Intern Day Highlights - Career Advice from Leaders in the HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Field

On July 22, 2013, the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research hosted the Washington Area Intern Networking Day.  Nine leading experts in HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis gathered at the UCDC Washington Center for a panel discussion in which they provided career advice and shared their personal experiences navigating the field of Public Health. Nancy Glick, Senior Vice President of Health & Nutrition at MSL Washington, moderated the panel and Veronica Miller, Executive Director of the Forum, providing opening and closing remarks. Highlights from this session are included below. 

Panelists:

• Chris Collins, MPP, Vice President and Director of Public Policy for AmFAR and The Foundation for AIDS Research
• Jeff Crowley, MPH,Distinguished Scholar and Program Director of the National HIV/AIDS Initiative at Georgetown University's O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law
• Corinna Dan, RN, MPH, Viral Hepatitis Policy Advisor in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health for the Department of Health and Human Services
• Murray Penner, BSW, Deputy Executive Director of Domestic Programs at the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD)
• Ivy Turnbull, DLP, Deputy Director of the AIDS Alliance
• Andrea Weddle, MSW, Executive Director of the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA)
• Christine Lubinski, Vice President for Global Health, Infectious Diseases Society of America
• Veronica Miller, PhD, Executive Director of the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research
• Nancy Glick (moderator), Senior Vice President of Health & Nutrition at MSL Washington 

What are the most important things you can do to build a successful career in policy and advocacy, particularly in the HIV space?

"Always try to see where the opportunity is in a situation. Let people know you're interested. One of the things that was hardest for me was introducing myself... and learning my 30-second bio that I could share with somebody to get people interested enough to look for opportunities to work together down the line."
--Corinna Dan

"Don't be afraid to make a change when you are very comfortable where you are, move to the next step. Don't just plan a goal way out here and think you've got to take these steps, because along the way you're going to take detours and you're going come to several different doors and you're going have to choose...what you'd like to be."
--Murray Penner

"When it comes to career stuff, don't underestimate the importance of ... socializing and telling people who you are and what you want to do.
--Chris Collins

"It's all about relationships. I'm not a meet-and-greeter. It's easier for me to talk to a thousand people than to approach a stranger, but I have cultivated enough relationships that those people will be my advocates. Any opportunity you have to meet people who are well-respected who can recommend you [is key]."
--Christine Lubinski

How to make the leap from on-the-ground work to policy and/or advocacy?

 "Don't think an organization isn't doing policy work just because you don't see it. Often there is a connection that's at the program level and all of a sudden there are policy opportunities."-
-Murray Penner

"Look at key issues, key bills they're working on. Figure out what the hot issues are and how to get plugged into them."
--Andrea Weddle

"If you are actually working and know people who are living what the lack of policy, and you have the ability to shine a light on them, it's really helpful for the advocacy groups.  The best way to get people behind a policy is to show those people the people who are being affected."
--Nancy Glick

"The President's big mission was the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and everyone on this panel was involved in this. What makes me proud of this is [not just what] the administration did but what everybody did and the fact that, how many government reports do you remember three years later? That was a great experience."
--Jeff Crowley

"[When you reach out to people], don't take it personally if someone doesn't respond to your email. Often they will just have missed it or been away. If you don't hear back, don't be shy about sending the email again."
--Andrea Weddle

"Policymakers never set out making policies that are not with the best intentions, but sometimes they make those policies at a distance and may not necessarily know the communities they are making decisions for. I came from providing direct services to communities to do policy work so I have an advantage because I know the community."
--Ivy Turnbull

How do you avoid "career inertia" and branch out to other types of roles in public health?

"Dare to dream, and imagine: if you could be somewhere, doing something, what would that be...and then imagine at least one or two steps forward in that dream. If you can put the pieces together in the vision of who or where you want to be, you'll know what you need to get there."
--Corinna Dan

"Mentors can help you bridge to the next step. Find people who are very comfortable in who they are and are looking to help others grow. In Washington, mentoring is a lot of what we do."
--Nancy Glick

"A lot of times in my career I didn't get paid to do what I wanted to be doing most, so I just did it. I found a way to do an internship and have a day job or do it at night.  I think internships are incredibly powerful. Find the thing that needs to get fixed and go do that, whether or not it's your job.  Find the things that you want to push on and own them."
--Chris Collins

"I think the biggest secret is that people actually want to help you, so start off with that premise. If you go to someone and say, you don't know me but you can teach me something that will be very important for me, I know very few people who would say no."
--Veronica Miller

What stands out as something that makes candidates employable?

"The two most important strengths are good oral and written communication skills. There are people who graduated from prestigious universities and cannot write [well] - do not be one of those people. And if you have to take extra steps to do that, do it."
--Christine Lubinski

"Don't make a cover letter all about you and what you've done, but [make it about] what you can do to help the organization get to where they want to go."
--Chris Collins

"Always say thank you afterwards."
--Jeff Crowley

"Enthusiasm goes a long way. Intelligent enthusiasm and energy sheds a different light on your interview."
--Corinna Dan

"In an interview, what always gets it for me is sincerity. If I can get that sense, they've sold me."
--Ivy Turnbull

We would like to thank all of our speakers for taking time out of their busy schedules to participate in this panel. The Forum will be holding its second Washington Intern Networking Day in summer 2014 - watch this space for updates and further details.  If you would like to subscribe to the HIV Forum listserv, please click here to sign up .