 Nicole,
Vice President of Education, Planned Parenthood Mid-Michigan Alliance
UM SPH Degree: M.P.H. 1995, Health Behavior and Health Education
Describe your job. What is a typical day like?
My days are mixed with many exciting challenges. I supervise a staff of nine people in seven locations from Benton Harbor to Detroit. This means providing them with support in going into classrooms and teaching sex education; implementing one of four peer education programs; sitting on local school districts' reproductive health advisory committees to encourage adoption of comprehensive sexuality education; training new staff; and conducting outreach to promote our services. Several aspects of my job allow me to work interdepartmentally within the organization as well. Finally, being on the senior management team also clearly allows me to meet regularly with the other VPs and directors to oversee the workings of the entire organization.
What is your dream job?
I have been fortunate in virtually my entire career to be able to say that the job I am currently in is my dream job. I truly love what I do. Of course someday, if someone plopped the right restaurant in my lap, I could be very tempted to integrate public health messages into the food service industry.
Thinking back about your Michigan experience, do you have any stories (funny or unique) you could share?
When I first started telling people I was in public health, it wasn't yet a common field of study, so people didn't always know what to make of it. When asked at dinner out one night what I was studying and I said "public health," the person's response was "you mean making sure the silverware is clean in restaurants?"
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