Alumni Spotlight
Marco A. Verdeja - Class of 2019
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you have done since graduating from BYU’s MPH program?
I currently work as an Equity and Inclusion Consultant for Community Health at Intermountain Healthcare, overseeing strategy development and implementation for system-wide Community Health equity initiatives in areas such as immunizations, insurance and health access, avoidable disease and injury, and healthcare anchor work. I also support locally based community health efforts in Utah and Millard Counties.
Previously, I worked for three years as a general practitioner and in emergency medicine in Mexico, where I developed a keen sense of the need for population-based health approaches. I moved to the U.S to receive my master’s in public health degree from Brigham Young University and graduated in 2019.
Why are you working in the field/position you are working in?
I find great satisfaction in improving healthcare access and addressing health disparities for populations who may be underserved, underinsured, and burdened by increased barriers. Supporting equity, inclusion, diversity, and access initiatives across a large healthcare system allows me the fulfillment of seeing population-level needs met, particularly for those most at risk across large geographies and though an array of public health intended measures.
What knowledge, skillsets, and experiences are necessary for success in your current position?
First and foremost, being mission-driven with the intent to ensure the conditions for all individuals and populations to be healthy as your goal. An understanding of program and initiative development is important; from the assessment and research phases, to the partner identification, strategy development, implementation and action, measurement and tracking and eventual evaluation. Community partnership development and trust-building is also key to maintain and leverage important connections and align efforts.
How has your master’s influenced your life since graduation and prepared you for your work and career?
Every class in my master’s program has been useful in various ways throughout my career. I think this speaks to the nature of public health minded work that typically is multi-faceted, collaborative, and interconnected. Not only the classwork but also the close connections available with professors as mentors has been invaluable to me. The opportunities to gain experience as a teaching assistant, a research assistant to various professors and in various topics prepared me and gave me an advantage. The opportunities to engage community partners in projects with my MPH professors and the opportunity to support research later published in scientific journals is another way in which the MPH experience can help prepare you for a fulfilling and meaningful career.
Jonathan Anderson - Class of 2008
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you have done since graduating from BYU’s MPH program?
After graduating, I began working for the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) as an Epidemiologist in Communicable Disease Epidemiology. I worked there for five years until I accepted a position at Intermountain Healthcare (IH) as a Data Analyst, and I am currently an Analytics Manager at IH. While working at UDOH I enrolled in the University of Utah’s Health Promotion and Education PhD program as a part-time student and graduated in 2020. During my time as a student at the U of U I also earned a Teaching in Higher Education certificate and taught as an adjunct faculty for several years. At IH I earned a Healthcare Quality Improvement certification and routinely coach/consult healthcare leaders who participate in a quality improvement training sponsored by IH.
Why are you working in the field/position you are working in?
Working in the Analytics Department for a healthcare organization gives me the opportunity to use data as I work closely with nurses, physicians and other leaders to improve the health for people in our community. It is very rewarding.
What knowledge, skillsets, and experiences are necessary for success in your current position?
Technical skills include the ability to use data and visualization tools such as Tableau, R, and Python, along with database querying using Structured Query Language (SQL). A basic understanding of statistics is also helpful. Communication skills are important. Data analysts should be able to speak to leaders and others in the organization who aren’t familiar with data to help them understand and interpret it. Lastly, I strive to learn about and gain leadership attributes to help our team be the best we can be.
How has your master’s influenced your life since graduation and prepared you for your work and career?
I was blessed with caring professors who mentored and guided me as I tried to figure out my path. I had an incredible cohort of classmates who were thoughtful, supportive, and stay in touch to this day. The people I rubbed shoulders with at BYU inspired me to pay it forward when I can and give of my time and perspective if others have questions about their education and career journeys.
Earning an MPH helped me see the doors that can be opened through education...there is always something for me to learn and a purpose in the learning process. I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to do after MPH graduation - I had no idea I would end up in Analytics - but the MPH program helped me better understand what I enjoy, what I’m good at, and test areas new areas. It qualified me to enter the job market with skills that were valued and set me up to move on to earning a PhD.