This semester, I have had the opportunity to work at March of Dimes as a health policy fellow. Through this fellowship, I have gained hands-on health policy experience and have been able to apply concepts learned in the classroom to real-world public health problems.
The timing of my fellowship lined up with the state legislative sessions in Maryland and Virginia. As a policy fellow, a lot of my work involved tracking the status of priority legislation, preparing for state and federal advocacy days, and supporting March of Dimes events such as March for Change and March for Babies.
One of the highlights of my time at March of Dimes was the federal March for Change advocacy day on Capitol Hill. I worked with other fellows to prepare documents and folders for advocates who traveled from across the country to advocate for mothers and babies, helped with check-in and set-up, and was able to participate as an advocate. My team and I went to the offices of several Texas legislators to ask for support on bills supporting maternal and child health. As someone with little policy experience prior to this fellowship, this glimpse into the legislative process was invaluable.
Throughout this fellowship, I have gained a stronger understanding of how health policy works across multiple levels of government, have gotten meaningful advocacy experience, participated in non-profit event planning, and learned about relevant MCH legislation being passed in Maryland and Virginia. I am grateful for the support of March of Dimes and the GW MCH Center of Excellence for this incredible opportunity!