Why did you choose the Yale School of Public Health?
Of the schools into which I was accepted, Yale was close enough to home to allow me to continue my local advocacy work, and it had a program that encouraged community engagement and student initiative. I have also been a patient at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. Knowing what it means to be on the receiving end of the health care system was what drew me to public health in the first place. I think there’s a certain poetic justice in walking the halls and studying health problems among the people who once saved my life.
What were you doing before enrolling at YSPH?
The semester before YSPH, I graduated summa cum laude with a BA in social sciences at Western Connecticut State University. My major was a generalist program, tying together different insights across disciplines. I brought this approach to a variety of extracurricular and advocacy projects, including working on state legislation for insulin access, state and federal health care reform, and community-driven health care delivery in resource poor settings. My undergraduate thesis developed an econometric model of the effect of the pandemic on enrollment in health care degrees as a means to predict future workforce shortages. I also served as editor of the Echo student newspaper, vice president of student publications, and staff researcher for WXCI (91.7 FM), where I helped expand our political coverage by interviewing public officials, including Governor [Ned] Lamont and members of our state congressional delegation.
The breadth of courses to explore, and scholars – both faculty and students – to work with, is incredible. Everyone is thoughtful and engaged in the work of solving global health problems.
Campbell Mitchell
What are your favorite aspects of the YSPH academic program?
The breadth of courses to explore, and scholars – both faculty and students – to work with, is incredible. Everyone is thoughtful and engaged in the work of solving global health problems. What I find most impressive is a real shared sense of purpose and co-learning, both in class and out. Students and faculty bring their own experiences and interests in order to build a program that challenges all of us to push boundaries.
What was your most impactful experience outside of class?
Realizing that I now have a platform with the resources to engage in serious scholarship on the topics I have long advocated for has changed how I see myself. Joining a new NIH research project on intersectional disability stigma and having an editorial on my personal journey with chronic illness and disability published in the American Journal of Public Health have made me realize I have a lot more to contribute in this field beyond finishing my degree.
I would be remiss if I did not also mention working with my fellow student leaders at Disability Empowerment in Public Health at Yale – YSPH’s graduate cross-disability community. Both the care that has been put into making our first semester on campus a success and the response we have gotten from students have been incredibly encouraging.
Do you have a favorite Yale place or New Haven food?
While New Haven pizza certainly lives up to the hype, my unexpected favorite has been Sherkaan Indian Street Food.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
Before starting at YSPH, I would have said something in public service, either government or nonprofit. Having gotten a taste for the sort of opportunities available, the idea of continuing on for a PhD and forging a path that brings my advocacy and research work together sounds increasingly appealing.