Is an MPH degree right for me?, with Reena Anthonyraj
08/16/23 • 46 min
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In this episode, Sujani sits down with Reena Anthonyraj, a public health professional coming from a background in dentistry. They discuss Reena’s transition from dentistry to public health, how to tell if an MPH is right for you, and how you can work to better public health without necessarily having a dedicated degree.
You’ll Learn
- How Reena found her way into public health from her time working as a dentist at a public hospital in Mumbai
- Questions to ask yourself to determine why you want to work in public health
- Factors to consider when choosing which program or school to complete your degree in
- A brief overview of the Cooperative MPH program between Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Indian Institute of Health Management and Research
- Ways you can work in public health without having a dedicated degree
- Why keeping an open mind is just as useful as knowing which specific area in public health you want to work in
Today’s Guest
Reena Anthonyraj is a dedicated public health professional with a Master's in Public Health and a background in Dentistry. With a span of 6 years, she has gained significant international experience in community engagement, applied research, and the development as well as management of evidence-informed programs. Her passion lies in addressing health inequities and social determinants by fostering collaboration with diverse stakeholders, to uplift marginalized communities and enhance their access to care, ultimately improving overall health outcomes. She was awarded the prestigious Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship in 2017 for a research fellowship at the University of Montreal, to develop an evidence-informed framework for tobacco prevention in Indian urban schools, based on Canadian best practices in school health promotion. Since then, her experience encompasses various projects with community-based organizations, international donors, and healthcare providers in the Global South, spanning multiple thematic areas including Sexual and Reproductive Health, Menstrual Equity, HIV, Adolescent Health, and Primary Healthcare. Majority of her work has revolved around qualitative research, project design, strategic planning, knowledge synthesis, program management, and utilizing evidence to drive impactful and sustainable programs. Reena’s multifaceted experience, coupled with her unwavering commitment, exemplifies a public health professional who continuously strives to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities in underserved communities.
Resources
- Follow Reena on LinkedIn
Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.
Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!
Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text!
In this episode, Sujani sits down with Reena Anthonyraj, a public health professional coming from a background in dentistry. They discuss Reena’s transition from dentistry to public health, how to tell if an MPH is right for you, and how you can work to better public health without necessarily having a dedicated degree.
You’ll Learn
- How Reena found her way into public health from her time working as a dentist at a public hospital in Mumbai
- Questions to ask yourself to determine why you want to work in public health
- Factors to consider when choosing which program or school to complete your degree in
- A brief overview of the Cooperative MPH program between Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Indian Institute of Health Management and Research
- Ways you can work in public health without having a dedicated degree
- Why keeping an open mind is just as useful as knowing which specific area in public health you want to work in
Today’s Guest
Reena Anthonyraj is a dedicated public health professional with a Master's in Public Health and a background in Dentistry. With a span of 6 years, she has gained significant international experience in community engagement, applied research, and the development as well as management of evidence-informed programs. Her passion lies in addressing health inequities and social determinants by fostering collaboration with diverse stakeholders, to uplift marginalized communities and enhance their access to care, ultimately improving overall health outcomes. She was awarded the prestigious Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship in 2017 for a research fellowship at the University of Montreal, to develop an evidence-informed framework for tobacco prevention in Indian urban schools, based on Canadian best practices in school health promotion. Since then, her experience encompasses various projects with community-based organizations, international donors, and healthcare providers in the Global South, spanning multiple thematic areas including Sexual and Reproductive Health, Menstrual Equity, HIV, Adolescent Health, and Primary Healthcare. Majority of her work has revolved around qualitative research, project design, strategic planning, knowledge synthesis, program management, and utilizing evidence to drive impactful and sustainable programs. Reena’s multifaceted experience, coupled with her unwavering commitment, exemplifies a public health professional who continuously strives to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities in underserved communities.
Resources
- Follow Reena on LinkedIn
Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.
Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!
Previous Episode
From the White House to a career in Public Health, with Bernard Toney Jr.
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In this episode, Sujani sits down with Bernard Toney Jr., a former White House Medical Officer and US Army Veteran. They talk about Bernard’s time in the military and the White House and what led him to pursuing a career in population health.
You’ll Learn
- How an event in Bernard’s early years led to an interest in medical sciences and how his experiences serving in the military later on cemented his passion for population health
- How Bernard was able to gain experience in the medical field while not officially in a healthcare position
- What to consider if you are thinking of pursuing a new degree
- How Bernard got his role as a White House Medical Officer and what duties and responsibilities it involved
- How the COVID pandemic changed these roles and his interests
- Bernard’s experiences with racial discrimination and other hardships throughout his career and how he has dealt with these issues
Today’s Guest
Bernard Toney Jr. is a Former White House Medical Officer and US Army Veteran.
He is currently completing his Master of Public Health Degree at The George Washington University in May and currently works at the National Institutes of Health.
While serving in the White House Medical Unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to transition into the field of public health after seeing the inquiries that led to significant morbidity and mortality for marginalized populations while traveling in support of the President, Vice President, and First Lady.
Resources
- Follow Bernard on LinkedIn
Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.
Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!
Next Episode
Bringing human voice to Public Health problems, with Andrea Mantsios
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In this episode, Sujani sits down with Andrea Mantsios, the Founder and Principal Consultant of Public Health Innovation and Action. They discuss Andrea’s career journey, how to navigate through jobs and experiences in your career, and how social justice and focusing on the human voice has been central through Andrea’s life.
You’ll Learn
- How the concept of social justice was instilled on Andrea from an early age and how she found her way into public health
- Andrea’s various job experiences and research interests
- Andrea’s experience doing global health in Tanzania and how it helped her connect theory to reality in health education
- Things to consider if you are thinking about pursuing higher education to open up job prospects
- Tips on crafting your career around your passions and personal lifestyle
- Why Andrea created her own public health consulting company to pursue her passions in public health
Today’s Guest
Andrea Mantsios, PhD, MHS, is Founder and Principal Consultant of Public Health Innovation and Action (Phia), a public health consultancy focused on amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities to promote equity in health research and programs. Her career has included working in government, academia, and healthcare institutions in settings around the world including the U.S., Latin America, Africa, and Europe. Andrea has a passion for qualitative research and focuses her work on the role of social and structural factors in shaping health outcomes. She has worked extensively on community-empowerment approaches to addressing HIV among female sex workers in Tanzania and conducting qualitative research in the U.S. and Spain on patient and provider experiences with long-acting injectable anti-retroviral therapy to inform programmatic rollout. Andrea's previous work includes research on risks for HIV, tuberculosis, and syphilis among people who use drugs in Tijuana, Mexico, and large-scale program design for New York City’s jurisdictional efforts to scale up routine HIV screening in health care and community settings. Andrea received her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Health Science (MHS) degrees from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. When she's not working, Andrea can be found in the kitchen making family recipes with her kids.
Resources
- Follow Andrea on LinkedIn
- Learn more about PHIA Consulting
Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.
Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!
Public Health SPOTlight Podcast - Is an MPH degree right for me?, with Reena Anthonyraj
Transcript
Ask yourself, you know where I want to work? And where do I see myself contributing in my career path? I think you just need to do a lot of self introspection to then understand whether MPH is the right path for you or not, because that's exactly what I did.
SujaniWelcome to PH SPOTlight, a community for you to build your public health career with. Join Us Weekly right here. And I'll be here too, your host
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