‘Evaluation Is So Important’.
As a public health analyst at the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) in Washington, DC, Ashley King (SPH’16) is committed to ensuring that the critical services the department provides are actually effective for the city’s children, youth, and adults who need it the most.
“Evaluation is so important,” says King, who studied social and behavioral sciences in the Master of Public Health program at SPH, and now works in the Substance Use Disorder Prevention branch under the Community Services Administration at DBH. “Our qualitative work is just as valuable as our quantitative work. We can offer programs and provide health communication materials, but we have to know if we’re making an impact and doing the things that we intended to do.”
In her role, King collects and analyzes local and national data on substance misuse, including tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, among youth and young adults aged 10 to 24. She develops targeted educational materials for presentations and social media messaging geared toward youth and at-risk populations who are experiencing substance misuse and related health issues. She also collaborates with community organizations and federal and state agencies to develop new procedures for treatment programs.
“I’m always looking to see how we can better inform our work and discover new ways to intervene and delay the onset of drug use, or prevent it altogether,” she says.
Unlike other cities, Washington, DC is grappling with an opioid crisis that has produced more overdoses of heroin, rather than prescription drugs. King says many of city’s youth centers are grappling with racism and classism issues that compound youth drug use.
A DC native, King says it is satisfying to have the opportunity to improve her hometown.
“My job keeps me constantly thinking about how we can support the next generation,” King says. “These are people who live in the neighborhoods that I know and love. Being able to think of ways to make this city safer and healthier is really exciting.”
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