10+ years career advising in higher ed | public health & beyond

Lauren S.

Career Development

I have 10+ years of professional experience supporting job search and career development pursuits of undergraduate and graduate students at public and private R1 universities, including Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, and Emory University. I’ve provided thousands of hours of 1-on-1 and group career and academic advising for undergraduate populations ranging from 400 to 600 students; and intensive 1-on-1 career, job search, and professional development coaching for graduate populations ranging from 40 to 70 master’s students per semester. Students’ academic programs included public health, engineering, data science, public policy, economics, criminal justice, and social work. And their career interests spanned the gamut: public health, health systems engineering, humanitarian logistics, gerontology and population aging, digital health, Big Tech, Big Retail, environmental sustainability, government, health care policy, finance, autonomous vehicle safety, consulting, social good startups, and more. Also within the context of higher ed, I develop and deliver professional development workshops, such as: (1) “Actionable Strategies for Job Search Success: Discover Industries & Companies,” a workshop for equipping job seekers with practical tactics—from leveraging flexible job title searches and geographic strategies to harnessing alumni first destination outcomes, LinkedIn, and industry news—to uncover hidden and easily overlooked opportunities in the public health and social impact space (2) “Thriving as a Professional in the Workplace: Tips for Successful Internships and Your First 90 Days as a FT Employee,” a workshop that covers not only the basics of workplace etiquette (everything from requesting time off to email communications), but also emphasizes how to strengthen interpersonal skills for thriving on interdisciplinary teams and among colleagues with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences. Resources are provided on the following topics: implicit bias training, cultural awareness, and promotin

Epidemiology

Experience as an ORISE Fellow at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I collaborated with senior staff in CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion on implementing the lesser-known aspects of the 2010 Affordable Care Act—that is, aspects of the law focused less on insurance coverage and more on designing and testing value-based health care delivery models. Much of this work involved initial evaluations of chronic disease prevention interventions, including clinical preventive services (e.g., self blood pressure monitoring), community-based programs (e.g., Diabetes Prevention Program), and community-clinical linkages (e.g., community health workers providing health education, etc.). By way of example, CDC leadership and I conceptualized population health metrics to ensure Health Care Innovation Award (HCIA) grantee projects could ultimately be evaluated for effectiveness. Additionally, as an applied health policy researcher, first at NORC and then at SSS, Inc., I collaborated with project team members on a wide range of long-term and rapid turnaround public health policy analysis, program evaluation, and survey research studies involving quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches.

Interview Prep

I have more than 3 years of experience providing direct behavioral interviewing instruction and support to graduate students enrolled in a nationally ranked, top-ten master's degree program in the southeast--including hundreds of hours of 1-on-1 mock and practice behavioral interview sessions and leading behavioral interviewing workshops for large groups. Expertise includes understanding common types of behavioral interview questions most employers ask job candidates; using the STAR method (Situation-Task-Action-Result) to provide clear, concise, and effective responses to behavioral interview questions; and helping job seekers prepare their own questions for interviewers that will ensure they stand out from other interviewees.