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IDEA Exchange: Becoming Public Health: Identity, Growth, and Finding Your Place

October 8 All day

What does it mean to find your place in public health—and how does your professional identity evolve along the way?

In Episode 10 of the IDEA Exchange Podcast, “Becoming Public Health: Identity, Growth, and Finding Your Place,” Dr. Clarion Harris joins the conversation to explore the personal and professional journey of building a career in public health. Through reflections on identity, growth, and finding a sense of belonging, the episode examines how experiences, relationships, and opportunities can shape not only the work public health professionals do, but also how they see themselves within the field.

Whether you are a student considering a future in public health, an early-career professional navigating your next steps, or an established professional reflecting on your own path, this conversation offers insights into the experiences that help shape a meaningful public health career.

In This Episode, You’ll Explore

  • How professional identity develops throughout a public health career
  • The role of growth, reflection, and lived experience in shaping career paths
  • What it means to find your place and sense of belonging in public health
  • Lessons for students and early-career public health professionals navigating their professional journeys
  • How individual experiences contribute to the broader public health workforce

HOST

Miranda Bosse, MPH, Director of IDEA Institute 

GUEST

Clarion Harris, PhD, Prairie View A&M University

Dr. Clarion Jamil Harris is a public health scholar, educator, and emerging leader whose journey reflects the many ways our professional identities evolve as we learn, grow, and find our place in the field.

Her public health journey includes her time at the University of Memphis School of Public Health, where she contributed to efforts focused on advancing equity within academic public health, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-supported Transforming Academia for Equity initiative. Her experiences as a student, researcher, and educator have shaped her commitment to creating more supportive and equitable environments for the next generation of public health professionals.

Now continuing her academic career at Prairie View A&M University, Dr. Harris brings together her experiences across research, teaching, mentorship, and institutional change. Her work offers an important perspective on what it means to transition from student to scholar and educator while developing a professional identity that remains grounded in purpose, community, and equity.