Congratulations MPH Class of 2012!

Katie Sloter

Congratulations to my fellow MPH graduates (ahem, ‘colleagues’). Thursday quite a few of us walked across the stage and received our pin (diploma to come later in the mail).

As I wrap up my time blogging here, I want to extend a thank you to my professors, co-workers/bosses, friends, and any readers. I have come away from this MPH program with some life-long friends and some more focused goals for the future. I am excited to realize that the people in my class will go on to do amazing things. We’ve been applying for jobs as well as frantically wrapping up our two-year program, and it is exciting for me to see the return on the investment we’ve made. Some classmates are going on to further their education– everything from law school to medical school, social work to education. Some have received competitive fellowships through the CSTE or Global Health Core, or jobs in academia or the government. All I know is that I am extremely proud of my classmates and my friends, and have no doubt that though we’ll take diverse paths– the success of each of them I will count as my own. After all, if they win, so do I.

Once again, congratulations class of 2012. I will miss you dearly, and am so very proud of you.

An “Easy” Question

Katie Sloter

Why do we care about health?

…

…

…

“Well Katie. That is pretty obvious isn’t it? Because errrr… we… want people to be healthy?”

Here is the deal. Is it really about the 50 pounds? The black lung? The jaundiced skin and the failing liver?

Keep focused. Keep in mind why you chose to do this, why you keep choosing it. Remember your motivation when you are looking for jobs, internships, etc. Why are you here? Why do you care about health in the first place?

I largely chose health as a field because it acts as a return to baseline. How will things change politically, artistically, socially, if people are dying and sick? How can you focus on development, infrastructure, women’s rights, education– when there is such a basic kind of disadvantage?

I chose to focus on health as a field because it is an equalizer of sorts.

It is less about the physical than the intangible value of time and quality of life. I measure things in time– particularly costs. This shirt is worth 1.5 hours of my life. This master’s degree is worth… (okay let’s not talk about that …)

But how much is that vaccine, that health center, that disaster response worth? Which is implicitly asking– how much is that population worth?

And then.

How much is a human being worth?

And of the things I know to be true, I know that the value and worth of an individual is equal to that of any other individual, and that each human being has the right to fight for that life, and create with it, and focus on more than just survival. Suddenly the intervention, the initiative, the response is no longer about money or health or accolades at a conference somewhere. It is about time and the value of a person’s life.

So, insert-correct-name-of-aspiring-health-practitioner-here. Why do you care about health?

On Community

Katie Sloter

 

When I first moved here, I had come from spending a year living at home after college, working as a writer and dealing with health issues. I had traveled fairly extensively for my age, but was strangely saddened and scared of moving to a brand new place 11 hours away from my hometown.

Of course, I was focused, and I knew that I wanted my MPH for the career I wanted. I liked Ann Arbor’s charm, and knew logically this was the best decision. However, it was difficult to transition during that first week or two before school started and I did not know a soul.

I cannot tell you how fast that time has passed.  I am now faced with an engaging community whom I have come to care deeply about, and am once again strangely saddened that the dynamic will permanently change in just a few months. However, I am also excited for the futures and careers of friends whom I truly believe will do extraordinary things—and I feel privileged to be witness to it, and to have known them. I feel privileged to have gained community here in such a short time.

Life as a Grad Student– and GSI

Katie Sloter

Hello all!

I hope finals are going okay (“grumble grumble just get me through”). I hear you, but don’t despair, break is just around the bend.

I just wanted to write a short post on what it is like to be a GSI and be in graduate school full time. I feel very fortunate to have a GSI position (out-of-state tuition … I am from Iowa, remember?) However, it is a lot of work.

Did you hear me? A LOT. As in 30 hours a week on top of a full time course load.

However, I am learning way more than I ever thought I would teaching. I thought I would share some tidbits and positives (other than funding) that might make you consider applying for a GSI position.

1) I manage my time better. This includes truly valuing my sleep, which is a fairly new concept. It also includes truly prioritizing and balancing relationships with what I want to take out of my course load. I have also taken less than 15 credit hours this semester, which I have never done in the history of my college career (I am one of those nerdy types that gets seduced by those pithy course descriptions, and visions/promises of knowledge just dance around before my eyes).

2) The material I am teaching is relevant in my own profession. As public health is not traditionally an undergraduate degree, I am surprised at how much I am learning as I am teaching. Research methods, however, is extremely applicable to my own course load.

3) I enjoy my students, and want them to do well. This may not be “learning” exactly, but I count it as a reward. I am excited to see where some of them end up, and hope they have learned something in  my class on their way there.

4) I have developed relationships in other departments. Working with other GSIs and the professor of the course I GSI for has been a great experience, and it gives me a different perspective listening to their career path and insights.

5) I am organized. This may go hand in hand with 1, but I always envied those people with the bubbly handwriting and perfectly organized notebooks. However, this position has helped me organize (albeit with the same spazzy handwriting). But now, there is highlighting involved in the planning process. Color-coded highlighting= so very organized.

So there you go, some definite benefits to consider. Don’t be intimidated to apply to a position– you just might get it! AND the benefits. (Did I mention the color-coding? It could happen to you.)

Top 5 Things I Learned From My Summer Internship

Katie Sloter

Hello everyone! I hope that your summers are going well. You new-comers into SPH are probably getting excited/nervous about coming in (new pencils/pens/binders/first-day-of-school-outfit anyone?) Don’t be nervous! We (second-years) are excited to meet you!

Second-years are probably just finishing up some amazing experiences that we cannot wait to share with each-other, and have new challenges and experiences coming up– whether that is teaching a class at the University of Michigan, deciding on what direction you want to head after SPH, or simply clarifying the path you want to take while still at SPH.

But I am getting ahead of myself (a tendency I admit I do have!) My intention for this post was to talk a little bit about my Summer internship. I worked for an organization located in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic. The organization worked in many capacities to serve children in various communities in the region. This is a smattering of what I learned this summer:

1) Be picky. (Originally). Get out what you want to get out of whatever experience you have. Decide your goals early on. If you want to work with international populations in Latin America, try to use your Spanish over the summer. For me, this was one of the most important choices I made.

2) That being said, also be open. For example– I ended up doing an in-depth report into cerebral palsy (causes, possible needs assessment questions, prevention) because there seemed to be a high proportion in the communities we visited. It is not necessarily what I expected to be doing, but it presented itself as an opportunity that was needed.

3) Take the good…with the not so good. Our organization was in the process of transitioning leadership, and I was asked to complete recommendations on each of the programs. This was an opportunity that my organization had to have some of their inefficiencies revealed. My public health courses definitely came into play as what I first thought of as ‘intuitive’ problems were actually things I had learned in my classes. Although seeing inefficiencies is difficult, being able to humbly discuss them in my recommendations allowed the new leadership to consider how things could improve. The new director was very happy to discuss our observations, and it was encouraging to hear her talk about how change would be implemented in the future.

4) Appreciate your co-workers. Taking the time to hear the stories of the people we worked with, talk to the leaders, and lean on each other was so valuable. We learned about cultural issues, the workings of our organization, the problems of the country as well as what people were proud of in their country by taking the time to listen and get to know our co-workers. Additionally, the other two girls from SPH and I definitely leaned on one another to get through waterless weeks, slow days, and learning a new language and place.

5) Apply your experiences to the future. I found that my nutrition course, HIV/AIDS in the Developing World, and Needs Assessment course were all very useful and practical. Therefore, in my future course of study, I definitely am planning on taking similar courses. Additionally, I found that structural issues, lack of safety for a woman in the city, and a needs assessment to determine what is actually needed are all critical factors in both an organization I would someday like to work for as well as a place I would like to live.

So– I hope this encourages you to take a look at your own experiences. For new students, I know any of us would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the internships or anything else in SPH. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have questions.

For second-years, I look forward to seeing you again. For new students, I truly look forward to meeting you! Welcome!

Wrapping up the year

Katie Sloter

I have one more final on Wednesday, and then I get to go home. After I move from my apartment (with the help of good friends donating their time and muscles!) After I drive 11 hours in Rhonda my Honda.

I am very excited for my field experience this Summer in the Dominican Republic, where I will be working with mothers of children under the age of five to improve child health. I am excited to utilize and improve my Spanish and I am excited for classes next semester (I nerd out in choosing my classes fairly meticulously).

I love Ann Arbor, and I am a bit sad I won’t get to see these Summer activities and enjoy the warmth I have heard so much about.

I love all that this school has to offer, I love my courses and friends and this town.

However, most of all, I love my family and miss them, and as much as I enjoy this place– nothing is more exciting right now than the thought of going home.

Health Communication

Katie Sloter

Hello everyone! Hope you are hanging in there with the end of the semester approaching!

Health communication. What does that mean to you? Depending on your department, you may have different ideas. You could consider it to be a report conveying qualitative or quantitative data, that perfectly executed graph, or a specifically planned intervention. It could mean a speech, a lecture, a luncheon.

I personally enjoy the power of the arts when utilized to impart health messages, specifically theater. I fell in love with theater very young, and was actually accepted into a theater conservatory after high school. My parents encouraged us and our various curiosities– I remember going to horse camp, ‘young scientist camp’ and theater camp.

I have always loved theater, but I first saw theater being used as a way to communicate health messages when I was 16 years old, the summer after my junior year of high school.  Children from the local schools in Tororo, Uganda sang songs and performed skits about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and behavioral risk factors. They were dynamic, entertaining– and I remember almost verbatim their messages to this day.

Inspired by this idea, I joined ‘Hope Troupe,’ a theater troupe that wrote vignettes about the various forms of child abuse, and performed them at local schools. I was amazed at how the children and even teachers related and felt so connected to our characters on stage in a way that wouldn’t have been possible with statistics alone. There was a forum for counseling and private discussion afterwards, as well as a way to follow-up with children who identified with our characters. Additionally I worked as a Standardized Patient, using theater as an educational tool for future physicians who would diagnose my various characters of her ailments (including everything from extreme pain from an ectopic pregnancy to an over-medicated college student with a respiratory illness).

This week, I am so pleased to be able to attend Sarah Jones and her one woman performance ‘A Right to Care.’ (see sample work here). I am excited to see theater utilized as a means of health communication on campus. Check out her (free!) performance at 3:30 pm on Thursday, March 31 at Rackham. Don’t forget to register, and hope I see you there too!

Tuesday: I may or may not have Googled, “Is 23 too old to become a movie star?”

Katie Sloter

George Clooney is shorter than I thought he would be. But George is funny. And laid back. Mostly, he seemed kind. And I was just a little teensy bit starstruck. But ya know, I played it cool. Partly, because I am cool. But mostly, because the piece of paper with all the rules on it detailed no phones, no photos, no squealing,  no bothering the busy actors … and directors.

I was a theatre minor in undergrad (among a few other things) and so when a news link popped up saying that the Ides of March was taking applications for extras, I immediately sent in my information. This is a feature film about politics, and the dirty work that can occur there, directed by Clooney.

I heard back on Sunday that I had made the paid extras bracket in the movie. Call time was at 6 am Monday morning, and I was to be a student attending a primary democratic convention. I made my coffee, and drove to the extras parking lot at 5:45 am, carefully picked-out outfits in hand. A shuttle then took us to ‘extras holding’ where staff chose which outfit was most ‘democratic’ looking, gave us paper-work, and fed us a fairly decent breakfast. Since it was the paid group, this was a smaller group of people (aka more George time). We were painstakingly arranged (for over 3 hours!) to look ‘randomized’ and ‘diversified’. Each seat we would sit was hand-picked by staff. I got assigned to the third row.

We did take after take of George Clooney (aka Mayor- so-and-so main-character-guy) and a student having a discussion about civil rights. The cameras panned across the audience attending the primary (me!) and the extras leaned towards this camera and that camera, trying to maybe make it in the film.

The day didn’t wrap until 4 pm, when Ryan Gosling made an appearance. Who knew? Ann Arbor ain’t L.A., but that doesn’t mean you too couldn’t one day make your fabulous feature film debut…

What Really Happened– Japan Nuclear Power Plant Crisis

Katie Sloter

My only ‘exposure’ to nuclear radiation is limited to a book review on ‘The Radioactive Boy Scout’ and jokes about growing an additional arm after the questionably high chemical levels in the Iowa City river where I went to undergraduate.

When I heard about the nuclear plant crisis in Fukushima earlier this week, bad montages from Erin Brockovich zipped through my mind. That is why I was so fortunate to attend a session with Jim Martin, former professor in radiological health sciences, and Kim Kearfott, leading expert in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences. They both agreed to attend an EHS Principles of Risk Assessment course, and I got to listen in.

Smoke is seen rising from one of the reactors at stricken power plant in Fukushima, Japan– Photo Herald Sun, derived AP

“I am pleased to be talking to an audience who is interested in what is actually going on instead of those who want the next spin on this scenario,” rasped a hoarse Kearfott. Apparently the media is very intrigued in what is happening/will happen in Japan, and she has been taking quite a few phone interviews. Let’s take a peek at a few of the facts and summaries of a few questions and answers.

What exactly happened and is happening?

We do not have a clear idea about what is going on, because it is changing rapidly, hourly. This nuclear power plant had emergency procedures in place for an earthquake 1/10 of what happened in Japan. The nuclear power plant has fuel in the reactors that gets very hot, and a continuous stream of water that runs by the heated fuel and carries the heat away. This fuel is designed to work in such a way that it will cool on its own if there are no continuing chain reactions. When the earthquake hit, the plant shut down (as it was designed to do) and emergency power went on. However, then the tsunami hit as well, and power was completely knocked out. Of the 8 reactors, we’re having problems with 3. The combination of 2 natural disasters is what caused this issue. There is such a focus on the melting reactor, but I keep thinking of the devastation. I hope that this situation won’t completely detract from the loss.

What are the implications of the power being knocked out?

At this point, the nuclear reactor cannot cool on its own because there has been some melting of the fuel—meaning that without people cooling it using water, it wouldn’t work. It would heat up and could rupture the rod. It is not cool enough yet, which is the problem. They want to prevent more melting from occurring, prevent hydrogen explosions.

Is the area safe?

It is difficult for the press to understand uncertainties like Public Health students can do … for press it is either ‘safe’ or ‘not’ … but the reality is that it depends. There are about 50 workers right now on site, and possibly other military personnel trying to contain the situation. Protection efforts such as time, distance, shielding, and decontamination are being put in place. The time factor would be minimizing amount of time that the given worker is in a particular location where doses are high. In longer term, robots are used. Workers are using poles to stay distant. Limits they have announced for the current workers has been elevated to 5x the normal occupational limit, but ¼ of what you would need to see any radiation effects. If they use safe practices, they should be fine.

Finally, is there any concern of exposure in food and contamination, or the air? Are there worries about contamination in the food chain?

Dr. Martin was pretty optimistic about this issue. He said they are doing heroic things to get the heat and emissions of the nuclear reactor stopped. Once they can get cooling back on, releases will go very well. It will take billions of dollars to clean up. However, the primary risk is to the workers getting pretty hefty radiation doses. We should definitely monitor foodstuffs. Whether food contamination occurs depends on actual amount of radioactivity released, depends on where it goes, and depends on if it is on agricultural land.  It is the responsibility of public health professionals to monitor this.

Thank you once again to Jim Martin and Kim Kearfott.  More information is available from the UM Risk Science Center.

What runs but never gets weary?

Katie Sloter

Photo from Mayo Detailing What Hydration Does

Water. H ‘two’ the O …

It is this simple thing, free, widely available to us. However, my dismal 5 a day Diet Coke habit along with my affinity for coffee sometimes replaces water. Alright, often replaces water. Or I just get busy, and I forget to drink it. I heard a quote somewhere that said by the time you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Recently, I had a moment where I got up from my chair and everything was sort of patchy, like a black and white television. It was four in the afternoon, and I realized the only liquid I had that day was my morning coffee. Bad public health student, bad!

Anyway, I have started putting my water bottle in the fridge the night before, and that is helping. I have also cut back my Diet Coke habit to 1 or 2 a day after reading this article (hey it is a start!) Do any of you have things that slip through the cracks when you get busy?

Check out this fun ‘did-ya-know’ slide-show about dehydration. Because if you’re procrastinating right now, you might as well learn something doing it …