Alumni Profile: Cassidy Howell, MPH '17


October 11, 2017

Please list your job title, employer name and employer location.

Global Health Corps Fellow and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Dignitas International. Zomba, Malawi

What degree did you receive from GW? What was your concentration?

MPH Global Health Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation (2017)

Please tell us about your current position. Can you describe a typical day?

I am a monitoring and evaluation officer at Dignitas International in Zomba, Malawi. Dignitas International is a medical and research organization, which is dedicated to improving access to lifesaving treatment and care for HIV, TB and related diseases in Malawi.

A typical day includes working with stakeholders from the Ministry of Health, USAID, CDC, as well as the medical and research departments at Dignitas International. I extract and analyze HIV cascade data from our supported health facilities to measure our achievement towards reaching the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets. Our goal is for 90% of people living with HIV to know their status, 90% of people who know their status to be on antiretroviral therapy, and for 90% of people on antiretroviral therapy to be virally suppressed.

I am also supporting our partner, Arts and Global Health Center Africa by designing an evaluation of their current Make Arts Stop AIDS Youth project. The project works with local university students in developing participatory arts sessions to open dialogue and educate peers on sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.

Please tell us about your path from the Milken Institute School of Public Health to where you are today. How did you get your first job in the field?

The path to my first job in the field began as an undergraduate at the University of Florida, where I concentrated on African studies. To peers and colleagues, it seemed like an unconventional major, but this field introduced me to medical anthropology and global health. Through these disciplines I found my passion for public health and health equity and my niche in humanitarian aid.

My first semester as a master’s student at the Milken Institute School of Public Health I assisted an Ebola research study with Dr. Amira Roess, focusing on communities in Guinea. As my time at GW and in D.C. progressed, I interned with International Medical Corps and Save the Children. These experiences supported my decision to complete my degree in the district, as there were so many global health opportunities. As a monitoring and evaluation intern at International Medical Corps, I found their country office in Guinea had recently launched an Ebola response mission. I worked on the monitoring and evaluation team for their integrated disease surveillance and response program.

While in Guinea, I was reaching the end of my degree program and thinking about next steps. I remembered hearing about Global Health Corps from attending the Global Health Mini University at GW. I valued their commitment to social justice and belief in health as a human right. My interview process revealed my experience abroad had made me a competitive candidate. I was proud to have been one of the 140 rising global health leaders selected out of 5,000 applicants.  Through the fellowship program, I now work at Dignitas International in Malawi with a wonderful team of fellows and colleagues.

I am grateful my path started with social science, with learning how culture and society shape and are shaped by health and medicine. We need to listen to people and maintain the agency and dignity of communities we serve. I believe this is essential for ensuring the human right to health.

What is the best career advice you have ever received?

Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

Who inspires you and why?

Dr. Alan Greenberg inspires me because of his ability to continue fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic with compassion, empathy, and hope after many years in the field. He made us realize that while HIV/AIDS may not receive the same attention it has in past decades, especially domestically, it still affects millions. Those people need us to keep caring, researching, advocating, and innovating. Many may be growing weary of this long journey, but Dr. Greenberg shared with his students that he believes we, the new generation of health leaders, can end HIV/AIDS in our lifetime. I am inspired by him and the champions for health justice that came before me and I am honored to follow in their footsteps.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in your field?

Internships may not be very glamorous, but develop as many networks you can while you’re there. Taking classes at GW’s campus in DC was a great opportunity for me to pursue internships at international NGOs in the district. The networks I made as an intern were just as valuable to me as the technical skills I learned. Global health is a small world and you never know where a seemingly small step may take you (Malawi?).

What was the impetus for getting your degree at the Milken Institute SPH?

Initially, I wanted to attend a program in Washington D.C., due to its prime location for many global health and aid institutions. Milken Institute SPH also offered a range of global health concentrations. Focusing specifically on monitoring and evaluation for my degree, it helped build a solid foundation in a technical skill. I also appreciated that GWSPH offered classes at night allowing me to work during the day. While the packed schedule was challenging, it really paid off.  Attending university while working opened up a lot of doors internationally to develop my career. 

Cassidy Howell with Barbara Bush at the Global Health Corps Training Institute