Lal Thangi

Master of Public Health, Health Management and Policy, Emory University

SoP Prompt: 1,500 Words or less, summarize relevant experience, explain what you hope to achieve with your public health degree; explain the reason why you would like to attend Rollins School of Public Health.

My initial interest in healthcare started from witnessing Myanmar’s lack of medical care and the urgent need for healthcare workers. Being born in a third-world country comes with many challenges. On top of food and water scarcity, we immensely lacked access to medicine. We did not have over-the-counter medicine for emergency use. We had to travel hours by bicycle for treatments just to get in an endless line. Prices for medications were unaffordable.Due to the civil wars, my family was forced to leave Myanmar in 2010. I was ten when we settled in Malaysia with the United Nations Asylum as refugees. That’s when I faced the most adversity and navigated the unknown as a child. Everything was foreign to us. My parents made incredible sacrifices for my education by working from early morning until night, seven days a week. Because my parents did not have a high school education, they had limited language skills. I was responsible for communicating in different settings, such as grocery shopping, clinic visits, and job interviews. For instance, I remember my mom suffering from severe stomach pain due to appendicitis. We took an hour bus ride to the hospital and stayed in the emergency room all night. I took on the role of translating without the knowledge of medical terms. Unfortunately, we could not afford the operation and my mom was only given painkillers to help with the pain. She did not get her appendix removed until we arrived in the United States in 2015. Unfortunate circumstances like this have enhanced my passion for gaining knowledge and skills in public health to help those who face similar issues.Since arriving in the US in 2015, I have lived in a refugee community where most elders do not speak English or know about their healthcare resources, specifically insurance policies. I have served as a translator for many individuals to overcome existing language barriers and express the importance of medical knowledge for my community. Through these experiences, I have recognized my passion for addressing the healthcare system and issues that impact immigrant communities.

In 2019, I completed my advanced CNA training as I graduated from high school. Working as a CNA at a hospital and nursing home, I gained an understanding of the complexities of the medical system. For instance, I met many patients who were not able to speak English, and I noticed the differences in the quality of care they received compared to patients who could advocate for their own needs. In nursing homes, minority elders who were not able to express their basic needs, such as requesting blankets, pillows, and food, were perceived as needier than others when asking for assistance. I’m convinced it is our responsibility as healthcare workers to advocate for those at a disadvantage.

Additionally, my experience working at the Methodist Medical Center Hospital during the rise of COVID-19 taught me the importance of good collaboration among all healthcare workers. For instance, we had an older adult from my community who was admitted to the floor where I worked. While I wasn’t assigned to her, I overheard the nurse asking if anyone spoke the Mizo language because she couldn’t communicate in English, and I immediately went to help. By speaking Mizo, I was able to help the patient and providers communicate to ensure the patient’s concerns were properly addressed. When it comes to saving lives and improving population health, everyone has a vital role to play, especially healthcare providers from diverse backgrounds. My direct patient care experience has taught me that I aspire to increase diversity in healthcare and have more minority-owned facilities. Thus, improving healthcare literacy among immigrant communities has been my focus throughout my educational journey to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge.

During the summer of 2020, I was accepted to the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) at the University of Iowa. While participating in SHPEP, I was introduced to public health and its role in improving population health. I was intrigued to learn about the various health management sectors, and it was confirmation that I would be fulfilling my purpose by pursuing a degree in HMP. Coming into college as a first-generation student, this was the first time I learned about the field of public health. In fact, because of this experience, I changed my major from psychology to community and public health within the Kinesiology Department.

In the summer of 2022, I was honored to participate in a 10-week intensive summer program, the Future Public Health Leaders Program (FPHLP), at the University of Michigan. In FPHLP, I acquired in-depth, fundamental knowledge of public health and other healthcare professions. It equipped me with various skills necessary to succeed in a professional career. Meeting underrepresented students like me, who are passionate about improving their community and advocating for health disparities, left me more inspired to pursue a career in healthcare administration. I want to understand more about policy and solve healthcare issues, such as healthcare management regarding language barriers and advocacy, as well as education in healthcare competency among underrepresented communities. Here, I interned at the Wayne County Health Department. I worked as a COVID-19 Case Investigator to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Wayne County, Michigan. This field placement introduced me to working with quantitative data, as I was assigned 5-8 cases to investigate daily. I utilized two databases: the Michigan Disease Surveillance System and Patient Education Genius. These databases allowed me to record investigated Covid-19 case data, which assists other investigators in contact tracing. The uploaded data were later used to acquire general epidemiologic data. To obtain data, I reached out to confirm positive cases via a phone call for further investigations. This data was to inform and update the public on the latest trends. Additionally, I had the opportunity to present a research poster about mitigating the spread of COVID-19 at the CUPS Expo Showcase 2022 and the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.

I also gained qualitative research experience as a McNair Scholar. For our team research project in the McNair Program, I conducted a study exploring the impact of mentorship among multicultural and underrepresented undergraduates in their pursuit of graduate degrees. Our methodology included interviewing our graduate and faculty mentors about their educational journeys. Our findings showed the benefits of mentorship during the undergraduate degree. Those who had mentors in their undergraduate years gained more general knowledge about graduate school and more confidence while applying for programs. They also had more resources for funding and other necessities. At the end of the year, I presented a poster on this research at the McNair Symposium. My experience with this research inspired me to be a mentor for undergraduate students.

I believe my research experiences have prepared me for the Health Management and Policy program in terms of working with focused communities and developing effective strategies. When working with target populations, I can use my knowledge of qualitative research to follow proper methods and protocols. I can also incorporate the teamwork skills I gained from this experience when working on group projects in Management and Policy coursework.

After completing a public health degree, I plan to establish my own healthcare facility, whether assisted living or a walk-in clinic. Thus, I am open to all the possibilities granted by the School of Public at Emory University. I envision myself representing the community I come from within the healthcare system. Using my public health degree and skills, I hope to provide space for underrepresented communities to feel acknowledged and prioritize their sense of belonging in a healthcare facility. As I aim to represent my community in healthcare and medical decision-making, health management and policy courses at Emory University will help me to succeed. For example, a degree in HPM will grant me an opportunity to work with CDC and other leading companies which will advance my acquisition of a public health job after completion of the degree. Additionally, the specificity in management classes will broaden my skills in leadership, decision-making, and healthcare management, which will prepare me for my career goal of being a successful health manager or an administrator. The required internship will expose me to administration duties and roles more in-depth. Therefore, I believe that Emory University’s HPM will add tremendous value to my pursuit of a career that aims to make positive societal changes.