Erica Palladino, MPH, has held increasingly responsible positions in health communications at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after she received a Master of Public Health degree in the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention track from Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2019.
In the following Q&A, Ms. Palladino discusses her passion for public health and how her work in federal government enables her to make a true impact on the health of women and children.
What is your current job?
I’m a health communications specialist at the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I write about and promote how HRSA-funded programs improve the lives of mothers and their children.
After graduating with my MPH, I began as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow in the Office of the Surgeon General and I then transitioned to a federal Public Health Analyst at HHS, but I knew from my time at Mount Sinai after taking some reproductive health and maternal health classes that I wanted to go in this direction.
Among my day-to-day responsibilities, I write press releases about government funding that is available and awarded to states, doctors, local health departments, and community-based organizations that help our maternal and child populations. I write speeches for HRSA leadership when they attend events about these topics, and I help create campaigns that increase awareness and highlight the work of those who have received our funding.
A very important part of what we do is use plain language to effectively communicate our programs and health impact. We discuss prevention, promote healthy behavior modifications, and provide resources available to moms. Resources include the maternal mental health hotline that allows pregnant or postpartum moms who are experiencing mental health challenges to talk to counselors and get support, so they don’t feel like they’re alone.
Far too many women die or experience life-threatening pregnancy-related complications in this country. But we also know that 80 percent of these pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. The federal government is helping in whatever ways we can. Specifically, at HRSA, we support community-based programs with a focus on increasing access to care, strengthening the maternal health workforce, and improving the quality of care especially for those who are geographically isolated, and economically, or medically vulnerable.
I love this position because it gives me the opportunity to show people that the federal funding truly impacts the communities that need it the most.
Why a master’s degree?
Public health is a very broad field, which may seem overwhelming at first, but you can do so many different things with it. So, for me, the best part of Mount Sinai was learning about my professors’ backgrounds and seeing what career options were out there. They would say, “When I was at the CDC, this is what I did,” or, “I was a contractor for the health department, and this is how I got there.” I think the stories and experiences that professors shared were helpful in influencing my journey.
I didn’t even realize I had any interest in maternal health until I took the Health Promotion Strategies class. The professor there connected me with my Applied Practice Experience advisor at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Bureau of Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health. I’m thankful to Mount Sinai for highlighting the importance of health literacy within maternal health and making me realize that this is one of those areas where we can really make a difference.
What are your next career goals?
I see myself staying at HRSA MCHB for now because I love my coworkers and my job. A great aspect of working for the federal government is that you can easily transfer to other agencies so, down the line, I could go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the National Institutes of Health, or I could work for the Secretary of Health at HHS. I’m very happy that I’m in a role where I feel fulfilled and where everyone around me is so passionate about what they do.
Any advice for students?
I recommend that students—and graduates—maintain relationships with their professors and reach out to department administrators to put them in touch with alumni. These people are very well-connected and can be very helpful when looking for a job or career advice.
Mount Sinai was a great resource for internships and fellowships, and I highly recommend that students take advantage of those while pursuing their degree and after graduation. I was working full time as a pharmaceutical copywriter while getting my MPH, so I was nervous to take a fellowship after graduation. But, as an ORISE fellow, I was able to learn from a variety of leaders within HHS and home in on certain subjects. As a fellow, I attended numerous events and traveled with the Surgeon General. I got to do a lot of things that I wouldn’t have done if I had been a full-time federal employee. I’m very thankful that Mount Sinai pushed those fellowship opportunities to the graduates.