In these uncertain economic times, finding a job after graduation has become more difficult than ever. My fellow students who are graduating with their bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees are finding the job market much more selective than in previous years.

A few of my colleagues in PhD programs are frantically searching for jobs, picking through the “open positions” sections of public health Web sites and publications. In searching for public health positions, there is truth in the adage “it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know.” An important addition to this phrase is “it’s not just who you know, it’s who knows you.” One of the goals of the student committee of the CHPPD Section is to help students interested in community health and health policy-related careers network with professionals who are already established in these fields. Over the past three years, the student committee has created relationships, activities, and initiatives that work toward this and many other goals.  

Student committee Communications Liaison Dawn Alayon and Chair-Elect Amy Carroll-Scott at the 2007 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

The CHPPD Student Committee was established in 2006 under the leadership of Amy Carroll-Scott, who is currently the CHPPD chair-elect. Along with networking, the committee serves to create a sustainable role for students in CHPPD governance, to provide leadership and mentoring opportunities for students within CHPPD, and to help students get involved with CHPPD activities.

Much of what we do revolves around preparing for and implementing activities at the APHA Annual Meeting.  Every year, the CHPPD Student Committee takes the lead in soliciting, reviewing, and selecting student abstract submissions for oral and poster presentations. Out of hundreds of submissions, the Student Committee selects two award winners (a doctoral-level and master's-level student award), as well as four other submissions to present at the CHPPD student oral presentation session. Students have also been involved in planning and promoting the CHPPD Social Hour, where all members of CHPPD can meet each other face-to-face in a casual social setting. For the past few years, students have also been in charge of recruiting and scheduling student volunteers to staff the CHPPD information booth during the annual conference. Each year those student volunteers are matched with regular CHPPD members, providing a mentorship opportunity and as a means of introduction to CHPPD (in fact, this is the way I was introduced to CHPPD).

Student Committee members. Back row (from left): Scott Williams (Section membership co-chair), Ashley Wennerstrom, Russell McIntire (Student Committee chair-elect). Front row (from left): Kathryn Eclar, Darrell Triplett, Dawn Alayon, P.T. Lee.

At present, we on the CHPPD Student Committee are eager to continue these successful activities. We have a relatively new team of leaders on the committee this year; only three of us have previous experience with CHPPD, so we’re team-building and trying to get to know each other. New technology will help facilitate our growth as a committee, our involvement in CHPPD initiatives, and in achieving our goals. We are very excited about CHPPD’s adoption of the Collaboration and Insider wiki pages.  These pages will help us access CHPPD news updates, forums, and activities, and give our committee more opportunities to participate in section decisions. Also, the Student Committee has created a Facebook group in order to recruit student members to both the student committee and CHPPD. Facebook gives us more direct (practically instantaneous) communication between Student Committee members. This site will encourage discussions, posting of pictures, and networking, and can be used to promote general CHPPD initiatives such as the photojournalism and t-shirt contests, and Webinars. 

It is through these activities that the CHPPD Student Committee will continue advocating for student interests within the Section. We look forward to continuing to develop mutually beneficial relationships between students and the general membership of CHPPD. Only through communication, cooperation and teamwork can we further the initiatives of CHPPD and APHA; and, ultimately, help build stronger, healthier communities both domestically and abroad.

By Russell K. McIntire, CHPPD Student Committee Chair-Elect, rkmcinti@indiana.edu