Ready and Eager for Public Health in Action
Mildred Wallace
2nd Year, MPH, General Epidemiology Candidate
As I wrap up my MPH program and education here at the University of Michigan, I have grappled with questions relating to being adequately prepared for public health practice. How can I put my best self forward and be of service to the community? Will my academic training along with lived experiences, be sufficient in providing me with the tools necessary to make meaningful contributions in the field of public health?
I cannot express enough how grateful I am to be given the opportunity to travel to
Grenada to collaborate with a team of colleagues and government officials on establishing
a Disability Affairs Unit for Grenadian citizens. I am most looking forward to being
of aid to the community and engaging in real-time public health practice–something
I have been itching to be a part of since day one of my MPH program.
This will be one of my first international experiences, and I am so ecstatic and ready
to embrace the cultural differences that come with international public health practice.
I anticipate staying aware of my own lived experiences while retaining levels of humility
and being as flexible and adaptable as possible.
I hope that this experience will be not only meaningful to myself and my collaborators
but also to those in the community long-term, as optimal health and well-being are
of utmost importance in the field of public health, and those with disabilities deserve
adequate resources and care. I am filled with excitement and cannot wait to embark
on this journey with my peers, and I am certain that each and every one of us will
contribute to these projects meaningfully and to the best of our ability.
Go team!