Kate Gershwin

What inspired you to study public health? 

I was inspired to study public health after learning about the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Public health practitioners are at the forefront of AMR research, program and policy implementation. Accordingly, I wanted to study public health to learn from experts and start designing solutions to control the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, particularly in the Global South.

What has been the single most rewarding experience of your career/studies so far? 

The single most rewarding experience of my career has been presenting my team’s research at a global health research conference last year. I discussed our findings on the barriers and opportunities for antimicrobial stewardship implementation at a hospital in Accra, Ghana.

Where did you do your practicum? What was it about? 

I did my practicum at the Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (CIPE). CIPE is a collaborative effort between the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. CIPE is dedicated to improving patient safety and quality in health care through interprofessional education and community and clinical partnerships. They facilitate interprofessional curricular activities across seven health professional programs: audiology, genetic counseling, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, and physical therapy. As a practicum student, I designed CIPE’s new website, designed and taught an educational workshop on Cholesterol management for community members, utilized qualitative methods to evaluate their programming, participated in a “Hotspotting” program with participants from the local St. Louis community, and much more.

What do you hope to accomplish in your career? 

I hope to improve global health equity by implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs in healthcare settings in the Global South, thereby reducing the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and AMR-associated morbidity and mortality.

Advice: 

I wish someone had told me to say “yes” to every learning opportunity I was presented with during my MPH program. While you are in school, there are so many opportunities to learn about public health efforts at your institution, in your city, etc. You should take advantage of this unique access to network with experts in the field and absorb all that you can.

If you are working, what is your job? 

Graduate Research Assistant/Washington University School of Medicine

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