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SPOTLIGHT ON EMERGING PROFESSIONALS
From Internship to Leadership: A Career Journey in Environmental Health
Kaitlyn Kelly, MPH Washington State Department of Ecology
Department in Ellensburg, Washington—a state I had never been to. I could not have imagined the transformative experience I was about to have. My NEPHIP independent project was to implement a plan to avoid a nonattainment designation in Kittitas County for particu- late matter. This work was a continuation of a grant the county received from the Wash- ington Department of Ecology, which is now where I work 6 years later. My independent project not only deepened my passion for air quality and health but also equipped me with valuable technical skills. I learned to manage a large-scale project over an extended period, seek feedback, and eectively write and com- municate ideas. Additionally, I developed skills in community engagement and pub- lic education on environmental health haz- ards (Photo 1). By the end of the project, the county had a comprehensive, hands-on educational curriculum designed to teach individuals from 5 to 18 years old about air quality and its health impacts. Beyond air quality, my internship exposed me to an intersectional profession through field inspections and interactions with col- leagues addressing dierent environmental hazards. This systematic view enriched my understanding and ability to engage across disciplines—a cornerstone of being an envi- ronmental public health professional. The people I worked with were incredibly kind, eager to share their knowledge, and provided me with opportunities to experience every aspect of environmental health and profes- sional work. Many of these colleagues remain
Editor’s Note: In pursuit of our mission to build, sustain, and empower an e ective environmental health workforce, the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) is pleased to o er a new column in the Journal that shines a spotlight on emerging professionals in the field of environmental public health. Through these columns, we highlight the next generation of professionals in our field and the work they are doing, as well as share their experiences, new perspectives, and passion for our profession. The conclusions of this column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the ocial position of NEHA, the agencies of the authors, or any internship host agency or funder.
R eflecting on my career path, several pivotal moments have shaped where I am today. One experience, however, stands out as the catalyst for my professional journey: my participation in the National Environmental Public Health Internship Program (NEPHIP) oered by the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) through support from the Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention. I completed my NEPHIP internship in summer 2017, be- tween my junior and senior years of my un- dergraduate studies at Baylor University. As an environmental health major, I was partic- ularly excited about a practice-based intern- ship. At that time, I was drawn to what I now understand as implementation science—the process of translating research into policy and practice and addressing the gap between knowledge and application.
My passion for environmental health began in high school with my advanced placement (AP) environmental science class and a family crisis where my mom almost died from something invisible to the naked eye. I wanted to know more about how exposure to something in the environment could so seriously impact our health. Dur- ing my senior year of high school, a college- aged friend introduced me to public health, and while researching colleges, I discovered Baylor University oered a degree in envi- ronmental health. Some instinct told me to look up environmental health and it was at that moment I knew this field was what I wanted to pursue. During my studies, I took a particular interest in air quality. I vividly recall the moment I received the email oer- ing me an internship to work on an air qual- ity project for Kittitas County Public Health
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Volume 87 • Number 3
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