I want to share two quick stories. First let me say, I’m from the SRPH days (shout out to those of us who finished with the R)! One of my fondest memories of my time as a student was taking classes at the Wells Fargo building in Bryan. I was in, then Department Chair, Dr. Craig Blakely’s Into to Health Policy at NIGHT. Well, the class was from 4-7, but Wells Fargo turned the AC off at 6. (Maybe the class was from 5-8, but you get my point.) We would all sit in that room for the last hour “struggling” with no AC. Did I mention I took this class in the summer? The great thing was Dr. Blakely was so captivating, you never noticed the heat. Who am I kidding, we noticed it, but we made due. I recall a visiting lecturer pointing it out as he turned red during his lecture and the class commiserated, “Oh yeah, the AC does go off!” I noticed it every day after that. Even Dr. Blakely would be flushed, but I don’t remember him ever complaining. I fell in love with public health in the hot Wells Fargo building off of Highway 6! I was also honored to work alongside Dr. Barbara Quiram at the Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness as a new graduate. We sat out on a statewide tour teaching rural county leaders the importance of emergency preparedness. I would look forward to an itinerary that included a town with a Dairy Queen because Kate Carpender would always stop for a blizzard! I didn’t fully grasp it then, but our work shaped readiness in towns across Texas to prepare for emergencies that later would come their way. I recently was asked to come and support a healthcare system in their work around mental/behavioral health operations, and they booked me a nice suite at the JW Marriott for the few weeks I was there with them. I guess I’ve come a long way from our days at the Comfort Inn with Dr. Quiram and team, but I remember!!!! As I sit here typing (I’m actually swiping on my iPhone), I can’t help but smile at these two memories. Both shaped me into the leader I am today. I come from a great stock of compassionate people who understood the importance of public health long before the pandemic. I think every public health official should have to experience work in a building without air conditioning, and you really haven’t lived until you’ve had a rural county tour Dairy Queen blizzard! I’ve heard it said that the best bedside manner is developed when a medical student/resident gets really sick during their training. I learned here that my work is not only about fancy buildings in urban areas, but serving people and stretching resources for those without! Thank you to my S(R)PH family for shaping me into the public health leader I am today!"
