ODU PHSA Public Health Navy Career Panel ’23

In February 2023, the ODU Public Health Student Association (PHSA) held a career panel featuring Public Health professionals with Navy contractor positions. As Vice President of the PHSA, I served as the moderator for the hybrid panel which was held on-campus in the Webb Center and live streamed for individuals unable to make the in-person event. The event was open to any interested students and faculty members at ODU. Five panelists with various Public Health positions participated in the panel and were asked about their career path, day-to-day responsibilities, and advice for individuals interested in pursuing a job in their field.

Monarch Pantry Presentation to ODU SEES Unit Leaders ’23

During the 2023 Spring semester, myself and the Assistant Director for Service-Learning were invited to present in person about the state of the Monarch Pantry at the Student Engagement and Enrollment Services (SEES) monthly Unit Leaders meeting. In attendance were members of SEES leadership and the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean Agho. The purpose of the presentation was to raise awareness about the Monarch Pantry within SEES, current challenges facing the Pantry, and ways to support Pantry operations.

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ODU PHSA Public Health Talk ’22: Campus Food Insecurity & The Monarch Pantry

As part of the ODU Public Health Student Association’s (PHSA) monthly Public Health Talk series, myself and the Assistant Director of Service-Learning were invited to present virtually about food insecurity on college campuses and the Monarch Pantry. We shared the monthly talk with a representative from the Women & Gender Equity Center who presented about period equity. Attendees of the talk included interested students and faculty members, as well as officers from the PHSA.

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W&M Active Citizens Conference ’13: Detour Ahead – Finding an Alternate Route for Overcoming Project Obstacles Through Community Dialogue, Transparent Goals, and Flexibility

Myself and the other members of my research team applied and were selected to present at the 2013 William & Mary Active Citizens Conference. The theme of the conference was EDUCATING, UNITING, & INSPIRING ACTIVE CITIZENS and our presentation focused on overcoming challenges associated with community-based research. The information we presented was based on the second round of research we conducted at the Charlottesville City Farmers Market through funding from the UVA Jefferson Public Citizens program.

Session Description: UVA students will share their approach to collaborative problem solving through their partnership with the Charlottesville City Market and its surrounding community. Using techniques of community dialogue and relationship building, the team facilitated community driven change. This workshop will simulate the roadblocks we faced and allow participants to be a part of developing solutions. Techniques that will be discussed include how to lead listening sessions and how to develop a community network around an issue.

UVA Women in Leadership Conference ’13: The Power of Community

Myself and another member of our research team were invited to present at the 2013 UVA Women in Leadership Conference. Our invitation was based on the two years of research we conducted with the Charlottesville City Farmers Market on increasing economic, physical, and cultural access to the market. Our entire research team was composed of female students and faculty members from UVA, and our community partner – Market Central – was run by two women in the Charlottesville community. The presentation we gave focused on the importance of community-based research and engaging community members throughout the research process.

Session Description: Nurturing community dialogue is the foundation of any successful public service initiative. Whether addressing issues locally, in another state, or even in another country, community members must be the driving force to bring about meaningful change. A team of university students collaborated with the Charlottesville City Farmers Market to pilot the Power of Produce (POP) Club. Empowered by farmers markets’ potential to act as incubators for change, the team believed in the POP Club’s role in reducing childhood obesity and increasing family access to healthy foods at farmers markets. The team will share their experiences of facilitating community dialogues to define the scope of the project, adapting in response to stakeholder feedback, and using local success to inspire the expansion of their project into a national movement. The team believes the lessons they have learned will be applicable to all types of community based efforts.

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UVA Jefferson Public Citizens Journal Fall ’12 and Spring ’13

For each year that we received funding, our research team submitted articles that were accepted and published in the UVA Jefferson Public Citizens Journal. These articles summarized our research efforts with the Charlottesville City Farmers Market. Our first year of research included conducting a randomized survey of market patrons to determine data on current market users and identify which populations were not visiting the market. This data was presented to Charlottesville City Council and other pertinent groups to inform decisions about the future location of the market. Our second year of research aimed at increasing economic access to the farmers market through the implementation of children’s programming. Based on an existing program at the Oregon City Farmers Market, the POP Club was successfully piloted at the Charlottesville City Farmers Market. While funding limitations restricted the continued existence of the program in Charlottesville, the program framework was turned into a toolkit which has been used to implement POP Clubs at farmers markets nation-wide.

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International Food Studies Conference ’11: Have a Stake in the Market – Collecting Data and Building Partnerships at the Charlottesville City Market

Myself and other members of my research team submitted a proposal and were invited to present at the inaugural International Food Studies Conference in 2011. Our presentation focused on the results of our first year of research funded through the UVA Jefferson Public Citizens program, which included a randomized survey of patrons at the Charlottesville City Farmers Market. We discussed our study design, implementation, results, and conclusions. Additionally, we emphasized the importance of community engagement and building partnerships in the overall success of our research.

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