Riley Shaffer graduated last spring with a double major in International Studies and Spanish and a minor in Global Health. She’s spent the last year in Los Angeles as a residential counselor at a treatment center for teens with mental health, behavioral, and substance use issues. She recently committed to Boston University to pursue a Master of Public Health degree.
Riley answered a few questions about her takeaways from UO and what her future at Boston University and after holds.
Why did you decide to pursue an MPH at Boston University and what do you hope to learn there?
I decided to pursue my MPH/MSW at Boston University because their program encapsulates a social justice lens using a “think, teach, do” approach. I believe BU’s programs will allow me to simultaneously gain a broad foundation of public health thought and practice as well as specialize in learning to create appropriate interventions that resonate and align with community goals across various contexts and populations. I am looking forward to diving into the Mental Health and Substance Use track within the MPH and the clinical and Trauma and Violence track in the MSW. In a broader scope, Boston city has been and continues to be at the forefront of innovative public health delivery and service.
What was your biggest takeaway from the GH minor?
The Global Health program at UO inspired me to become curious about why health disparities such as education and access to mental health support and services exist and how different approaches function to be effective or ineffective.
How can you apply the topics you’ve learned about in GH classes to work outside of the classroom?
I have found that I am already utilizing my global health toolbox at the residential treatment facility I am working at. I try to be mindful about the intersectional social determinants that may have contributed to a client’s experience with mental illness. Furthermore, I have found myself tuning into various pillars of explanatory models of distress within the clients I interact with: What language do they use to describe their experience? What cultural, familial, and personal factors contribute to how they perceive themselves?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your aspirations of working in health promotion and disease prevention?
I have been inspired by the local, national, and global actors that have stepped up to respond innovatively to begin filling the many “need gaps” uncovered by COVID-19. I have been thinking about the role of social support as a protective factor in resilience and recovery from illness.