Students

Jessica Mark '10

For Amber Sligar, it was an undergraduate minor in public health at Boston University that got her hooked. Alison Whitehead was a world away, a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic working on reproductive and sexual health issues when she got bit by the bug. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., public relations work on health education campaigns made Jessica Mark reconsider her future.

Many Mailman School students can recall the class, the book, or the job experience that gave them a taste of public health, left them wanting more and ultimately inspired them to devote two years to obtaining a master’s degree in public health. Now, as graduates, members of the Class of 2010 seek ways to use their newfound skills to achieve their dreams of making a mark in the world of public health.

One route to doing so is through competitive fellowships that provide a combination of public health experience and additional training and mentoring, often at a national or global level. A number of last year’s graduates snagged prestigious one- or two-year fellowships.

“I Get to Apply Everything I Learned”

Cathy Baroang '10

With jobs focusing on such varied areas as healthcare for female veterans, U.S. funded refugee programs in Africa, and national healthcare policy, Mailman School fellows will be immersed in topics important for the country as a whole, yet dear to them as individuals.

Cathy Baroang, a dual degree graduate in Social Work and the Forced Migration Program, interned last summer in Kuala Lampur working on family planning use and practices among refugees for the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees. It was her practicum experience, a requirement for all Mailman School MPH students, that helped lead to a fellowship position as a foreign affairs officer with the Department of State evaluating refugee programs in the horn of Africa.

“It’s exciting,” Ms. Baraong explains, “because I actually get to apply everything I’ve learned at the School in this role.”

Jessica Mark entered the Sociomedical Sciences (SMS) program with substantial communications experience and was able to combine her two passions, public health and communications, in her practicum with the Department of Bioinformatics where she worked on developing an online diagnostic assessment tool that provided feedback to patients on behaviorial risks for heart disease.

When Ms. Mark starts her new position next week with the Department of Health and Human Services, she will focus on government health promotion websites and integrating social media. She sounds amazed that it all came together so well considering that she was not only balancing her own career goals, but also geographic and family concerns.

Ms. Mark reflects, “It was the experiences I had working with the Department of Bioinformatics and with SMS that were a big part of why I got this fellowship and how I got to where I am.”

Applications, Recommendations, and a Personality Test?

Alexandra Belcher '10

As pleased as the fellows are with their assignments, many found that getting through the application process was not for the faint of heart.

The Presidential Management Fellow’s lengthy process, for instance, required students to complete an in-depth application, obtain a nomination from the School, complete a four-hour computer test evaluating their personalities, logic and writing, and, for the finalists, participate in a marathon of interviews at a job fair.  

“It was definitely a challenge, I never had to do so many interviews in one day ever,” recalls Ms. Baroang. “It’s really hard to prepare yourself because the agencies are so different and you want to tailor your conversations to the agency and the position.”

But the process has been worth it for the fellows who are looking long-term to build a career path in public health. Alexandra Belcher, who was awarded the Allan Rosenfield Fellowship in Health Policy and Public Health and will be working with the Kaiser Family Foundation, explains, “Part of the fellowship is for them to help you figure out the next steps for your career. Through the work, you gain lots of connections and you’re able to learn what’s going on in the policy world and beyond.”

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To learn more about 2011 fellowship opportunities, visit the Office of Career Services. Current students and Mailman School alumni may also email TCL1 @columbia.edu to request to join the Office’s mailing list for updates on fellowships and other post-graduate opportunities.

Fellowships awarded to the Class of 2010 include:

The Allan Rosenfield Fellowship in Health Policy and Public Health

• Alexandra Belcher – Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Kaiser Family Foundation

The ASPH/CDC Allan Rosenfield Global Health Fellowship Program

• Erin Wheeler - M & E Fellow, Rwanda

Presidential Management Fellowship

• Cathy Baroang – Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Department of State
• Amber Sligar – Evaluation Team, Food and Drug Administration
• Anu Torgal – The Women Veterans Strategic Healthcare Group, Department of Veterans’ Affairs
• Alison Whitehead – The Women Veterans Strategic Healthcare Group, Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Public Health Prevention Service Fellowship

• Colleen Kapsimalis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Service Fellowship in Health Communication and eHealth

• Jessica Mark – Communications and eHealth Team, Office of Disease Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services

July 12, 2010