Welcome back to your safe space for having honest conversations about what it takes to transform public health research into life-changing solutions for communities. Being an entrepreneur in public health requires a certain drive, a specific skill set, and a well-grounded understanding of what it means to engage communities in order to elevate them. Dr. Charlotte Huntley has all of the above, and as Dr. Washington’s mentor in public health, she joins us today to share her thoughts on the importance of creating specific solutions that revolve around a community and its people.

Dr. Huntley holds a Ph.D. in Public Health with a specialization in Epidemiology, a Master of Public Health, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research Administration. She transitioned into public health after working many years in healthcare as a medical technologist in hospital laboratories, specializing in diagnostic microbiology and infectious diseases.

Dr. Huntley spearheads today’s conversation as we explore the importance of understanding the transferability of one's skills, what community-engaged work actually entails, how to find the right community partners, and why building relationships within a community is the best foundation for transformation. We also reexamine what it means to have an equity mindset, why difficult conversations are vital, and how joy can always be found in both the process and the result. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Dr. Charlotte Huntley became an entrepreneur in public health. [02:52]

• Dr. Washington’s NASA confession. [07:40]

• The importance of understanding the transferability of your skillset. [09:48]

• Gaining a better understanding of community-involved work. [13:50]

• How to find the right partners/organizations for community-engaged work. [21:51]

• The power of building community relationships and allowing those voices to be heard. [25:17]

• Defining equity, why it matters, and how to build an equity mindset. [28:18]

• Why having difficult conversations should be mandatory and not optional. [33:15]

• The goal of bringing more joy to communities, and how joy can also be found in the process of getting to the solution. [34:30]

• What brings Dr. Huntley joy in her work. [35:55]

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and leave a review! For more transcripts, show notes, and more, visit https://joyeewashington.com/public-health-joy-podcast-season-3/