Last month, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) and Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine collaborated to host a Public Health Boot Camp from July 21-25. Held at the Feinberg School, the boot camp was organized with the goal to nurture emerging public health leaders and foment innovative solutions to systemic public health issues. Dr. Cynthia Tucker, Senior VP of Community Partnerships & Special Projects at AFC, Tamika Foust, Director of Capacity Building & Workforce Development at AFC, Dr. Leah Neubauer of Northwestern University, Dr. Gregory Phillips of Northwestern University, and Riley Hause of Northwestern University organized the week-long learning experience. The agenda was packed with enriching sessions led by public health luminaries such as Dr. Gary Harper, Dr. Cory Bradley, Dr. Margaret Danilovich, and Jim Pickett. Fellows delved into topics ranging from public health fundamentals to advanced community-based and community-engaged research. They also had the unique opportunity to learn from PHBC alumni like Pedro Serano, Jill Wolf, Kenneth Burnett, and Jill Dispenza, who shared their invaluable experiences and insights.
Participants were tasked with working on an individual project, culminating in final day presentations. Ten Fellows, representing seven organizations across the Chicagoland area, showcased their Program Innovation and Action Plans. These plans were designed to address programmatic and systemic issues within the public healthcare system.
“We have individuals doing projects on PrEP implementation, HIV testing, we have a very unique and innovated project on kink and making sure people understand sexual health, we also have individuals working on bills and policy, making sure that housing is available, making sure there are rights in programs for individuals of transgender experience, re-entry work, a real variety,” said Dr. Tucker of AFC.
Among the Fellows were two AFC staff: Housing Policy & Advocacy Manager Dominique Chew and Community Partnerships & Special Projects staff member Carla Davis. Carla Davis was further honored by a vote from her peers with the Christina Santiago Award, a testament to her dedication and impact. The award was named for the late Christina Santiago, an emerging leader at Howard Brown Health who was tragically killed at age 29 due to severe weather at an outdoor concert, and whose legacy of innovation continues to inspire public health practice in Chicago.
The boot camp acts as an incubator, helping young leaders design programs with expert guidance that are ready to be implemented in the real world. “They come in with an idea, and we’ve been able to develop that idea into something they can take when they leave here and actually begin,” said Dr. Tucker.
Participant Patricia Braboy of the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination said of her project and her experience at the boot camp, “My project is The Black Kink Experience, and so I want to survey plus-sized black women in the kink community to enhance their sexual health education, about consent, and basic sexual health needs. And one takeaway from this is confidence. I’ve had a lot of imposter syndrome, like I don’t fit in the space where I work, but I do, and I have a lot of experience. I’ve been called bold and an expert, and I never felt like I was that, but this has really given me the confidence and I want to apply for a Master’s program.”
The experience is thoroughly collaborative. Information flows between participants and experts to inspire new ideas and refine existing approaches. The boot camp proved to be a valuable experience for the organizers as well, who were able to learn from people who are doing work out in the community. “I’m just really interested in knowing and understanding what continues to drive the people who are in this industry and in this field,” said Tamika Faust of AFC. “ I want to know and understand what I need to do to make sure I’m bringing about programs that help the people who are actually on the ground doing the work.”
Photos from the Public Health Boot Camp are available here.
