Title: Adventures as a student in the EPI Section’s Governing Council Shadow Program
Author:
Section/SPIG: Epidemiology
Issue Date:
By
Arpi Terzian, MPH
My participation as a student shadow at this year’s APHA Annual Meeting proved to be an enriching and exciting learning experience. I had the unique opportunity to explore the interface between epidemiology, its public health applications, and public health policy, by attending Governing Council meetings with my mentor, Dr. James Gaudino (Acting Epidemiology Section Governing Council Whip), and engaging with Epidemiology Section members in energetic business meetings. Through participation in the shadow program, I discovered that this meeting is jam packed with all sorts of scientific, philosophical, political, and social interactions. Although it is difficult to convey the educational value I gained and the inspiration and increased commitment to public health I developed from this dynamic meeting, I will highlight memorable moments that impressed me the most.
Amending policy statements for various resolutions, listening to candidates as they campaigned for positions on the Executive Board, and observing the general activities of the Governing Council allowed me to better understand the missions of APHA as well as witness how scientific evidence translates into the implementation and evaluation of public health policy. I especially enjoyed the open hearings on APHA policies. As a participant of Group D, I had the opportunity to review policies with social and other relevance. The collection of policies relating to food marketing, assault weapons, sudden infant death syndrome, maternal and child health, the global epidemic of HIV/AIDS, war, and the independence of public health while responding to terrorism, impressed me for its breadth and depth of information. That there were a group of committed scientists ready to discuss and deliberate on these resolutions astounded me. I found a piece of the puzzle that I was looking for – public health in action! Regardless of the type of meeting – whether it was a Governing Council meeting working on tasks to improve the public’s health or an Epidemiology Section meeting where I observed compassionate researchers working on strengthening its role in APHA -- I was energized by shadowing so many people who shared a common vision for achieving health equity for all.
As I return to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, there is no doubt that I will market this student shadow program as a worthwhile and integrated experience for epidemiology students interested in seeing public health and epidemiology in action.
Thank you for such an incredible experience, and I look forward to seeing you at the 2004 APHA meeting in Washington, D.C.!
Arpi Terzian can be reached via email at: <aterzian@jhsph.edu>.