2020
Health Occupation Students of America, or HOSA, is a pre-approved honors experience in which pre-health students enter competitive events with other college students across the nation, competing in one of many events that specialize in all of the various fields of healthcare and medicine. I decided to choose the Public Health event because the subject is very dear to my heart- it is my purpose and motivation for being in the field of medicine. To me, the broad concept of public health to me encompasses how we as a community take care of each other.
The subject for this year's competing groups was to create a presentation about the opioid epidemic and present it to members of our community. Myself, along with two other first year pre-med students here at the university, soon realized the most effective approach to take for this project was not to preach to people that drugs are bad and to stay away from them, as that is simply not realistic and only heightens the stigma that surrounds this already very taboo subject. We started creating a presentation meant for other college students about what to do as a bystander of a possible overdose, types of resources available locally for opioid users, and how to encourage others to get help.
As classes closed and competitions were moved to virtual settings, our team was faced with a dilemma. We had to convert an audience driven presentation into a virtual platform, work together on the bulk of our informational content, and record the presentation- all without being able to meet. The final submission for the competition was a recording of us all presenting over Zoom to send in to the judges. This collaborative effort using Google slides truly showcases the need for ingenuity in our unprecedented and ever changing times. We all worked on the same presentation remotely at the same time, much as we would have if we were all on campus together.
Our team placed first at the Ohio State Leadership Conference, earning us a spot at the International Leadership Conference. There, we earned third place and bronze medals in the mail- a symbol for our dedication to public health during a time when it is needed most.
The subject for this year's competing groups was to create a presentation about the opioid epidemic and present it to members of our community. Myself, along with two other first year pre-med students here at the university, soon realized the most effective approach to take for this project was not to preach to people that drugs are bad and to stay away from them, as that is simply not realistic and only heightens the stigma that surrounds this already very taboo subject. We started creating a presentation meant for other college students about what to do as a bystander of a possible overdose, types of resources available locally for opioid users, and how to encourage others to get help.
As classes closed and competitions were moved to virtual settings, our team was faced with a dilemma. We had to convert an audience driven presentation into a virtual platform, work together on the bulk of our informational content, and record the presentation- all without being able to meet. The final submission for the competition was a recording of us all presenting over Zoom to send in to the judges. This collaborative effort using Google slides truly showcases the need for ingenuity in our unprecedented and ever changing times. We all worked on the same presentation remotely at the same time, much as we would have if we were all on campus together.
Our team placed first at the Ohio State Leadership Conference, earning us a spot at the International Leadership Conference. There, we earned third place and bronze medals in the mail- a symbol for our dedication to public health during a time when it is needed most.
Working on this event has taught me more about issues that directly face our community and city than I knew before. The unusual and unique mediums of research we collected helped me understand the different routes possible to approach a problem and how to find creative solutions, especially having to adapt to competing during the pandemic. The interest and passion I have for this field has solidified my love for Public Health and desire to make our community a better place.
2021
Because this was such a memorable experience for me, I decided to represent UC again in the Public Health event in the 2020-2021 season. The topic this year was to create a presentation to give to members of the community about social determinants of health. Once again, the competition process was entirely virtual, but I was able to use my experience organizing last year's presentation in a more streamlined, efficient manner for my other teammates.
As of March 2021, my team had completed an in-depth survey and analysis-based presentation regarding the Social Determinants of Health that most affect the local Cincinnati area student population. We were able to ask 300 different people about what they felt most affected their access to healthcare, and in turn educate them about what Social Determinants of Health are and how they can impact people's lives in vastly different ways. Rather than preaching to the choir, so to speak, about various SDOH and some examples, we discovered what issues truly hit home. From there, we were able to provide our audience with real solutions to help overcome these obstacles and address specific concerns.
As of March 2021, my team had completed an in-depth survey and analysis-based presentation regarding the Social Determinants of Health that most affect the local Cincinnati area student population. We were able to ask 300 different people about what they felt most affected their access to healthcare, and in turn educate them about what Social Determinants of Health are and how they can impact people's lives in vastly different ways. Rather than preaching to the choir, so to speak, about various SDOH and some examples, we discovered what issues truly hit home. From there, we were able to provide our audience with real solutions to help overcome these obstacles and address specific concerns.
We earned first place at the State Leadership Conference, and second place at ILC.
When I think about how my journey into Public Health began as a bright-eyed high schooler learning from the nation's greatest experts in the field at the CDC, to being a part of a groundbreaking clinical study in the field of epidemiology, I am filled with anticipation for the future and the hope that, with compassion and ambition, I can be a stone on the scale that makes healthcare more equitable and just for everyone.