My Public Health Origin Story
Lydia Garrett-Metz | CHC Program Associate
“Intro to Public Health? You won’t like that. What about taking an American history course instead?” That was my unlikely introduction to public health four years ago as I sat in the office of my brand new college advisor.
Luckily, I didn’t take the advice.
Flash forward, and now I have graduated from Tulane University as the Senior Honors Scholar in Public Health, I am completing the final semesters of my MPH, and I am working as one of IWES’ youngest staff members. Contrary to that early warning from my advisor, public health has excited me, emboldened me – yes, at times frustrated me – and motivated me (and still does!) like nothing else in my life. My public health journey may have begun in doubt and uncertainty, but now I could not feel any more empowered by my experiences as a young public health professional.
Despite my passion for the field, the question “What is public health?” always makes me hesitate. To me, public health opened the door to a world filled with determined change-makers, intentionality in decision-making, and fierceness to learn. I began my journey with a vague knowledge that I wanted to “help people.” Now, I know that my goals spread much farther and go much deeper than the concept of “helping.” Public health can encompass so much, which is one of the most spectacular qualities of the field.
When I tell folks that I am studying public health or that I work at a public health-centered organization, they often think that I am going into nursing or hospital administration. And while these professions are fascinating and necessary, I am most excited by all the public health possibilities beyond the strictly clinical setting. I’ve come to see public health as a profound way to tackle our society’s systemic inequities and lift up the voices of the communities that most need to be heard. Yes, education and expertise learned at places like Tulane can be useful, but the field also demands humility, authentic listening, and celebrating the differences that too often divide us.
This lesson was reinforced for me recently as I was speaking with undocumented Latina migrants and mental health providers here in New Orleans as part of a study conducted for my Honors Thesis. One of the resounding things the people I spoke to told me was how the deeply rooted and systematic disenfranchisement of non-white, non-U.S. citizens impacts behavioral health and the delivery of culturally-competent, effective care. They spoke about feeling misunderstood, invisible, and looked down upon. The way I see it, it is up to public health professionals to use this to fuel our fire as we work toward healing and equity.
For anyone just setting out on their own public health journey, I would say: really examine the systems that allow some to achieve success while so many others cannot; ask the hard questions of who and what are the barriers; and welcome new voices and perspectives into the conversation and into leadership.
In public health, we embrace leadership, setting goals, and accomplishing them. At IWES, I am surrounded by leaders, by dreamers, and by achievers. Reflecting back on my public health origin story, I took a risk, a road less traveled, and I haven’t looked back.
