Translating Academic Knowledge to Real World Public Health Situations

As recent public health graduates, PHI/CDC Global Health Fellows have the unique opportunity to apply their academic knowledge by gaining practical, first-hand experience working on the front lines of global public health.

Program alumnus Joshua Holmes, MPH, had worked in various surveillance positions at a State Department of Health and state-funded needle exchange/harm reduction center, but had limited international public health experience. As a PHI/CDC Global Health Surveillance Fellow, he helped to expand TRACE in Namibia, which is a surveillance system focused on HIV recency status. Joshua worked with CDC Headquarters and partnered with UCSF and the Namibia Ministry of Health and Social Services. Learn more about Joshua’s experience.

After alumna Meagan Cain graduated with her MPH, she knew that classroom experience wasn’t enough; building a skill-set to tackle GBV would require the right mentorship to guide her on her career path and achieve her goals. As a Fellow, Meagan spent time working at CDC headquarters in Atlanta and in the field abroad on GBV and its direct and indirect links to HIV. Much of her time was spent at PEPFAR-supported facilities developing and implementing the GBV Quality Assurance Tool, which she describes as “an adaptable resource for health providers, facility managers, and program planners to assess, improve, and ensure the highest quality of post-violence clinical care in health facilities.” Learn more about Meagan’s experience.