As we emerge from the COVID public health emergency, it is a critical time to think about the future of public health. The next generation of public health workers will be charged with leading through the challenges that lie ahead. In this episode, we speak with Anna Heilers and Dr. Antoine Denis, two public health students who are preparing to meet these public health challenges of tomorrow.

Anna is currently an MPH candidate at Indiana University, Purdue University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. She works with the Indiana State Department of Health while in school, and during her schooling has had broad professional experience through research, internships, data collection and supporting infectious disease investigations. Antoine is an MPH student at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. In 2022, he launched an effort to improve health safety in New York City by strengthening a network of hand sanitation stations in subway stations and other transportation nodes around the city.

This month's episode is hosted by Dr. Judy Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation.

For full episode transcription, visit Contagious Conversations.

Key Takeaways:

[1:24] How did Anna get interested in public health?

[2:28] Dr. Denis shares how he got involved in public health.

[4:18] Why is engaging in the public health world important?

[6:33] What is driving schools of public health to so actively support the work of health departments across the country?

[8:20] Anna talks about the reasons for collaboration between the schools of public health and health departments.

[10:03] Antoine talks about the goals of the RISE project.

[12:35] What was the biggest surprise during the RISE project?

[14:48] Antoine speaks of Academic Immersion in Health Care, a nonprofit organization he founded.

[17:28] Anna shares her experience at the Department of Health and her current role as a Covid 19 epidemiologist on the CDC reporting team.

[20:03] How does Anna balance the workload of study while engaging in active public health work?

[21:55] Where are organizations strongest and weakest in providing public health students opportunities to interact with their communities?

[24:20] How does Anna think her experiences will shape her future career in public health?

[25:19] Antoine shares how he believes his experience will shape his future career in public health.

[27:00] What does Antoine see as the most significant challenges ahead in public health?

[28:38] Anna shares what she believes are the biggest challenges ahead in public health.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Academic Immersion in Health Care

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