Why did you pick this program?
I picked the program because I wanted to make an impact on public and global health using my passion, experience, and dedication to community service.
How did you find your practicum?
My practicum was with HealthBridge, a Canadian non-profit organization. I found the practicum through one of the emails sent by our practicum coordinator.
Three things drew me to this practicum: the task of conducting a challenging literature review, the topic of environment and health, as well as the organization’s connection to my place of birth (Nepal).
What projects did you work on?
Climate change is devastating populations all over the world, and cities are disproportionately affected because of factors such as their built environment and population density. Cities all over the world have recognized the threats posed by climate change, and some have implemented strategies to become resilient to climate-risks.
My task was to research examples from around the globe to see if I can find common strategies or interventions which could be recommended to HealthBridge’s partners in developing nations. I did a massive literature review of grey literature and journal articles to search for examples and resilience concepts.
As I continued to research, it became apparent to me that there were themes and commonalities in all the examples. Ultimately, I was able to conduct qualitative data analysis to recommend seven strategies which cities can adopt in various scales to become resilient to climate-related disasters.
What did you learn that will help you in the future?
One of the most important things I learned was how to develop a product intended for an international audience.
In the Master of Public Health (MPH) program, I have written plenty of academic papers, and I am confident in my abilities. I thought writing a paper would be a piece of cake, but writing for a diverse audience was a new experience, and could be challenging at times.
I had to find ways to share the same information in several formats and be mindful of the readability of my paper so partners with a different first language could easily decipher the contents of my work. I had so much information to put on my paper, and conveying all of it in a practical way was both challenging and rewarding.
This is a transferrable skill I can apply to many other areas.
Would you recommend this program? Why?
I would absolutely recommend this program! Public health is such a broad field, and there are so many things that affect public health.
The MPH program does a great job exposing you to the various factors which impact public health – some are obvious such as the pandemic, but some are less obvious such as the effects of of climate change. I learned things I had absolutely no idea about (e.g., Indigenous perspectives on health and well-being).
The course offerings in the program are quite diverse, and the instructors are people with real passion and expertise for their subjects, which made learning even more enjoyable.
Learn more about me!
Get to know more about her by connecting with Shweta on Linkedin!