Reflecting on my experience with the practice labs, I can say I’ve gained more knowledge about what it means to be a public health professional. Each practice lab I’ve completed in the MPH program has improved my understanding on the multiple considerations and development processes that pertain to public health efforts. Completing these labs was intimidating but also refreshing as I was able to gain more experience with the public health field in different courses from different perspectives.

One competency achieved through my practice lab projects is identified as MPH 18: Selection of communication strategies for different audiences and sectors. In a multitude of my courses such as MPH 613 & MPH 630, we had various discussions and assignments revolving around the communications utilized when portraying public health issues. The referenced practice lab from MPH 630 gave me a great experience in achieving this competency as I was tasked with choosing a problem with a specific audience as well as behavioral objective, to then be challenged to promote the objective to my audience. This assigned task allowed me to tap into the various influencers to individuals’ behaviors and connect those behaviors to potential social marketing efforts I could develop. Making this connection aided in the type of communication strategies I considered for the audience as I was able to understand which type of delivery would be best. This had a cumulative impact on my learning as the understanding I gained in communication styles expanded how I can interpret public health issues and then develop interventions that will mitigate those issues.

The second competency I achieved during the completion of the MPH 613 practice lab is MPH 20: Describing the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content. There are many public health issues impacting various populations globally. Understanding the differences between populations and how the public health issues impact each one differently is significant to how I as a public health professional prepare my delivery of public health content such as resources, education, etc. Understanding the cultural atmosphere in the Happytown practice lab gave me insights to which communication strategies are best for the community to receive education regarding hazardous items utilized during community celebrations. Gaining a better understanding of cultural competence has a cumulative impact on my learning as I now perceive public health issues on more of a global scale; moreover, my future efforts in pubic health will be guided to cater to a multitude of cultures, making public health interventions more inclusive.