I did my summer fellowship with the District of Columbia Department of Health, aka D.C. Health. As a student with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health (MCH), I was excited to be working with their Family Health Bureau. We had the chance to work on projects/deliverables that we wanted to be a part of.
As someone who has public health experience under their belt but is currently not working in public health, it was interesting being back in the scene and remembering the type of things a public health worker does. For example, I complete a yearly needs assessment for my job, but updating needs assessments in a public health setting looks a little different. But overall, one of the main things that was important for me to remember during my fellowship was the importance of teamwork. There are many chances to work independently, but public health requires working with others from different departments to all come together for a project or goal. This can be tough when you are balancing other obligations, but it can be managed.
I learned around this time that one of my specific interests within public health in general and the bureau that I interned with was school health. Though the bureau had a Child, Adolescent, and School Health (CASH) Division, I was able to explore more towards the end of the summer. This type of work gives me hope and excitement, and I would like to pursue my interest in school health more in the years to come.
For any people interested in applying, I encourage you to do so. Experience, in my opinion, is far more valuable than solely learning inside the classroom. It lets you get a sense of the type of work you will do, the skills you need, and the interests you may have. It reinvigorated some of my specific interests in MCH, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been a fellow.