Over the summer of 2022, I served as a Communications Intern for the HRTP program at the NYC DOHMH, specifically for the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness division of the department. I worked with the Assistant Director of Communications at the Deputy Commissioner's Office, Krystle Edwards (pictured left-most), and grew a lot of important skills and insights under her mentorship. My role at DOHMH was very dynamic. I helped coordinate the high-scale planning of NYC Public Health Corps (PHC) anniversary events to honor community health workers involved in the PHC network in all 5 city boroughs (Queens, Harlem, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island). The NYC Public Health Corps was launched in 2021 by city Mayor Bill de Blasio to equip and expand the public health workforce to advance vaccine equity in the city during the COVID pandemic. The first-anniversary event was an initiative to celebrate the work and partnerships created by PHC to address the needs of New Yorkers in their COVID-19 pandemic recovery process. During my time at the DOHMH, I was able to support event planning by designing multiple drafts of event promotion content, managing invites to the community-based organizations (CBOs) in the network, creating itineraries for the recognition ceremony, and the fall festival at the event, collaborating with department representatives across bureaus for logistical set up at the events, conducting event site visits, digitally mapping out site set up, and contacting vendors, among many other things. The Public Health Corps (PHC) in Your Borough Event was held in September and successfully garnered a total participant engagement and turnout of over 1589.  

Beyond this, I worked with my intern team to devise monthly division newsletters by collecting monthly updates from the various bureaus including the neighborhood action centers in Bronx and Brooklyn. I also developed some creative strategy for pop-up presence of the health department at city-wide events like Afropunk and for initiatives like Black Breastfeeding Week with the goal of promoting health equity and empowering public health access across communities in need. I got the opportunity to practice health equity- focused social media messaging for the Chief Medical Officer's Twitter aimed at healthcare providers surrounding topics like Monkeypox and Polio. Internally, we ran a photo shoot for the division to create an updated organization chart, attended and took notes at meetings, and helped plan the annual staff party, among other administrative things.