I got my current position through a job opportunity CH had sent out 2 years ago. We’ve had Tufts undergrads intern at our office in the summer and I’m the second Tufts alum to work here. (Office of Child Health Equity at Stanford)
Alumni Testimonials and Information
Professor Amy Lischko welcomes three alumni who work in the policy sector in Boston.
CH alumni gather with students to talk about their education and work life post-Tufts.
What our CH alumni have to say about us
I had previously not recognized the connection between public heath and critical care (as opposed to primary care), and this is an area I want to explore a career in. It has definitely further solidified my desire for an MPH in addition to an MD in the future!
I would not be where I am now without the support of the Community Health department at Tufts, especially with help in my internship process which has led me to this job I love!
Jeremy
I feel very prepared for these next two years, and that is thanks to your guidance, support and teaching. You have taught me so much about community health that I utilize in my work every day and will continue to think about in the future.
Christiana
...the class that really changed the way I approach problems was Introduction to Community Health with Professor Jennifer Allen. If it hadn't been for that class I may never have become a Community Health Major, nor would I have learned about the complex social, political, economic, and medical determinants of health that affect much more than just health.
Becky
The Community Health program was an opportunity for me to extend the skills that I had learned in other disciplines to a new field. Courses in the CH program and challenging and diverse, often providing new perspectives on relevant issues. Dedicated faculty along with a wealth of research and internship opportunities make the CH program a great jumping-off point at Tufts.
Gene
Along with half my freshman class I thought medicine was my professional future. However, after researching marketing strategies in the tobacco industry targeting women and studying racial disparities in health care, I quickly shed my narrow view of health. I am determined to find a career that will allow me to apply what I learned in the CH - a blend of health, policy, and curiosity. Recently, a director at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told me that she hired me because, during my interview, I spoke so passionately about my education and experience in the CHP. Of course, this makes complete sense. Every Community Health class I took communicated enthusiasm and I quickly developed strong relationships with professors that I have no doubt will continue for the rest of my life.
Laura
Working and studying public health, one quickly starts to see the many places where health, care, and community intersect. As a student of community health I learned that healthy choices are made everywhere: at home, at the park, at the coffee shop, even on your iPhone. There are so many ways to take part in working to improve health in our communities that it can become overwhelming to choose just one. The Community Health Program not only gave me the foundational knowledge to understand the interplay between health, communities, and the environment, it supported me throughout my time at Tufts by allowing me to study the many aspects of health and care that matter to me. Because of the real world experiences CHP allowed me to pursue I can do more than see opportunities for improving health and wellness — I have been able to take an active role in making diverse communities healthier places to live and play!
David
I loved CHP! CHP brought together all of my interests in health, history, social justice and policy into a vibrant and challenging curriculum from which I still draw today. Now, as a nurse practitioner, I particularly lean on the foundation I received in CHP on the social determinants of health, health law and policy, addiction, and nutrition.
Maggie
The diverse curriculum of the Community Health Program provided me with a foundation of skills and knowledge that I continue to utilizes as I further my education in this field. The Community Health Program is unique in that it truly fosters individual growth.
Taiwo
When you go to work for the IRS immediately after college, it feels as far away from Community Health as possible. However, I realized that I was able to work far more effectively with taxpayers of all economic and cultural backgrounds by appropriately valuing their life context into our meetings. Now, in my work with a private foundation, I am delving into issues surrounding access and opportunity in New York communities, specifically related to healthy food. It is exciting to strategize around philanthropic impact on issues that I studied in my Community Health classes and to see the experience from my internship and various projects paying off.
Jen
What our Alumni are doing now
Courtney
After graduating with her BA/MPH in 2007, Courtney worked in the Heart Disease and Stroke Program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She then went on to work as a Policy Analyst in the Center for Health Equity and Social Justice at the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) for three years, where she focused on building organizational and regional capacity to eliminate racial health inequities. Courtney's experiences at BPHC led her to further pursue her interest in the social determinants of racial health inequality by pursuing a PhD in sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Erica
After graduation, Erica worked at the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service here at Tufts where she coordinated the 2013 Massachusetts Tisch Summer Fellowship and then served a full-year term as an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Community Partnerships program. She recently began a new job as the coordinator of Shape Up Somerville.
Hailey
Hayley finished up her year as an AmeriCorps HealthCorps. She was placed at Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center, where many CH students do their internships.
She recently got offered a job through the Cambridge Health Alliance at Somerville High School as the COPE Coordinator. She will be working with pregnant and parenting students, doing some sex education classes with freshmen and sophomores, and helping with the school health club. Hailey is also taking some classes for nursing pre-recs.
Monica
Monica recently ended a gap year working at Brigham and Women's Hospital as a research assistant in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. She recently began the MD/MBA program at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Arielle
After spending a year managing a racial justice dialogue program at YWCA Boston, Arielle is now working at Health Resources in Action with their youth empowerment and tobacco prevention program (The 84 Movement).
Marisa
Following Tufts, Marisa received her MA in Health Communication from Emerson College in conjunction with the Tufts University School of Medicine. She then went on to get her MBA with a concentration in Health Sector Management from Boston University School of Management. She has worked for the Office of the General Counsel at Partners HealthCare System, and as the Education Administrator for the Departments of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.