The panelists, moderated by Forum Executive Director Dr. Veronica Miller, came from broad and diverse backgrounds, encompassing government organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and advocacy groups. They discussed their career paths and the influences in their lives that led them to where they are today. The common theme throughout all of their stories was that none of them were doing what they had planned to at the beginning of their careers. Kimberly Struble, Medical Team Leader for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the US Food and Drug Administration, noted that she had originally wanted to become a school teacher, before ultimately going to pharmacy school. The takeaway for me was that career paths are not linear and you may find yourself in a completely unexpected place ten or twenty years down the line. In fact, most of the panelists did not begin with degrees in their respective policy fields. Dr. Gina Brown, Medical Officer from the National Institutes of Health, described her time working at a clinic earlier on, and how that affected her role at the NIH. I had a chance to speak with her at the reception, and she explained how useful it can be to have a person with clinical experience involved with policy making. Corinna Dan, Viral Hepatitis Policy Advisor at the Department of Health and Human Services, affirmed this; she worked as a nurse before moving to the policy side and earning her MPH. Former clinicians have a much more nuanced expertise of the healthcare system, and can be critical members of a team. They are aware of how changes in health policy can affect the patient at an individual level. These sentiments were echoed by Isha Weerasinghe, Director of Policy and Advocacy from the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, and Dr. Sue Zelt, Senior Director from ViiV Healthcare. As a university student, it was reassuring to know that a group of people with such vastly different affiliations all shared one thing in common: they could not have possibly predicted the outcomes of their careers, but in the end they were able to have a positive influence on the lives of so many patients.
On Monday, August 1st, the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research hosted its 4th annual Washington Area Interns Networking Day. The purpose of the event is to allow interns working in the Washington area a chance to hear from and converse with experts in the fields of public health and policy in HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis. Various organizations were represented by the attending interns, including The American Chemical Society, The American Psychological Association’s Office of AIDS, HealthHIV, The AIDS Institute, The Global Liver Institute, and the National Association of Social Workers. The event consisted of a panel, followed by a light reception and networking period.