Q&A with Sydney Nadel, MPH Student in Maternal, Child, and Family Health
Sydney Nadel
What was your background before enrolling in the MPH program?
I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2019 with a double major in Psychology and Global Studies with a concentration in Global Health and Environment, as well as a minor in Chinese. I studied abroad in Shanghai for a semester during my junior year of college where I interned at a pediatric health clinic. Before enrolling in the MPH program at UNC Gillings, I worked at Relias for a year and a half as a Client Support Consultant.
Will you tell us more about your MPH practicum as an IntraHealth Fellow?
I worked on a project about online sex-based harassment and violence of women in the health sector. I completed a literature review and a mapping review. I was also able to write a blog post, Online Harassment of Women Journalists Must End, for IntraHealth’s blog, VITAL.
What was your favorite part of working with your team within IntraHealth?
My favorite part of working with my team within IntraHealth was being part of the summer fellow cohort. Every two weeks one of the fellows facilitated a discussion about their global health topic of interest. I really enjoyed meeting other UNC students in different concentrations and and learning about different global health issues.
What does “global health” mean to you?
Global health to me means prioritizing and improving the health and well-being of all populations around the world with a specific focus on health equity. Global health is local health, and I currently work for the Triangle Global Health Consortium, which emphasizes this idea.
What drew you to the Gillings School of Global Public Health?
UNC Gillings is one of the very few schools of public health that have a maternal and child health concentration. Therefore, I was immediately drawn to Gillings. In addition, because I went to UNC for undergrad, I was very familiar with how great and impressive of a school Gillings is. Finally, the Triangle area has many internship and volunteer opportunities for students interested in public health, which was another big part of my decision to enroll in the Gillings MPH program.
What is your dream job?
My dream job is to focus on implementing programs for maternal and child health populations on a global scale. I would love to be able to work for the United Nations Population Fund one day. My areas of interest within maternal and child health are gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health.
Where is your favorite place in the Triangle area and why?
My favorite place in the Triangle area is Lake Johnson. It is so beautiful and is a very pleasant place to take a nice walk.
