CONFERENCES
NC SEXCON 2019
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During August of 2019 I had the opportunity to attend a sexual health conference in Durham, North Carolina. This was out of my usual interests because my focus in public health is physical activity and nutrition. This was an incredible opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and see another side of public health.
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During my time at the conference, I was immersed in sexual health education, discrepancies in sexual health care among minorities, sexual communities, taboos, and how to better teach safe sex. This was such a welcoming community full of knowledge that needed to be shared and I could feel how passionate everyone presenting and attending was.
"Promoting interdisciplinary coordination among members of advocacy, clinical care, education, human/social services and research, to share innovative approaches, best practices and practical applications for the enhancement of sexual health across the lifespan in North Carolina.
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NC SEXCON is targeted towards individuals working in and across the sexual health field, including clinical care, education, reproductive health and justice, HIV/ STDs, LGBTQ healthcare, advocacy, policy development, and overall sexuality from birth to death."
These were two of my favorite panels I attend. The first, entitled, "Searching for Passion: Needed Education for Ethical Porn Consumption" discussed reclaiming sexual agency through ethically produced porn in a feminist framework, and revealed examples of
how scientific research can be skewed to support various ideologies. There was also information on how to access feminist porn, speaking about the impact that our cultural silence has on sexual exploration, consent, kink, sexuality, and gender, and how open communication can improve our sexual well-being.
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The second panel was led by two students from UNCC who brought "sex week" to their college campus and the trials and tribulations it took to get there. The two discussed why sex education is important on college campuses and provided a guide of events to choose from. Sex week is a movement to students and community members as a way to make sex less taboo and show that there are several accesses to sexual health resources.
I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to attend this conference. I am happy I picked something out of my usual realm and that I could expand my knowledge on sexual health education and become more enlightened on the intricacies to promote interdisciplinary coordination among individuals
working across the sexual health profession to share innovative approaches, best
practices, and practical applications for the enhancement of sexual health across
the lifespan.
PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Becoming a SOPHE member 2020
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Becoming a member of the Society of Public Health Educators has been a great networking tool where I can befriend likeminded individuals. I plan to join the local chapter in Denver- Colorado once I move. I also was able to attend the annual conference virtually.
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Employment with the
NC DHHS
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Through referral from the Graduate Department of Public Health, I have had the opportunity to work with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on work regarding the covid-19 pandemic.
As a call transcriber, I help to organize and track all calls pertaining to covid-19 in every county of North Carolina. The data collected helps to send proper aid and guidance to the appropriate hospitals, health departments, long term health facilities, and residential areas.
I work from home for 5-6 hours a day, 7 days a week transcribing and tracking calls. I work with nurses, epidemiologists, and other health care workers.