Public Health SPOTlight Podcast

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Marissa McKool, the founder and creator of McKool Coaching and the Redefining Rest Podcast for Public Health Professionals. They discuss burnout in public health professionals and how life coaching can be helpful in working through burnout. You’ll Learn Marissa’s journey from working directly in publi...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text!  Today’s career tip is on informational interviews!  Knowing what kind of career you want to one day have can give you a strong sense of control and peace of mind. It might not seem easy to conceptualize something that far into the future, but today's Quick Career Tips episode will help you do exactly that. What You'll Learn from this Epis...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani is back again with Kira Riehm, a psychiatric epidemiologist and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. This time, they talk about using Twitter as a tool for public health professionals and the benefits and opportunities the platform has in...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Tahani Waqar, a physician and community health researcher at Aga Khan University Hospital in Pakistan. They discuss what public health or community medicine is like in Pakistan and how Tahani’s love and passion for public health came to be.  You’ll Learn Tahani’s journey from clinical medicine to comm...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Dr. Nikita Sandeep Wagle, a physician-researcher from Mumbai, India who is currently working and studying in the US. They talk about Nikita’s experience as an international student and give advice for others who may be thinking about pursuing higher education in a different country.  You’ll Learn Niki...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! Today’s career tip is on career visions and the power that they hold! Knowing what kind of career you want to one day have can give you a strong sense of control and peace of mind. It might not seem easy to conceptualize something that far into the future, but today's Quick Career Tips episode will help you do exactly that. Specifically, y...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Denise Chow, a 1st year MPH student studying at the Yale School of Public Health. Denise was accepted into all five MSPH/MPH programs she applied to and in this episode, she speaks about her application process and gives some great advice for others considering pursuing a graduate degree. You’ll Learn...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Stephanie Moxley, the founder of Moxley Public Health Consulting. They discuss Stephanie’s journey into building her own public health consulting company and talk about what goes into becoming a successful entrepreneur in the public health field. You’ll Learn Stephanie’s path to public health and what...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Christina Ricci, an epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada and an avid volunteer. They discuss the importance of volunteerism and what motivates Christina to keep volunteering. You’ll Learn How Christina got into the field of public health Christina’s volunteering journey and what moti...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Tieisha Walters to discuss her experience with the Master of Public Health / Master of Science in Social Work program from Columbia University. They chat about what the dual degree is like and what doors it has opened for Tieisha. You’ll Learn How Tieishia found her way into the public health field Wh...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! Today’s career tip is to make time for self-care in your career! As much as we here at PH SPOT love talking about building a fulfilling career in public health, we recognize that doing so is not as easy as it seems and that making time for self-care is an essential part of this process. What You'll Learn from this Episode: Why self-care is...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Kira Riehm, a psychiatric epidemiologist and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. They discuss Kira’s journey and interest in mental health and things to consider when pursuing education in the U.S. You’ll Learn What kicked...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Brett Otis, the Communications Project Manager in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. They discuss Brett’s work at Harvard Chan on “The Nutrition Source” and the responsibilities of those presenting health information to the public.  You’ll Learn Brett’s caree...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Joanna Suder, a deputy attorney general representing the Division of Public Health for the state of Delaware. They chat about what tasks public health attorneys may be responsible for, how it was like working through the pandemic, and Joanna’s experiences writing “Pandemic for Babies”. You’ll Learn Ho...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! Today’s career tip is on the types of jobs that public health has to offer! The great thing about public health is that there’s a job that’s bound to match your interests, strengths, values, and needs. Today’s Quick Career Tips episode acts as an introduction to some of these jobs and why they may be a good fit for you. What You'll Learn f...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Dr. Nitin Mohan who holds both an MD and MPH. They discuss how Nitin’s work experience in medicine led him to pursuing an MPH and talk about ETIO Public Health Consultants, a company co-founded by Nitin that works to bring evidence-based public health information and solutions to businesses. You’ll Le...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Brooke Mootry, a public health recruiter who has years of experience working directly in public health. They chat about The Public Health Network, a recruitment firm founded by Brooke that focuses on those in public health, and give tips for public health professionals seeking work.  You’ll Learn Broo...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Sarah to discuss mental health and school. Sarah opens up about some of the mental health challenges she faced during the completion of her MPH coursework as well as her practicum placements and some of the steps she took to work through these obstacles. You’ll Learn Sarah’s personal experiences with...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! Today’s career tip is on choosing a public health stream that’s the right fit for you! When you do a quick search of public health programs, you’re bound to be bombarded with a list of several programs, but in this week’s episodes, we break down the main public health streams, the skills they help you develop, and the jobs they help you la...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Bhargav Krishna to discuss his experiences pursuing higher education all around the world. Bhargav gives tips on choosing between programs, considerations that need to be made when choosing programs, and shares his experience with Harvard’s Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program.  You’ll Learn Why Bha...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits with Leshawn Benedict, a cofounder of Public Health Insight. They talk about Leshawn’s story of his  involvements in different public health fields as well as what Public Health Insight is and how they're achieving their mission.  You’ll Learn How Leshawn became interested and involved in the field of public he...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani sits down with Neal Goldstein to talk about his career as an infectious disease epidemiologist and author. They discuss Neal’s career from working as an engineer to becoming a public health expert and his experience writing a book designed to explain complex scientific ideas to younger audiences.  You’ll Learn The i...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! In this episode, Sujani is back with Meghan Haffey to discuss working as a research assistant (RA) and a teaching assistant (TA). Meghan describes her own experience of working as both an RA and TA during grad school and discusses tips on how to secure and thrive in these positions.  You’ll Learn What a research assistant (RA) is What a te...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! Today’s career tip is on how to pitch your public health experience and skill-set to land that job, interview, or opportunity you’ve been eyeing for some time!  Pitching yourself to a stranger can definitely be daunting, but with the help of this week’s episode, you’ll feel confident enough to start crafting your pitch. You’ll learn: What...

Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text! On this episode, Sujani sits down with Harman Sandhu and Aditi Garg from Public Health Connect (PHC). They discuss what PHC is and how it supports students and early-career professionals to succeed in the workforce.  You’ll Learn What Public Health Connect (PHC) is and what problem space it focuses on The history of PHC What services are o...