Insights on Internship: Interview with Serena De La Cruz

Serena De La Cruz is one of our recent graduates. Serena graciously took time out of her busy schedule to  share her experience during her internship as well as advice for future interns. 

Can you tell us a bit more about your internship?

I completed my internship with the Area Agency on Aging in Northwest Arkansas. My job was to work with multiple senior activity and wellness centers in Northwest Arkansas. Every month, I would develop an interactive presentation on one of the monthly health observances and present these at each of the center's throughout the month. In addition, I wrote an article for the monthly newsletters.  I was also fortunate enough to be able to develop my own semester long project. I conducted needs assessments in the senior centers, took that data to find the most needed topic of education, and used that to develop a final event for the seniors. I found a dietitian to come and talk to seniors during a lunch and learn. She covered nutrition specifically for seniors and answered questions. I took what I learned from program planning through evaluation to do this. I was very fortunate to have such a wonderful educational background that prepared me for this activity.

Which Health Studies class has been the most useful during your internship?

It's hard to choose just one class that was the most helpful. I really feel like I used all of my classes combined! If I had to choose one that was specifically helpful during internship, it would be Health Communications. I was working with a population of adults over the age of 60 so how you present the information was crucial. Everything from best format and clear speaking to determining health literacy levels had to be just right in order to reach this population.

What piece of advice do you think is most important when looking for an internship?

Find a place that works with a population that you are passionate about working with. I have always enjoyed working with the elderly and therefore knew that I would wake up every morning excited for my day. I found a site that also allowed me to really take control of my experience and I think that doing so made a huge difference for me. I was able to develop my own activities while also working closely with my preceptor on things that she felt would be helpful to me.

What piece of advice is the most important during the internship?

Network, network, network. This is your chance to meet and develop relationships with others in our field. They will be your "in" after graduation. Take advantage of any opportunity because you never know who you will meet. I got my first job through a woman that I met while attending a class that my preceptor couldn't make it to. She emailed me about 3 months after I graduated with a job posting forwarded from one of her acquaintances. One month later I had a job as a project coordinator for the Northwest Arkansas Tobacco and Drug Free Coalition.

Can you tell us what you are doing now as a Health Studies graduate?

As mentioned previously, I found a job as a project coordinator pretty much straight out of school. I had a wonderful 8 months working in the non-profit world and managed a tobacco grant through the Arkansas Department of Health. I have to say, I would not have been able to do that job without the grant writing class. I had to write a grant proposal to get re-funded!

 In March, an opportunity presented itself that I couldn't pass up. I am now working for TrestleTree (a health transformation company) as a health coach. Every day I get to help people with everything from tobacco cessation to weight loss and stress. I am fortunate because I get to see my work make a direct impact in people's lives.

How did your internship help you in obtaining a job and prepare you for your job?

In terms of obtaining a job, I would have to go back to the networking piece. I really do believe that getting out there and meeting new people is key. I came across my current employer through an informational interview that I set up during my internship. When I think back to how my internship prepared me for my job, I feel that it all comes down to personal and professional development. The time that I spent actually implementing what I learned in my classes was both gratifying and encouraging. I went into my first job very confident that I had the skills to do great work.

*One last piece of advice: Sit for the CHES exam before you graduate if you can. The information is fresh in your mind and it is becoming more and more important to have when applying for jobs!

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Spotlight - Interview with Dr. Ann Rathbun, Program Director for Health Studies

We had the opportunity to sit down virtually with Dr. Ann Rathbun, the new program director for Health Studies, and chat with her a bit about her background, alter ego, and the future of health education. Here's what she had to say:

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

I am a native Texan and am from Amarillo, Texas. I spent 10 years in Denton County getting my Masters, working and earning my Ph.D. in the 1990s. After 2 professorates - one in Ohio and one in Kentucky-totaling 15 years, I am HOME!!! I have played the cello for more than 40 years and have been able to live in university towns where there are opportunities to play with an orchestra.  I love to cook, read, walk for fitness and listen to music…I hate to practice the cello!

As an alum, what is the best part about being back at TWU?  

The best part about being back is the feeling of my life (personal and professional) coming full circle. I left here to begin my profession as a health educator and now I am back where I began but with experience and skills that I didn’t have when I was here before.  Personally, my time away from Texas was nothing short of transformative for me.  I moved to a place where I didn’t know a single soul and had to grow up and grow into my own person.  It was a great experience for me in so many ways.

How do you define student success and what are some of the ways you help students achieve success?

I define student success as GROWTH.  On the path to success students will experience ups and downs, successes and disappointments.  If students will learn from all of those experiences they will ultimately grow into unique and qualified professionals who will contribute to the profession. If students do not allow themselves to learn and grow from ALL experiences, they will never truly be successful.

It has been my “quest” in past years to maintain an open door policy with all students.  The open door allows students to come to for help or support without the barrier of a physical (or perceived) door.  By maintaining this practice of openness, students took the opportunity to engage in informal mentoring, get support, and connect to someone at the university.  In my experience, there is not one single faculty or staff member that will connect with all students; rather, some students will gravitate toward certain mentors and others will go elsewhere.

As many of our students know, we like to have fun in Health Studies. We have held themed orientations complete with alter egos such as Mo Solo, Hoda Fett, and Dee Dee Wan Kenobi from our Star Wars orientation. We also had a Mission Impossible orientation with passports and top secret missions. Sometimes we even make up code names for each other.  Who would your alter ego be or what would your code name be?    

Alter ego:  Ringmaster P.  Sometimes the workplace (ANY workplace) can be a bit of a circus in that there is always a LOT of things going on all at once.  The Ringmaster’s job is to know what is going on and coordinate, as much as possible, all the acts that occur simultaneously.  I like that sort of challenge and enjoy dappling in many different areas.  The “P”????  Well…..that is for a later edition of this blog. 

Since it's October and Halloween isn't too far away, let's pull out our crystal ball for a moment. What do you see for the future of health education?   

I see a world where the profession BLOWS UP due to the changes in the Affordable Care Act.  The services that health educators can provide will be billable (aka reimbursed by insurance).  Nurses cannot do what we do because they have different training and education.  Likewise, physicians have very specialized skill sets that do not include things such as behavior change or coaching for change in terms of health and wellness.  There is a gap in healthcare and there is an entire population of health educators waiting in the wings to fill that gap.  We must, however; advocate for our profession to make this vision a reality.

What is your favorite quote and why?  

“What goes around, comes around.”  I love this because I feel that what you put out there comes back to you tenfold.  If you put love out there, you will get love back!

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us?  

I am glad to be in Texas, in Denton, on campus and in CFO….where education makes professional careers possible!

If you haven't had a chance yet, we hope you will drop her a line and welcome her to TWU Health Studies! You can reach Dr. Rathbun at arathbun@twu.edu.

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Giving to Health Studies - A Tribute to Drs. Anita and Douglas Coyle

Dear TWU Health Studies Community,

If you live here in Texas you might have seen this bumper sticker: I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could.  Well, I didn’t get my degree at TWU, but I got here as fast as I could. TWU first got my attention almost 15 years ago. Although I applied to several positions over the years and even took a few courses here, it wasn’t until 2009 that I finally landed a spot in Health Studies as a part-time graduate advisor. Little did I know when I started that Health Studies would become my home rather than just a job. From the moment I arrived, I was welcomed into the friendly, informal atmosphere of the department.

Dr. Douglas Coyle was the graduate program coordinator at the time and he began teaching me about Health Studies since this was not one of my academic disciplines. Not only was he passionate about being a health educator and teaching new health educators, but he was always available to answer any questions I had about our graduate programs or concerns that arose. His wife - Dr. Anita Coyle (1947-2012) who was also a Health Studies doctoral alum and one of our adjuncts - also generously welcomed me into the fold. Whenever I called their house with questions or needed help, Anita would always ask me how I was doing. And, she was always sure to ask about my writing projects as she knew of my love of poetry. I was impressed by the devotion to both TWU and Health Studies that she and Dr. Coyle always expressed.

Earlier this year, after I was promoted to program director, I sent out a letter to our team to express how excited I was to be taking on the new role. That letter turned into a conversation with Dr. Douglas Coyle and I wanted to share a bit of what he said:

Waxing philosophically, I have - in learning about the history of this institution - come to the undeniable conclusion that TWU fills a mission for women, and to a lesser extent men, to build women of confidence with a firm belief in their equal status. The teachers and peers also have a chance to change male attitudes. Especially in my undergraduate classes, one male in a face-to-face classroom, can change the room's dynamics. Over the course of the program, I have seen the dynamics change and women gain the confidence that will serve them well in the workplace. This is the unique quality of TWU. The opportunity to study women's issues in health and other disciplines from original sources by learned women scholars and male scholars with an appreciation of the women's point of view is unlike the educational opportunities in most of our colleges and universities.

Our work is most important and I applaud your decision.

Like both Drs. Coyle, I  too, believe in the mission of TWU. I believe in the mission of Health Studies. And, I believe in the passion and dedication of our students.  That’s why today I am donating to the Dr. Anita Jill Coyle Scholarship Endowment. We need $6,950.00 for it to be endowed. I am asking you to join me in helping to reach that total. Every dollar counts whether it’s $100, $20, or $5.  With your assistance, we can “educate today for a healthier tomorrow.”

To give online specifically to the Dr. Anita Jill Coyle Scholarship Endowment follow these steps: 

1. Click this link - https://pof.twu.edu/
2. Under Donation Information Designation select Other
3. Type in Dr. Anita Jill Coyle Scholarship

Additionally, you can print and mail in a donation form if you prefer. Please be sure to list Dr. Anita Jill Scholarship in the top line.

Sincerely,

Morgan O’Donnell
Program Director

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Interview with Alum Barbara Barton, PhD, MPH, RN, CHES

Recently, we had the opportunity to interview Dr. Barbara Barton via email. She is PhD alum from the TWU Department of Health Studies. She gave us insight on her new position at State University of New York (SUNY), College at Cortland. We are thankful that she took time out of her busy schedule to respond to our questions.

Dr. Barton is currently an Assistant Professor at SUNY, College at Cortland in the Health Department. She teaches various courses, both online and face-to-face. She also develops course materials in the Health Department at SUNY Cortland and advises students as they progress through their courses to obtain their degrees. She also has research responsibilities that she attends to.

What is your research topic of interest?

Dr. Barton’s research topics of interest are as follows:

·         College health promotion and using community-based participatory research in the college setting

·         Mental health: anxiety and depression among college students

·         Interface of family caregivers of Alzheimer's patients with community services

·         Needs assessment & Program evaluation focusing the services rendered

What inspired you to get your degree in Health Studies?

“I wanted to pursue a HS PhD to complement my degrees in nursing and public health.  I was looking for a program that would provide a health promotion and teaching focus and TWU was a good match.”

What courses in the Department of Health Studies helped you the most with your current job?

“Really, all of them!  What was most helpful was the teaching experience, both in the classroom and online, that I was able to get while at TWU.” Dr. Barton explains that the experience she gained from TWU to develop and plan courses continually informs her teachnig for online courses and face-to-face course. She explains, “I also have more online experience than most of my colleagues, which is helpful as we transition our programs here in that direction.”

If you could give any advice to current or future health studies students what would it be?

“You can do it!  Stay organized, be positive and get everything you can out of each and every class.  Don't be afraid to ask for help, and don't be afraid to stretch yourself.  You will get out of your educational experiences only as much as you put into them.  I strongly believe that stretching yourself at TWU will come back to you with positive benefits ten-fold in the future.”

Interview with Health Studies Alum Dena Jackson, Ph.D.

Dena Jackson, Ph.D.
TWU Health Studies alum

Recently we had the opportunity to visit with Dena Jackson, Ph.D., one of our doctoral alumni and she was kind enough to take time out of her schedule to do an interview with us, reflecting back on her doctoral studies and career.  We hope your enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed talking to her.

• Why did you pursue a PhD in Health Studies?

I decided to return to school after 12 years in health care administration. I got my Masters in Education in 1987, which incidentally was another time when the economy was not great (the stock market had a major crash in October 1987) and unemployment was around 8%. I essentially drifted into health care administration because that was where the jobs were as managed care was just being introduced to Texas. I learned a lot about business, finance, and health care but my passion was always working more directly with people. My Master’s degree was in Counselor Education so that was the first direction I considered. To be honest, I had not heard of Health Education or Health Studies. While perusing the catalog at my alma mater, UNT, I came across their program in kinesiology and health promotion. At that time, my passion was (and still is), health, nutrition, exercise, and how those behaviors impact our entire life. I could not believe that people actually went to school and got paid for doing what I was already so excited about! Reading about the program at UNT led me to begin researching similar programs around the DFW area. I looked at UTSW, UNT Health Sciences, UNT Denton, and TWU. The programs varied in their emphasis on public health, physical education, and population-based health education.

TWU has a great reputation for healthcare science programs, including nursing and physical therapy. I certainly took that reputation into consideration when choosing my program. Once I narrowed my preference for a PhD program (versus another Master’s) and a program that addressed both population and individual health from an educational, psychological, and sociological basis – TWU was the clear choice for me.

• How has your PhD in Health Studies helped you in your career?

While I certainly enjoyed the course work on cultural health, aging, and women’s issues, without a doubt the most valuable part of the program is the basic Health Studies emphasis needs assessments, program development, and evaluation. I have returned to these skills and techniques time and time again in jobs that were health focused and ones that were very different. For instance, I was a consultant in south Florida for two years helping nonprofit organizations design and implement comprehensive fund raising programs. The analysis process that I developed was very focused on the needs of the organization (both to external and internal constituents), their desired outcomes, and what type of actions would be needed to get them there. This is all the needs assessment, program planning, and evaluation that I studied at TWU with just a slight twist. The organizations ranged from foster care group homes and food banks, to elder care and immigrant healthcare facilities. I was able to draw upon my Health Studies knowledge repeatedly to help these organizations better serve their clients and communities.

• What is the most unique position you’ve held where your Health Studies degree played an important role?

Sometimes it seems my entire post-graduation career has been unique! One position I held that graduates might not thing about is Assistant VP of Research Development for The University of Texas at Dallas. This was an entirely new role at UT Dallas where I worked with professors across the University to help coordinate submission of large research grants to federal sources such as National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Justice. These were not straightforward grants of one professor and his or her work, but larger multi-institutional, and sometimes multi-national, grants that required coordination of professors across the world, corporate partners, and K-12 education partners. It was my job to help put those components together and organize the process. These proposals often involved multiple submissions over 12 or more months.  I had to be able to dissect the RFPs, be a strong writer, and understand research design in specialties ranging from behavioral economics, to nanotechnology, to mechanical engineering. Health Studies taught me about grant writing and research design and set the stage for me to then be able to apply that structure to new areas of science. It was a very exciting job and my degree was well used.

• You are currently the Vice President for Grants and Research at the Dallas Women’s Foundation. Has your Health Studies PhD helped you in that role and, if so, how?

Thinking about this question, I went back to the core skills that are required of someone in Health Studies. I was amazed at how many of them translated directly to what I am doing in this new position. For instance, I lead a team that looks at the issues that are impacting women and girls in north Texas (health, cultural, safety, and education) to determine what needs are being met and where the possible gaps in service are. I am responsible for both developing strong evaluation processes of our grantees as well as of our Foundation mission activities overall. I am developing a new advocacy program whereby Foundation staff and volunteers will increase recognition and action on policy issues impacting women and girls. All of this must be communicated to our grantees, donors, and the general public in a way that clearly shows the impact we are having and how they can become involved. Needs assessment, program planning, advocacy, communications – it is all there and in the PhD curriculum at TWU.

Since much of our research and programming is health and safety focused - domestic violence, sexual assault, commercial sexual exploitation of children, and how accessibility to health care impacts quality of life - I get to stay close to the field that I enjoy.

My coursework and degree in Health Studies gave me the translational skills to think critically, to develop, implement, and assess programs that address real needs, and to help guide others in the community in ways that grow services and make our social net stronger. I have never regretted the time I devoted to the program nor my choice of TWU.

Dena L. Jackson, PhD

Texas Woman's University, 2001

VP, Grants and Research, Dallas Women’s Foundation

djackson@dallaswomensfoundation.org

http://www.dallaswomensfoundation.org

Editor’s note: Dena was also selected to be part of TWU’s participation in the Op-Ed national initiative.

“TWU, the nation’s largest university primarily for women, is the first public university to be associated with The Op-Ed Project, a yearlong social venture founded to increase the number of women contributing to key commentary forums – newspaper opinion columns, television and radio talk shows, etc. – that traditionally have been dominated by men. According to the project’s website, 85 percent of the op-eds in the nation’s top newspapers and online sites are written by men.”

2012-2013 Thought Leadership Participants

http://www.twu.edu/history-government/op-ed-2012.asp