‘I Wanted to be Part of Up-Stream Solutions that Prevent Down-Stream Problems’.
Josephine Pokua
Breakfast: Sometimes leftovers from dinner
Hometown: Union, New Jersey
Extracurriculars: Drawing, painting, going to museums, anything related to art
Josephine Pokua is graduating with her MPH this spring. We sat down with her to learn more about what brought her to BUSPH and how she plans to apply what she has learned into her public health practice moving forward.
What led you to pursue a career in public health?
I sort of fell into public health, which I think is the case for many people. I originally intended to pursue a career as an orthotist and prosthetist, and part of the application process for that program required shadowing hours. It’s an amazing field, and those practitioners are doing great work. But I noticed that a lot of the frustrations that I witnessed with clinicians and also patients is that, you know, the clinician could spend hours making assistive devices for the patient. But these patients had so many other challenges that weren’t really being addressed like issues with housing and food insecurity. I realized that, although it would be great to work in that field where I could work one on one with patients and engage them individually, there was a larger issue at hand and I wanted to be part of the solution. And a lot of that had to deal with public health. So that’s how I sort of stumbled into the field. I wanted to be part of the up-stream solutions that prevent the down-stream problems I felt weren’t being addressed to improve the health of communities.
Why did you choose BUSPH?
BU has a great reputation, and not just for the School of Public Health. So I felt confident that I’d be getting a good education here. And with SPH specifically, I really appreciated the flexibility in programming, the fact that I could do part-time or full time or go back and forth, and design my degree program however I wanted. I think there is a general misconception that public health is just epidemiology. And so coming to BUSPH, learning more about what public health is and what it’s not, and how public health is such a broad field, and how even within the school you can focus on program management or environmental health, or epi and biostats, and how there are so many different ways that we can all work together in this field, I’m grateful for that opportunity. And I’m very assured that I made the right decision and I’m in the best place for myself right now.
And BUSPH just seemed like a good fit culturally for me, too. I got the sense that a lot of the faculty and staff are committed to helping people, and learning and figuring out ways to help improve the health and wellbeing of populations. It seemed like they truly believe in the mission of BUSPH and that made it an easy choice for me. I’m very glad that I came here.
How are you engaging your community in what you are learning?
One of the skills I’m grateful to be learning and practicing is health communication. I’ll share articles, papers, and videos with friends and family. And I’m not afraid to speak up in group chats either, especially when there’s misinformation about important health issues like the COVID-19 pandemic. If I have the information, I’ll share it. If I don’t have it, I’ll find a way to figure out who has the information or who is a better person to talk to. I want that knowledge and information to spread because I don’t think it’s very useful if it just stays with me and stays in my head. Public health is about people, and you have to be able to talk to people, meet them at their level, and understand what their priorities are. So, again, with this COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a bit more dire for some folks in terms of the major public health issue. It’s important to reassure people, to provide them with information on ways they can help and protect themselves, and to dispel a lot of myths and misinformation that is super dangerous to people’s health and well being. And I’m fortunate enough to have gone through this program to be able to understand a lot of the terminology and concepts used (in the media) to explain why things are as they are right now. But that’s not the case for everyone. So if I can help make it easier for people to understand what’s going on, what their options are, and what they can do to protect themselves, then I feel like I’m using my degree well.
What issues are you passionate about and how are you putting that passion into action?
Well, I have a couple of different topics I’m interested in. I have an interest in black women’s health because, hey, I am a black woman. And representation for black women that ensures our voices and health concerns are heard, that’s something important. I’m interested in the school to prison pipeline, again, because it’s personal for me. I’m interested in environmental justice and that’s part of the reason why I pursued an environmental health certificate. And then I’m also interested in accessibility and inclusion because my undergraduate degree was focused on rehabilitation and addressing the biopsychosocial needs of individuals with disabilities. So my interests now are a combination of my own personal experiences and my education. And it’s always been personal for me because I represent many of the populations that are discussed in our public health coursework. I’m fortunate enough to be able to attend this institution and these classes and to learn all this information. It would be a disservice for me not to represent myself and some of the communities I belong to and highlight the issues that have a disproportionate impact on a lot of people.
In terms of putting it into action, I was more active during undergrad and now I’ve been preoccupied with school. So I haven’t had an opportunity to act but I think I’ll play a role in advocacy, and policymaking, especially policymaking. I am reminded again with COVID-19 how important public health is to policymaking, like a lot of the challenges that different states and communities are running into is when there’s a discrepancy between public health guidelines and policymakers, and that should not be the case at all. So When it comes to something like black women’s health, environmental justice, or accessibility and inclusion, you need individuals who represent those populations to be on these boards and to be in the room when policymaking is happening. And I believe it’s also wise for public health professionals to be present as well because these are not just social issues, these are also public health issues. And I hope once I begin my career, and after graduation, I’ll have the opportunity to work on different efforts for policymaking for a variety of topics.
Do you plan on applying your artistic abilities to our public health practice?
I certainly envision a future where I’d be able to incorporate my artwork and the love of art with public health practice. I do have some ideas for art projects I’d like to engage in that also have like a public health element towards it. So for example, I have an idea for a photography project that would highlight a population that is often left out of the dialogue when discussing the opioid crisis which is a major issue here in Boston and across the country. And, from what I see, when the opioid crisis is spoken about the focus is on the pharmaceutical companies, the physicians that prescribe opioids, and the individuals who end up misusing these substances. But I think one population that’s left out are individuals with chronic pain, the people who take these medications, use them properly, and it’s necessary for their health and well being. These people are also impacted by the opioid crisis. So I have ideas for a photography project that can incorporate interviews and focus groups to help shed a light on the opinions and the experiences of people with chronic pain.