Jessica Huang was trained as an environmental engineer, and then moved into environmental and health education, before finding her current path as a public health professional. While her journey wasn't the most straightforward, in hindsight, she's grateful for what she learned along the way because of the many interconnections between this work. Fun fact: In the field of public health, some of the earliest work in epidemiology (which is the study of distributions, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in populations) was done around cholera outbreaks from contaminated water supplies. In today's world, health information and health education are more important than ever so that we can take better care of ourselves and each other during this COVID-19 global pandemic. It's all connected!
Jessica received her doctorate in public health from Harvard University, and an M.A. in learning, design and technology from Stanford University. She did her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley for a B.S. in civil and environmental engineering along with a second B.S. in business administration - the combination of which enabled her to co-found a social enterprise to provide disinfected drinking water in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
In this episode shares the role humanitarianism played in the evolution of her work in public health and why she loves the field. We also hear her "why" for looking at health equity more broadly and her views on the importance of centering community in changemaking. Reflecting on her work as a cofounder of a social enterprise, Jessica recalls a time when a shift in operations gifted the team and community with innovation. Currently working in COVID-19 recovery efforts, we hear about Jessica's growth in perspective as it relates to codesigning policy, capacity building, inclusion and ableism. Trust, time, empathy and relationship are key to recovery. Jessica challenges us to be more intentional about including diverse stakeholder voices in policy design and community well-being.
We aim to codesign a better future with inclusion, empathy and equity as we share Forward 4O’s platform with this phenomenal WOC in the nonprofit and social enterprise sector.
Stay connected to Jessica on Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn.
Links to projects mentioned in the podcast:
https://www.cityleadership.harvard.edu/
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