Meet the Event Coordinators

Assistantship Description

Event assistants typically register for 3 credits over 2 semesters (total 6 credits) that can be applied toward their internship, health content/skills, or electives requirement. The commitment is 120 hours, or approximately 8-10 hours per week. Two semester commitment...one semester as an associate event coordinator, second semester as lead event coordinator.

Primary responsibilities include: leading the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the fall/spring Public Health Student Showcase; working with the SOPHE Collegiate Champions, Public Health Student Group, and faculty to develop additional events that support professional development for students; collaborating with the communication team to promote and market events, and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications include: successful completion of HLTH 3300, time management, records management, attention to detail, teamwork, ability to meet deadlines, ability to apply design elements and principles for effective design, high quality work, initiative, giving/receiving feedback, willingness to teach or help others, respect for privacy.

Event coordinating process

The event coordination process began for our Coordinators by creating necessary professional documents. These documents included; Meeting Minutes, Media Calendar, and Event Brief templates. The Events Coordinators also used Google Sheets to track their hours and which Areas of Responsibility for Health Education represented their tasks.

Meeting Minutes documents were used by the Communication Team to keep track of task progress, new business to discuss, and action steps for each group to take between meetings.

The Communication Team Media Calendar allowed for the Coordinators and Communication Assistants to keep track of social media content, program and outside events, as well as who was responsible for content.

For each event put on by the Events Coordinators, Allison and Cassie would create an Event Brief based on a template that Allison created. The Event Briefs allowed the Coordinators to keep track of event information, social media content, email drafts, graphics, and more for each event.

National Public Health Week

During the first full week of April each year, the American Public Health Association (APHA) brings together communities across the United States to observe National Public Health Week as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation's health. The theme for this years’ National Public Health Week was “Building Bridges to Better Health”. Making communities safe and healthy is public health’s top priority. COVID-19 has made that even more important.

For National Public Health Week 2021, the Events Coordinators shared health information on the UMD Public Health social media pages related to a daily health topic, as well as co-hosted a two-week step challenge with the Public Health Student Group. For the step challenge, students and faculty recorded their steps in a shared Google Sheet. At the end of the two weeks, the student or faculty member with the most steps received a grand prize, as well as 4 randomly selected gift card winners.

DAY 1- Rebuilding

DAY 2- Advancing Racial Equity

DAY 3 - Strengthening Community

DAY 4 - Galvanizing Climate Justice

DAY 5- COVID-19 Resilience

DAY 6 - Uplifting Mental Health & Wellness

DAY 7 - Elevating Essential & Healthcare Workforce

Spring 2021 Student Showcase

The Student Showcase has been an integral part of the UMD Public Health student experience since May of 2009. This event allows students to showcase the class projects, internship and assistantship positions, leadership roles, research, and more that they have worked on throughout the semester. Before COVID-19, this event was held in-person in the UMD Sports and Health Center. Students would be able to present their work in-person, and network with alumni, members of the community, faculty, and more. Since COVID-19 began, this will be the third virtual Facebook version of this event. With the event being virtual, more members of student’s friends and families have been able to attend and students have still had an opportunity to share their work.

Our Showcase theme for this semester is Adapting Together. The Communication Team, including Allison Carpenter, Cassie Mohawk, Kourtney Dobmeier, Kelly Christopher, and Dr. Amy Versnik Nowak, came up with this theme when thinking about all that our students and faculty have experienced this semester, and year overall. It has been a year of unavoidable change with many highs and lows, which has forced all of us to adapt. One of the things that makes our program so great is our sense of community and support for one another. Bringing our resilience and sense of community into one this semester has allowed us to adapt together.

Showcase Header Graphics

One of the responsibilities of the Event Coordinators when it comes to Showcase is creating header graphics for all of the individual students, groups, courses, etc. that participate in Showcase. This semester, Cassie Mohawk '22 took on the responsibility of creating the header photos. The process of creating these headers began with creating master InDesign pages with different numbers of headshots, and then duplicating those master pages to create the individual header graphics that you see at the top of each Showcase Spark page.

Event Promotion

Our Spring 2021 Student Showcase was held virtually on Facebook, so the Coordinators were also responsible for creating the Facebook event. To promote our Showcase event, the Coordinators utilized email, as well as the UMD Public Health Facebook and Instagram pages.

UMD Public Health Alumni Panel

This semester, as a supplemental Showcase event, the Event Coordinators put on an Alumni Panel via Zoom. The panelists for this event included alumni who graduated from the UMD Public Health program. When deciding on panelists, the Event Coordinators sought out alumni of all different backgrounds and career paths.

Meet the Alumni

Cody Christian '14

Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, Washington DC.

My name is Cody Christian and I graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a Bachelors of Science in Public Health Education and Promotion. During my time at UMD I was a Peer Health Coach and Certified Personal Trainer. I currently live in Washington DC and work as a Director Healthcare Services as a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator for one of the nation’s top Continuing Care Resident Communities. My duties include operational oversight of the continuum of healthcare services, which include Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living, and Memory Support Assisted Living. I oversee a multidisciplinary team ensuring regulatory compliance, budget control, quality assurance, performance improvement while promoting holistic wellness and continuous culture change. When I am not working, I enjoy running and playing volleyball. Exercise and nutrition continue to be a passion of mine and something I invest a lot of time and energy into.

Tara Gallagher '08

Program Manager for Ronald McDonald House in the Greater Twin Ports, Duluth, MN.

Tara is a native Duluthian and a 2008 graduate of UMD where she received a degree in Public Health. Tara began her career promptly after graduation and for 15+ years served as a professional in nonprofits. She began her career at the Duluth YMCA supporting membership/group exercise programming and advanced to overseeing the Health & Wellness Department. In 2016, she transitioned to Grandma’s Marathon where she rallied volunteers, strengthened charity programming, and supported runners as the Volunteer and Program Development Director. In the fall of 2020, Tara graciously accepted the Program Manager position for the first ever Ronald McDonald House in the Greater Twin Ports where she is honored to serve and support families in the community with a child in medical crisis.

Megan Horst '18

Cardiac Sonography student at the Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, AZ.

Hi my name is Megan Horst and I graduated with a Bachelors of Applied Science from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2018. I majored in Public Health which helped me solidify my love for technology and health, more specifically heart health. I wanted to find a career that allowed me to have a personal interaction with those that I help and that led me to cardiac sonography. I am currently a cardiac sonography student at the Mayo Clinic Arizona and will be graduating in early May. When I graduate I will be a registered diagnostic cardiac sonographer. Some of my hobbies include going on hikes and cooking.

Meghann Levitt '08

Carlton Country Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP)/Healthy Northland Coordinator, Northern Minnesota Suicide Prevention/Crisis Text Line Grant Planner, Public Health Specialist, Cloquet, MN.

Meghann Levitt graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a BASc in Community Health Education. She has been employed with Carlton County Public Health and Human Services for twelve years and currently works as the Carlton County Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP)/Healthy Northland Coordinator for worksite wellness and breastfeeding strategies and the Northern Minnesota Suicide Prevention/Crisis Text Line Grant Planner. She is also a Public Health Specialist, carrying out leadership roles within the Family and Community Public Health Unit at the County. Meghann is passionate about helping people live a healthy and fulfilling life, and values Public Health’s role in preventing chronic diseases and promoting mental wellbeing and resilience within the community.

Student Graduate School Q&A Interview

During Showcase week, the Event Coordinators also shared with UMD Public Health Majors and Minors an interview with students from our program who have been accepted into graduate school. During the interview, students shared their experience with the application process, how they chose where to apply, things they wish they knew before applying, and more. This conversation provided so much valuable information for students who are interested in applying to graduate school, and the Event Coordinators really enjoyed being able to speak with these students.

Showcase Evaluation

In order to evaluate the Spring 2021 Virtual Student Showcase, the Event Coordinators created a Google Form survey that was sent out to those that participated in Showcase. This survey was open for two weeks and was shared via email by the Event Coordinators and UMD Public Health faculty. This survey aimed to evaluate the promotion, format, and accessibility of the Showcase event, as well as see what students want for UMD Public Health events in the future. The feedback from this survey will be used to evaluate the objectives for the Showcase event, as well as improve upon future events. We received 20 responses on this survey and have summarized the results below.

Showcase Promotion

This section contained questions related to the promotion of Showcase and Showcase events via social media posts, mass emails, etc. The Coordinators wanted to see what promotional materials were successful this semester, as well as what forms of communication students prefer for event information. Below are two graphs of student responses to where they saw promotional materials, as well as what format they prefer to receive event information.

Feedback from Students: Showcase Promotion

• "There were a lot of emails going out around this time and was a little overwhelming with the all the different things going on. It was easier for me to find information on the social media platforms."
• "Partner with other programs/departments to promote the event as well so that it is not only CEHSP/Public Health majors interacting with projects."
• "I think having templates made for each class/group was super beneficial in past Showcases. Then, students can just fill in their information on the template."
• "Keep posting and emailing! Consider Instagram stories more because sometimes they reach more people!"
• "Maybe have a "sneak peak" email or post about who is attending, what will be happening, etc."

Showcase Format

This section contained questions related to the format of Showcase presentations and the Showcase event itself. The Coordinators wanted to hear from students what kinds of projects they enjoy creating and viewing, as well as what format they prefer the Student Showcase and other program events to be. Below are two graphs that show student preferences on project and event formats.

Feedback from Students: Project Format

• "The spark pages are really nice and easy to display all the information in one place. The pre-recorded videos are more visually appealing and act as a good summary for the spark pages. A live event would be beneficial since the audience would be able to have discussions with the presenter and ask questions."
• "I like viewing the Spark Pages but I think they can become tedious for students, and I, as a student, am not a fan of making them. I would rather do a poster."
• "I think the variety of presentations formats help keep the showcase diverse and interesting to viewers. If it is all one format, I feel it could get repetitive."

Feedback from Students: Showcase Format

• "I feel like an in-person event would be ideal because it is great experience and allows the presenters to actually connect with others. If that is not possible, the Facebook event is great as well because it allows for more people to see the work we have done. A combination of the two would be great!"
• "I think Facebook works well because everyone can view it on their own time."
• "If panels could be in person I think it would be fun, although I really liked Zoom and think it increases participation not making people have to travel somewhere to take part."
• "A live Zoom event would be a nice change from previous Showcases. This would give students the chance to talk about their work and answer questions or have conversations with folks stopping by to see their work. A live zoom event would be a step closer to acting like a real in-person showcase."
• "In-person allows for interaction amongst classmates and other peers and staff which is always good because it helps build community. Facebook events are good because it allows those friends or family members that cannot attend a live event the chance to still view the work that has been done."
• "Moving forward, I think showcase should have an online and in-person component. Maybe students could make spark pages with a pre-recorded video as well as present in a live showcase. This way, they have the chance to present and interact with their audience in-person and those who can't make it can still have access and see their work. A cool platform to see being utilized if showcase stays virtual would be to use Airmeet. Each student gets a virtual table and people who log onto the link can hop into different tables and hear different presentations with the ability to come and go as they please. This is almost like zoom breakout rooms, but no one needs to be assigned a breakout room and need a host to navigate the event."
• "In-person option for those comfortable doing so and a facebook event for those who may feel uncomfortable participating in-person while the pandemic is still happening."

Alumni Panel and Other Events

This section includes questions related to Showcase events and other program events. The Event Coordinators wanted to hear what students liked about the Alumni Panel, and what they would have changed about it. This section also aimed to see what events students would like to see in the future within our program.

Student Feedback: Alumni Panel

What Students Liked:

• "I liked how the alumni came from all different public health backgrounds. I like the question and answer portion. I also liked hearing their tips on interviewing, communicating, etc."
• "I liked that the event coordinators had questions to ask and allowed for questions posted in the chat."
• "It provided a lot of insight and advice for from past grads for future grads. It was inspiring to see what past UMD Public Health grads are doing today!"
• "Made me less nervous to graduate knowing others have found jobs they enjoy."
• "I like seeing the varying direction Public Health has taken people and the reassurance that there is a job for everyone out there. The alumni are also relatable and I appreciate hearing tips and tricks they have."
• "The advice from the alumni and seeing all the different jobs you can do as a Public Health student. We also have more connections in the field which is also a plus!"

What Students Would Change:

• "I would allow participants to have their cameras on. For privacy reasons, people could have their cameras off if they weren't comfortable being recorded, but I think being able to have my camera on would have allowed me to form more of a "connection" and put a face to my name for the panelists. I would also like to be able to go into breakout rooms with the panelists to network and ask questions."
• "Make it longer so there is more time for questions and include breakout rooms so people could ask certain alumni questions that not everyone would have to answer."
• "Option of breakout rooms and having cameras on to make it a better networking opportunity (panelists can put a face and/or voice to a name)."
• "It would be cool to have the speakers go into their own breakout rooms at some point for people to have the opportunity to ask questions to specific speakers without taking away time from the whole group."
• "Consider break out rooms and adding more time for questions from students."

Student Feedback: Future Events

• "Networking events and job prep events."
• "Maybe another panel about graduate school applications."
• "Senior panels, to give advice to incoming majors."
• "Collaborative events with other UMD orgs or outside orgs."
• "Leadership opportunities panel where current students in the positions could do a Q and A with students who are interested in getting involved. Professors could attend as well and give insight about each leadership opportunity as well."
• "I like the idea of alumni panels, graduate school panels, volunteering opportunities as a group within the Duluth community, more challenges like the NPHW Steps Challenge, etc."
• "A panel about the transition between undergraduate and the real world or even graduate school."
• "In-person events!"
• "Virtual public health student group meetings."

Overall Experience Feedback

The final section of the survey asked students general questions about their overall Showcase experience this semester. The Coordinators wanted to hear from students what went well and what students would change about their overall experience.

What Went Well for Students

• "Everyone's posts and headers were cohesive."
• "The posting schedule was nice."
• "The posts look great and will posted on time."
• "The timeframe and discussion board."
• "I liked the alumni panel and grad school interview."
• "Spark pages are easy to navigate and look professional."
• "Easy directions."
• "I really liked the alumni panel and enjoyed watching the video about students who have recently been accepted into grad school. The video and live zoom events definitely made it fun!"
• "I like how it was spread out over a week again."
• "Participation, overall Spark page content, enthusiasm of all participants."

What Students Would Change

• "I would find a way to make the link preview show up in the Facebook posts. Some people might try to click the picture of the header, and then not look for the link when the picture does not take them to the Spark page."
• "More face-to-face interaction!"
• "Have someone whose entire purpose on the team is to proofread pages. I noticed quite a few errors in different pages/abstracts."
• "Little more structure this could look like a master showcase page, templates, event briefs, etc. one place that houses all the information."
• "Having to comment on everyone's Facebook posts."
• "I feel like people did not answer open ended questions."

HLTH 3305 Feedback

HLTH 3305 students debriefed the Alumni Panel event. They discussed what went well during the event, changes they would make, and opportunities for future panels or other events. Below is a list of some of their feedback for the Event Coordinators.

3305 Feedback: Alumni Panel

• "More on how to do interviews and what to come prepared with and what questions to ask during."
• "How to market the skills I have obtained at UMD in job applications and interviews."
• "Networking events: Do something similar to this, but have the panelists each be in their own breakout rooms at the end so attendees can go into rooms they are interested in and talk to the panelists."
• "I would have liked to be able to have my camera on. I would have felt like I made more of a "connection" with the panelists if I had this option."
• "I think that something more on the medical side of healthcare such as midwife, nurse, or healthcare coordinator in a hospital would be very cool."
• "Maybe discussing something for current issues --> discrimination, health issues, etc."
• "I would ask for more time at the end for the Q&A. And as well about information for masters/ etc continuing their education in public health."
• "Maybe panels that are focused on a specific topic such as nutrition, health equity, etc."
• "Awesome panelists from a wide array of a backgrounds hospital setting, non-profit, out of state, in-state, and different years from graduation. It was informative and allowed for good knowledge about the future and the professional world."
• "Another panel topic could be on difficulties they have faced in school or their career and how they overcame it." 

Conclusions and RECOMMENDATIONS

Promotion

• Continue to utilize the UMD Public Health Facebook and Instagram pages to share event information.
• Utilize Instagram and Facebook stories more to reach a larger audience and have another place for information to be shared.
• Be more intentional about the numbers of emails being sent out and condense information into less emails to be sent out about events.
• Continue to expand on promotion and coverage of our event within our University and the Duluth community.
• Begin to send out a monthly newsletter to majors and minors with upcoming events, opportunities for students, news for faculty for students, etc.

Student Showcase

• Meet with UMD Public Health faculty early in the semester to discuss project expectations, who will be participating in Showcase, how faculty can support students during Showcase, as well as what faculty may need from the Event Coordinators in Showcase planning for their courses, assistants, etc.
• Include both in-person and virtual components for the Showcase event if COVID-19 and University policies allow.
• Continue to add supplemental events, like the alumni panel, during Showcase week.
• Send out the Showcase Program to majors and minors for their reference and to send to non-Facebook users to view.
• Continue to encourage faculty to assign a variety of formats and medias for student projects to make our Showcase diverse.
• Create potential templates and tutorials for students and faculty for Showcase Spark pages, posters, videos, etc.

Secondary Events

• Implement more panel events that include alumni, recent graduates, graduate school students, senior leaders, assistantship position holders, etc.
• Plan for additional time for panel events, as well as consider other formats such as break out rooms for more intimate conversation.
• Plan more volunteering events and other opportunities for UMD Public Health students to get involved in the Duluth Community.
• Continue to work with outside organizations and leadership groups, such as SOPHE and the Public Health Student Group to put on events.

Event Coordinator Reflections