Graduate / "Cancer" - Personal Statement for a Masters of Public Health Program [4]

Cancer. Yes that terrible 6 letter word that is becoming more and more common across the world. I was first introduced to this dreadful word my senior year of high school, when my mother broke the news to my family that this disease had been found within her breast. Over the next several months she began to undergo Chemotherapy in an effort to combat the cancer cells. I was enrolled in the Health Academy at my high school which prepared students for health related careers; this allowed me to be with her while she received her Chemotherapy during my clinical rotations to the Cancer Center. Seeing how many different people were working together as a team with her to fight this disease amazed me and further validated my decision to pursue a career in the health field.

Though I had initially decided to pursue a pre-med degree in college, I realized that there were many factors that cause people to become sick than just exposure to disease. I was introduced to public health and never turned back Through Public Health practice and advocacy; it is possible to prevent communicable and chronic diseases that affect many individuals such as my mother.

Currently, I am employed by the American Institutes for Research, one of the largest behavioral and social science research and evaluation non-profit organizations in the world. Presently, I work under contract for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a bilingual Inquiry Response Associate. This position has allowed me to gain valuable research experience by performing searches of online, print, and technical resources on health issues related to the NIAID areas of concern. I also assist in identifying and maintaining the most current, accurate, appropriate, and relevant resource and referral information. In addition, I have gained beneficial health communication experience by developing appropriate and accurate responses, in English and Spanish, to mail, e-mail, fax, and telephone inquiries addressed to NIAID. All of which are fundamental elements of public health.

The Master of Public Health program in Public Health Practice and Policy at the University of Maryland is the ideal fit for my needs due to its focus on working professionals and its proximity to not only NIH, but Washington D.C. as well. I would like to pursue a career as a Public Health Advisor for NIH on federally and state funded programs. While in this program, I hope to gain a more in depth understanding of the public health field as well as learn critical skills that I did not acquire as an undergrad like grant writing and program management. I would also like to gain experience working with obesity and diabetes prevention programs targeting minorities, specifically Latino and African Americans, as the rates of these diseases continue to rise among these populations. Further in the future I would like to help facilitate the opening of a primarily grant funded community health center that will focus on prevention and take a more holistic approach to the health of its patients. I feel that this program will continue to fuel my passion for public health and provide me with the leadership and experience I will need to achieve my goals.