Dear Dr. Schenk, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your work and words. I believe I have literally said the exact same sentences out loud with my friends and colleagues as I read your posts. I know that I personally don't need another thank you, I just want to work in public health and have a career just like anyone else who has prepared, studied, and worked very hard to be in that position. Only if you have been working in this field at the ground level can someone understand..it would not matter so
much if our futures did not depend on us getting it right. Thank you again for your advocacy!
Hi Anna, Thank you so much for your message. It's always encouraging to receive positive feedback to my writing, and I take your words very seriously. I’m curious to know: which ones are the words that you have said out loud too?
However, I am disappointed on your behalf that you find so much familiarity in my words about the challenges of building a career in public health. The most helpful and encouraging thing I can tell you is that you are by no means alone. There are many of us out here, but we're all pretty good about being discreet and pretending everything is fine when it is really not, because we don't want to harm our employment prospects even further. This is exactly why I started to speak out. I wish you the best of luck. Please keep in touch. I'm better on LinkedIn. Cheers, Katie
Hi Katie, Thank you very much for your message as well and I apologize for the delay in responding! I believe we are also connected through LinkedIn so I will definitively keep in touch that way as well. I was just reading your last newsletter and stand firmly behind your quote, "We still need to advocate loudly for funding that will create secure, well-resourced jobs in public health that offer career development paths and enable public health professionals at all career stages to feel cherished." I am constantly saying if we were not able to secure funding and prove our worth during COVID then when are we!? I now work as a lone prevention/public health position housed under a major healthcare system and have to reiterate what public health is and does probably once a day...but ironically I had to do the same when I worked in local public health as well! I also believe that mismanagement and lack of sustainable/non grant funded positions are the two MAJOR things that we should be focusing on at all levels of public health...it does not take anything sexy or hard to be able to fix the problem yet no one seems committed to just focusing on the humans-paying people a reasonable, livable wage with benefits and maintaining good employees that can have a promotion once or twice in their career. Without building a sustainable work force we won't be able to make progress on anything..not opioids, tobacco, school health, nutrition..we will keep going around in circles for decades. I also feel that I worked and studied just as hard, paid enough money to attend a world class graduate school, and worked for free just as much as someone who works as a nurse or doctor but yet I feel like people look at all that as almost "charity" and not a career path. I have several family members (who I love dearly!) who just think this is just my perspective so I share your newsletter with them all the time :) In my old job I also used to joke about the abundance of free lunches or pizza parties but the lack of real employee support...I just want a career path like everyone else! I wish you all the best as well-keep up the wonderful work! Thank you, Anna Stormzand
Dear Dr. Schenk, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your work and words. I believe I have literally said the exact same sentences out loud with my friends and colleagues as I read your posts. I know that I personally don't need another thank you, I just want to work in public health and have a career just like anyone else who has prepared, studied, and worked very hard to be in that position. Only if you have been working in this field at the ground level can someone understand..it would not matter so
much if our futures did not depend on us getting it right. Thank you again for your advocacy!
Hi Anna, Thank you so much for your message. It's always encouraging to receive positive feedback to my writing, and I take your words very seriously. I’m curious to know: which ones are the words that you have said out loud too?
However, I am disappointed on your behalf that you find so much familiarity in my words about the challenges of building a career in public health. The most helpful and encouraging thing I can tell you is that you are by no means alone. There are many of us out here, but we're all pretty good about being discreet and pretending everything is fine when it is really not, because we don't want to harm our employment prospects even further. This is exactly why I started to speak out. I wish you the best of luck. Please keep in touch. I'm better on LinkedIn. Cheers, Katie
Hi Katie, Thank you very much for your message as well and I apologize for the delay in responding! I believe we are also connected through LinkedIn so I will definitively keep in touch that way as well. I was just reading your last newsletter and stand firmly behind your quote, "We still need to advocate loudly for funding that will create secure, well-resourced jobs in public health that offer career development paths and enable public health professionals at all career stages to feel cherished." I am constantly saying if we were not able to secure funding and prove our worth during COVID then when are we!? I now work as a lone prevention/public health position housed under a major healthcare system and have to reiterate what public health is and does probably once a day...but ironically I had to do the same when I worked in local public health as well! I also believe that mismanagement and lack of sustainable/non grant funded positions are the two MAJOR things that we should be focusing on at all levels of public health...it does not take anything sexy or hard to be able to fix the problem yet no one seems committed to just focusing on the humans-paying people a reasonable, livable wage with benefits and maintaining good employees that can have a promotion once or twice in their career. Without building a sustainable work force we won't be able to make progress on anything..not opioids, tobacco, school health, nutrition..we will keep going around in circles for decades. I also feel that I worked and studied just as hard, paid enough money to attend a world class graduate school, and worked for free just as much as someone who works as a nurse or doctor but yet I feel like people look at all that as almost "charity" and not a career path. I have several family members (who I love dearly!) who just think this is just my perspective so I share your newsletter with them all the time :) In my old job I also used to joke about the abundance of free lunches or pizza parties but the lack of real employee support...I just want a career path like everyone else! I wish you all the best as well-keep up the wonderful work! Thank you, Anna Stormzand
I really appreciate your thoughts on this crucial matter! We must do better, for everyone!