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Q&A with MPH Student Abby Varker

A summer practicum at the Massachusetts State House introduced the MPH student to the inner workings of policymaking.

Abby Varker is an MPH candidate at Boston University School of Public Health studying health policy and law, and sex, sexuality, and gender.

For her practicum experience, she spent her summer working for the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health for a first-hand look at how policy is developed and implemented at the state level. The practicum is a core element of the MPH program at BUSPH, where all students in the program are required to complete a minimum of 240 hours in a public health-related organization. This applied practice experience is intended to provide students with an opportunity to apply their skills-based education in a local, national, or international context. Varker received funding for her practicum from SPH’s Generation Health program, an initiative that makes it possible for BUSPH students to be paid for work with community organizations that otherwise would not be able to take on paid practicum students. 

Varker’s practicum directly related to her passions, which she says include establishing policies to promote sexual and reproductive health, and low-cost health care. Her background is in psychology, ethics, and the natural sciences, all of which inform her public health practice.

What did you work on during your practicum with the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health?

I supported the work of the committee staff as we reached the end of the legislative session, including writing newsletters, attending and taking notes on relevant briefings, and coordinating with members of other staff. The State House put on a speaker series in which elected representatives and leaders in MA government took time to speak to all of the interns and pass on their wisdom and experience. Lastly, we worked on a project all summer evaluating a bill that previously went through the committee but was not reported favorably. We chose an interesting bill, redrafted it using proper legal language, and provided both written and oral testimony in a simulation Committee hearing.

What was your favorite part of this experience?

My team was fantastic (including an SPH alum, Daniella Montero), and I learned that the members of the Public Health staff were incredibly fun, warm, intelligent, and passionate about their issues. We spent most of the summer trying to pass a massive maternal health package, and their devotion to maternal health was honestly inspiring and created a fantastic learning and working environment.

What lessons will you be taking from this experience back to SPH this fall?

I received the invaluable experience of learning just how legislation functions. The legislative process is fickle and complicated, but I got to watch it unfurl in front of me. This exposed me to lobbyists, interest groups, politicians, and staff alike to see multiple angles of the process. I’m mostly taking away the relationships and connections I’ve made on top of a greater understanding of what it means to work in legislation and really put forth good health policy.