Sandra Pena - Virtual Mentor Panel
- What was your first leadership role and how did you obtain it?
In my previous role, my supervisor vacated her position. Since we were a smaller agency, this departure left a large void within our program (infectious respiratory diseases). In the absence of having a supervisor, the work did not stop. As a result, I was able to unofficially step into that role and became the Principal Investigator (PI) of an ongoing research study (among other things). Rarely, is this an opportunity afforded to Masters-level professionals. This was not easy, and I had a lot of questions along the way, but I feel like I rose to the challenge and started building solid relationships within my agency and federal partners which displayed my attention to detail and project management skills. I believe being able to add this experience to my resume assisted me in finding my current public health role.
- How do you learn new skills on the job?
If it is something completely new, as crazy as it may sound, Google, YouTube, etc... (using credible documents and videos within these resources). This way way you can get some foundational knowledge of whatever it is that you are trying to learn. Once you have some awareness about what you are trying to learn, I then identify who the resource is within my team is. My team is so diverse, that someone on my team likely has more detailed knowledge about what I am trying to learn. Then I can ask specific questions related to what I am doing. When it comes to working with data, If I am working on something that I am not familiar with. I like working with data that is very familiar to me. This way I know when something doesn’t make sense Also, consider asking people that you went to school with or use to work with. Public health is small, so make a point to maintain relationships and collaborate on projects and share knowledge when feasible.
- What are the day-to-day work and responsibilities like in your current position?
I start any day by checking emails. I organize things that don’t require action into folders so that I can stay organized. Things that require my attention or a response I leave in my inbox until I have handled it, then it gets filed too. Since I am heavily involved with COVID response, I try to spend 1-2 hours reading resource emails or updates. This way I remain situationally aware of topics that are related to things that I am working on. This has been essential lately as, COVID guidance has been changing so rapidly. I spend the rest of the day working on ongoing research projects. This usually includes data entry, data cleaning, workgroup calls, and calls to stakeholders.
Last note on this topic, is I spend a lot of time communicating with my team and partners (there is no such thing as too much communication). I find this to be especially important in an environment where we are all still mostly working remotely. With all the challenges that the pandemic has presented us, we need to be incredibly proactive in our actions and communications.
- What skills do you think new members of the public health workforce need to be building?
Given that the pandemic has turned everything we once knew on its head, I have found that you need to be motivated and communicative. Communication (or lack thereof) is usually where a lot of things fall apart. Also, I believe that mentorship and leadership development are under emphasized. Everyday you should be growing personally and professionally. I know that if I looked back on the first year of my career, I would have never believed that I would be an Emerging Infections Program project manager, an active participant in workgroup calls where we discuss research methods and survey design, and a leader within my agency when it comes to COVID response and vaccine deployment.
- Where do you see public health going in the future as a field?
What an interesting question. I believe that the answers to this question is that we as a profession are going to have changed substantially in a post-pandemic world. I *hope* to see public health become better funded and that heavy emphasis is placed on preparedness and planning. I hope that we learn from our short comings during the COVID response and build more solid infrastructure knowing that the next pandemic is not an ‘if’ but a when. I hope that [government] leaders in the future will be more aware of the role that public health plays in the community and takes aggressive action to advocate for the future and health of our communities. Lastly, I would hope world health organizations will be able to collaborate more seamlessly and successfully across borders that divide us at local, state, and international levels.
- What gaps in the field of public health do you think need to be filled?
Looking at my master’s program and the skills that I came into this field with. I would have liked to have had more training in data visualization and presentation. Statistics are great and very needed (don’t get me wrong), but I think that stats are so emphasized that things like geocoding, data visualization, and public speaking/ presentation skills are neglected. If you can’t effectively share information with the community and government leaders, what good is being able to crunch the numbers?
I also believe that responding to this pandemic has showed leadership development is underdeveloped. I would like to see workplaces building and mentoring employees into strong epidemiologists and public health professionals with the skills that gives them the ability to leave, but that they are in such a positive environment that they don’t want to.
I do believe that this pandemic has highlighted a glaring gap between government and public health that makes accomplishing public health goals harder. I can’t begin to phantom how we will bridge this gap, but I do think that the time spent in recovery post-pandemic is a great opportunity to start trying.
7. What advice do you have for early career professionals in public health?
Ask questions. Be openminded. Challenge yourself. Don’t be afraid to fail. You are the primary driver of your career
Ask questions: Do your research but also ask questions. When things are put into perspective or applied to a real-life situation it is when I learn best. Also, critically assess your colleagues for their skills and view them as a resource that you can go to and ask questions of. This is incredibly valuable, since we all come into this profession with different backgrounds, experiences, and skill sets.
Be openminded: I have been repeatedly thrown into situations that I personally do not feel I am prepared for. But I have remained openminded and viewed all these opportunities as chances to learn and diversify my skillset. I have also used these opportunities to network with new groups and other professionals.
Challenge yourself: Imposter syndrome is real but being afraid to do something because you think that you can’t serves no purpose other than to limit your own potential.
Don’t be afraid to fail: I have found that just about everyone around me wants to see me succeed personally and professionally. But I do feel like I have learned a lot more from failing than succeeding. Failing (loosing a job ect…) may seem like the end of the world at the time, but it has helped me build resilience and further define my passion and what I believe in.
You are the primary driver of your career: Make sure you are always learning. Volunteer for things that make you uncomfortable since it will likely teach you a new skill or give you new perspective. Seek mentorship within your agency and always be building and maintain relationships with professional colleagues. Know that everything you do today adds to your ‘toolbox’ that will define you as a future leader in this field.
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