliber of faculty, GW became the clear choice.
Where are you currently working? The evolution of “Why MCH?”
Katherine works with the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) as a Title V block grant coordinator. Working in this role has helped her see how the Title V grant is an “investment”, rather than simply a funding stream, into long-term MCH outcomes. Her experience with logic models has made her an invaluable member of the team, helping streamline the Virginia State Action Plan and Annual Report writing.
The Most Useful Skills from GW and the Center of Excellence
Katherine notes that Planning and Implementing Health Promotion Programs and Program Evaluation were really helpful classes, calling the skills she obtained from those courses her “bread and butter” in her work today. She named programmatic and data analysis skill development as key areas that she uses in her day-to-day work tasks. Specifically, she finds her expertise in logic models and SPSS, which she refined at GW, as particularly useful in her role at VDH.
Katherine also credits her time with the Center in helping develop her “soft skills.” She got to collaborate with GSAs from other departments and saw firsthand how important the face-to-face connection that comes with being in office truly is.
Share a professional win!
In April 2026, Katherine’s CE project, titled “Burnout and Adverse Childhood Experiences in the Maternal and Child Health Workforce,” was published in The Journal of Primary Care and Community Health. The open-access article can be read here.
CoE Shoutout
Katherine would like to shout out Jerry Franz, for being her mentor and advocate throughout her time at GW, as well as Dr. Michelle Clausen for helping her get her CE published, and all the faculty at the CoE!