Six of our MCH students attended the 2020 annual meeting of the American Public Health Association(APHA), held October 24-28, 2020, online. What follows is a post from one of the attendees.
Briasha Jones, BS
As a first year MPH student and being new to the field of public health in general, this year’s APHA conference was exactly what I needed. I came into this program with a new passion for the important work that public health leaders do and some ideas about what my path would be like upon completion, but still no definite plan for myself. My goals while attending this conference were to gain a sense of how this important work was carried out all over and to be inspired and empowered by those leaders. Although the conference was virtual, I could still feel the passion and energy of the speakers through the screen.
I mostly attended sessions that spoke about health disparities of birth outcomes, experiences of mothers and reproductive health. However, I did step out of my main interests for some sessions. In a session titled “ Addressing Social Injustice: Intersections of Health Disparities, COVID & HIV”, a quote from one of the panelists really stuck out and stayed with me. She stated that “People closest to the pain are the people closest to the power.” She went on to describe how important meaningful community engagement is and how we are serving them so that we must do the things they say will help and not what we think will help. I believe that this quote and many of the other quotes and ideas I have scrawled in my notebook from this conference will guide me as I navigate my journey to become a public leader just like the ones who inspired me at APHA 2020. I may still not be sure of my exact path but I have a new found confidence in my ability to figure it out and eventually leave an impact. I now know much more about the options that are there for me. I am very excited about what the future has for me and the next year’s conference!
Briasha Jones, BS, is a first year MPH student concentrating in Maternal and Child Health. She plans to graduate in May 2022. Her research interests include disparities in maternal and infant mortality, women’s reproductive and sexual health and midwifery care. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, Netflix binging, cycling classes and spending time with family!
