Saida Mahamud, BA will be working alongside the outreach & communication team throughout the summer. She’s currently a second-year Masters in Public Health student in the Department of Global Health earning a certificate in International Humanitarian Response at the University of Washington. Some of her research interests include: maternal and child health in Somali communities, refugee mental health, forced migration studies, Black diaspora studies, and humanitarian emergencies She was born in Canada but raised in Minneapolis, MN in a Somali household. Mahamud is into all types of trivia especially geography and loves learning different languages.
In her courses, she often hears about dissemination being the pivotal point of public health work. In her practicum this summer she’s being exposed to countless ways to disseminate to communities. “I’ve seen the arduous process that leads up to that point like drafting advocacy letters, creating social media content and messaging, writing grants, and connecting with local organizations/stakeholders,” Mahamud says.
She hopes she can use these skills she’s learning over the summer to become an effective advocate for the health and well-being of communities she hopes to serve in the future.