Class Of 2023

Hopkins Community Connection, East Baltimore 

Briefly describe what you did for your Applied Experience and any highlights.

I spent my applied experience as a Summer Fellow at Hopkins Community Connection at the East Baltimore Medical Center. Essentially, I got the opportunity to work with patients on goals a physician might not be able to follow up on, such as food stamps, shutoff protection, or medical transportation. I also worked with a team piloting the impact of produce delivery on food security in East Baltimore! Overall, the experience was a great opportunity to witness the day-to-day flow of a clinic, and I got to know a lot of the staff and residents well!

How has your experience informed your understanding of public health?

I think this experience really helped me understand the delicate balance between personal and collective health. While I worked with individual patients, I also got an opportunity to see what my supervisors were doing to make policies better for everyone at the state level. While I used to be a bit cynical about the effectiveness of advocacy, this experience helped me see how sometimes it feels necessary in the face of unfair policies. 

How does this experience align with your future goals?

Right now, I’m planning on both writing about health topics and going to medical school. Witnessing the day-to-day of a clinic and shadowing residents was a great way to solidify my interest in medicine. 

How do you think your time at JHU prepared you for this work?

I think the Public Health coursework sets a really good foundation for student understanding of the social determinants of health, and I had to use that knowledge every day in the clinic. We public health students hear about social determinants of health so often it feels like common knowledge, but whenever I talk to non-majors or people outside of Hopkins I’m reminded that more needs to be done to raise awareness of these concepts.