Suzanne
Tell us about your role in local public health
Suzanne: I started working with the Department as an intern while I was getting my MPH from Boston University. At first, I helped with administrative tasks, and I was really happy jump in where I was needed. I was taking in and managing complaints about public and environmental health issues in the City. Then I transitioned to Environmental Health work, conducting routine health inspections for restaurants, investigating nuisance complaints such as rats and mice in homes and more. It was really interesting to go from taking in the complaints to addressing them directly and to see the flow of work.
What is your favorite part about the job?
Suzanne: The best part of this work is learning how much effort goes into keeping streets clean, preventing public health problems, and managing all of the inspections. Complaints can take months or years before they are resolved and require so much coordination with multiple different City departments and staff people. I wasn’t really aware of how much goes into this until I got my boots on the ground
What advice do you have for someone looking to begin a local public health career?
Suzanne: I recommend using your connections and network to the best of your abilities. That’s how I found all of my opportunities. Local public health is a very tight knit community.
What challenges have you encountered while working in local public health, and what strategies or approaches did you use to overcome them?
Suzanne: As much as my prior work was informed by Covid, much of the work I am doing now is informed by the current [federal] administration. As I was graduating, I saw all of these career beginning graduate level opportunities eliminated or paused and it was a shock. It’s hard to re-envision my public health career because of the current climate. Federal workforce cuts trickle down and it’s interesting to think about what fully staffed local public health would look like.
Where do you see your public health career in 20 years?
Suzanne: Global health, human rights and climate policy. Making a positive impact.
Outside of work, what hobbies or interests do you have that contribute to your well-being and perspective in your professional life?"
Suzanne: I love to prioritize friends and families. I live with friends in Boston and have a great community. Even though it’s work related, I also use my free time for climate activism and climate policy work. I attended a local youth climate forum, and I contributed to a national youth statement to the Conference of Parties, the United Nations endorsed yearly conference on climate change that is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.