Several MPH students recently attended the joint CityMatCH Leadership & MCH Epidemiology Conference (September 17 – 19, 2014, in Phoenix, AZ) and were asked to share a few thoughts about their experiences. What follows is one of these reflections.
by Alicia Lightbourne, BA
What surprised me most about the CityMatCH conference was the fight and determination in every speech I attended and the fervor of every participant. Instead of becoming jaded and complacent as they became more and more frustrated with the system, even the most senior participants were fervent about doing something and still whole-heartedly believed in that often dismissed, childish notion of ‘making a difference’. However, some pointed fingers back into the crowd when discussing why some aspects of public health hadn’t improved as much as previously hoped.
One of the more memorable speeches I attended initially seemed so obscure; it was about infographics, led by a graphic designer, and largely attended by epidemiologists. The tension was palpable almost immediately. The speaker tried to enforce that the point of public health was to compel a behavior change in the public whereas the crowd was adamant that her tactics compromised the accuracy of the data by oversimplifying it. “Who cares?” she almost yelled in response. The rising frustration humored and intrigued me. I had never before considered the lack of connection between data and policy, but here public health professionals were staunchly divided and livid – over something as basic as charts.
In the scramble for funding and accuracy, it is often easy to forget about the target audience – the public. When addressing health disparities, we need to find ways to motivate, engage, and connect. We should offer solutions and hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable epidemiology.
We not only can do better, we should be doing our best.
Alicia Lightbourne is a second-year MPH student concentrating in Maternal and Child Health. Her interests include adolescent health and how gender norms impact health outcomes.
