We’re thrilled to introduce Bella Phan, the newest member of the dfusion team! Bella is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health at San Jose State University with a concentration in Community Health Education, and she brings a wealth of passion and experience working with the exact communities we serve. Her dedication to youth development and neurodivergent populations makes her a perfect fit for our work at STEMPlay Labs and our sex ed projects. Get to know Bella through her answers to our intern introduction questions!
Finding Her Path in Public Health
What drew you to public health, and when did you first become interested in this field?
I was drawn to public health as a former pre-nursing major looking for her fit in the health world. Switching my major to public health my junior year was eye-opening and showed me that there are many areas of interest in this field. Public health appealed to me since it was so versatile and allowed me to combine my passions for certain communities and health.
What experiences have shaped your public health perspective so far?
Serving as a health educator for autistic young adults ages 18-22 allowed me to combine my passion for working with neurodivergent communities and health education. Additionally, working at my childhood summer camp allowed me to directly connect with our intended audience of low-income Bay Area youth, which was incredibly special and motivated me to find public health roles where I could serve this community.
Her Work With Us
What are you most excited to learn or work on during your internship?
I am looking forward to working on SkillFlix for autistic young adults and helping promote these materials to the intended audience.
What do you hope to contribute to our team?
I hope to contribute a valuable perspective to our current projects revolving around youth and autistic young adults. I hope to play a role in material development, project promotion, and teacher evaluations to improve our resources.
What’s one thing you hope to accomplish or learn during your time here?
I hope to learn more about program and material development and promotion.
Her Passions & Goals
Are there specific public health issues or populations you’re particularly passionate about?
I am most passionate about working with youth and neurodivergent communities. My background in health education and youth development contributed to a long-term goal of bettering these audiences through teaching. My public health issues of interest are health education, behavioral health, and community engagement.
What are your career goals after completing your MPH?
After receiving my MPH, I hope to find a career revolving around health education and/or community engagement where I get to work with youth and/or neurodivergent audiences.
If you could solve one public health challenge, what would it be?
Access to resources for neurodivergent children and families.
Beyond Public Health
When you’re not studying or working, what do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy spending quality time with friends and family doing preferred shared activities such as going to concerts, cooking together, or traveling.
What’s something interesting about you that people might not expect?
I have some funny celebrity encounter stories (Gordon Ramsay, Dominic Fike, etc.)
We’re excited to have Bella on board and can’t wait to see the impact she’ll make on our projects! Welcome to the team, Bella! ?
Want to learn more about our work in health education and game-based learning? Follow us for more updates from our team.