{"id":76101,"date":"2018-09-27T18:50:12","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T01:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/?post_type=stories&p=76101"},"modified":"2020-05-22T13:47:41","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T20:47:41","slug":"mph-alumni-meghan-jacobson-where-is-she-now","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/news\/mph-alumni-meghan-jacobson-where-is-she-now\/","title":{"rendered":"MPH Alumni Meghan Jacobson: Where Is She Now?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Master of Public Health program\u2019s series titled \u201cWhere Are They Now?\u201d dives into each individual\u2019s time as a student and how those experiences shaped their current professions. If you are interested in taking part in the series, please contact mph@ewu.edu<\/a>. Catch up with Meghan Jacobson here!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Name:<\/strong> Meghan Jacobson<\/p>\n

Graduation Year:<\/strong> May 2018<\/p>\n

Job Title:<\/strong> Public Health Educator II<\/p>\n

Organization:<\/strong> Spokane Regional Health District<\/p>\n

Describe your career path. Why public health?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have always wanted to help people but wasn\u2019t sure exactly what I wanted to do. Health had always interested me, so I decided to get my undergraduate degree in Community Health. When I was hired at the Spokane Regional Health District, I quickly realized that there was a lot more to learn when it came areas such as disease prevention and health on a larger scale. So, I decided to pursue my MPH so I could learn practical elements and apply them to my job.<\/p>\n

What are you responsible for in your current position?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was lucky enough to be an intern at the Spokane Regional Health District and eventually get hired on working with Community Health Workers (CHW). I have been helping to implement a peer-to-peer CHW initiative within 10 low-income apartment complexes across Spokane County for the past four years. The goal is to increase healthy eating and active living with a total population reach of over 1,000 low-income tenants. I coordinate direct and indirect educational opportunities as well as explore policy, system, and environmental changes.<\/p>\n

I also am a project coordinator for a ten-county social marketing campaign called My Healthy Life<\/a> where I compile formative data, conduct focus groups, and create targeted branding and message strategies based on results.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite part about your job?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My favorite part of my job is seeing behavior change as a result of our efforts. Whether it is working to get community gardens in low-income housing, or seeing someone understand how to read a nutrition label for the first time, I feel like I am actually making a difference.<\/p>\n

I also enjoy creating and sustaining partnerships with organizations at a local, regional, and state level to be able to provide increased opportunities for health within low-income housing.<\/p>\n

How did the MPH program prepare you for your current position?<\/strong><\/p>\n

While I had an undergraduate degree in Community Health, the MPH program allowed me to explore the history and policy side of public health.<\/p>\n

What was most memorable to you about your experiences in the MPH program?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I loved being able to meet students from a variety of backgrounds and immerse myself into the world of public health with professors who had real-life experience.<\/p>\n

What advice would you give to someone who is considering pursuing an MPH?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Get involved and explore all areas of public health. Because it is so wide-ranging, you\u2019re bound to find your lifelong, fulfilling career!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Master of Public Health program\u2019s series titled \u201cWhere Are They Now?\u201d dives into each individual\u2019s time as a student and how those experiences shaped their current professions. If you are interested in taking part in the series, please contact mph@ewu.edu. Catch up with Meghan Jacobson here! Name: Meghan Jacobson Graduation Year: May 2018 Job…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":442,"featured_media":76150,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-76101","stories","type-stories","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","stories_categories-public-health","stories_tags-mph","stories_tags-mphewu","stories_tags-public-health"],"acf":{"featured_video":"","subheading":"","Links":false,"Resources":false,"display_byline":true,"display_date_published":true},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/76101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/stories"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/442"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/76101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78603,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/76101\/revisions\/78603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/chsph\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}