Transferring Lessons Learned to the Workplace

By Madeline Boccuzzi, MSc-GH ‘13

When I first told my grandparents about my decision to enroll in the Fall 2011 Master of Science in Global Health cohort  at DGHI, my grandma looked at me and said, “Maddy, isn’t ‘global health’ a little vague?”  My response, “Yes – isn’t that exciting!”  The term global health is rather broad and encompasses all aspects of health in the developing world.  While shaping my academic trajectory at DGHI, my background in HIV/AIDS education and orphan work in East Africa suddenly seemed like a very small sliver of what was possible under the guise of global health.  I loved mapping out different iterations of my studies and what they would imply for future career plans.  I ultimately decided to pursue global health supply chain research and focused my coursework and field research around international management and policy of HIV and malaria commodities.  While my research was specific to my own interests, my friends were studying everything from migration and sexual health in Argentina to clergy health in Kenya, and we all had the great fortune of learning from each other - what better way to narrow the definition of global health?

I graduated from Duke in December 2012 and have since assumed the position of Strategic Affiliations Manager for Keck Medicine of USC, the University of Southern California’s health system.  My position focuses on health system expansion regionally and internationally, and I oversee development of international and telemedicine projects.  This position may seem like a far cry from researching HIV and malaria supply chains in Vientiane, Laos with the World Health Organization, but the lessons I learned through my international and field experiences are actually quite transferable.  A few highlights of my lessons learned:

Create your own space, even if it takes time

I had to build my fieldwork experience from scratch – global health supply chains are notoriously understudied and there was a dearth of professors at Duke looking at supply chains in the public health sector.  However, with the support of professors and staff at DGHI, I was able to carve out a research area that was spot on to my interests and allowed me to fully pursue my global health interests.  My post-Duke career has been similar – it took months of talking with different people at USC, but I eventually worked to create the exact niche role I was looking for – a health systems position with strategic initiatives focusing on international projects. 

Developing specialized research and career opportunities is not always possible, but I found that a willingness to collaborate and a healthy dose of perseverance and grit allowed me to shape my time at Duke and now my time at USC.

Work really (really) hard

DGHI spoiler alert – grad school is not easy.  Students in the MSc-GH program enroll in challenging, thought provoking courses that require complex analysis of some of the world’s most pressing problems. For me, succeeding in graduate school meant working really, really hard – there were always articles to read, events to attend, papers to write, courses to prepare for.  Working hard pays off, though, and spending time delving deep into the opportunities at Duke helped expand my global health horizon and prepared me for my current position at USC.  

Dedication is rewarded

 I found my most satisfying academic moments came when I could really connect with professors by going beyond classroom discussions.  And while my conversations with physicians and departments at USC are not based on a course syllabus, I do find that my most gratifying meetings and projects come from deeply researching opportunities and attentive preparation of materials.  People appreciate diligence, and being a successful global health practitioner requires thoughtful, determined work.

Build and maintain meaningful connections

Global health work demands collaboration.  Working in distant lands can be overwhelming and intimidating, but building meaningful relationships with your colleagues helps establish the trust required for international work.    I find that the best way to bridge the gap between my own background and those of my colleagues abroad is to spend time engaging in day-to-day activities outside of the office.  My fieldwork research in Laos benefited from grocery shopping with my Lao colleagues at the local markets, and my work at USC benefits from authentic dim sum dinners with my Chinese colleagues.  Building relationships with people and attempting to understand their perspectives always deepens your understanding of your work and its context, and can usually lead to tasty meals which, in my opinion, is an important part of international work.  As someone who recently completed a job search, I can say with authority that you can never underestimate the power of networking.  Networking usually gets a bad reputation, but I like to think of it as maintaining connections with people who have similar interests and seeing where those interests intersect.  And as every career help guide will tell you – you never know where your next opportunity may come from.

Smile big and laugh hard

Working internationally can sometimes land you in awkward or uncomfortable situations.  I’ve unintentionally cursed at Tanzanian village leaders in Swahili and told my building manager that I needed to fill my water tank with gasoline in Lao (he thankfully did not oblige).  Spending time living and work abroad is fun and funny, and how you get through the “I can’t believe I did that” moments ultimately defines your overall experience.  Given my propensity for landing myself in comical situations, I learned that a big smile and a few carefully learned words for “excuse me”, “I’m sorry”, and “I don’t know” can usually diffuse even the most mortifying moments.  And while I can usually get through a day in Los Angeles without a major language or cultural gaffe, I find it’s still best to laugh at the preposterous things that happen every day.  As one of my colleagues at USC said while we were laughing about a particularly odd meeting, “We take our work very seriously, but not everything we do needs to be serious.” 

So, remember to have fun in the big, broad world of global health – I know I am.