Alex Honn ePORTFOLIO

About me

Hi all, thank you for visiting my ePortfolio. This site is intended to give the viewer a sense of me as a professional and individual while highlighting my academic work in Public Health.

The Short:

   I am a Grant Writer, Public Health Education Specialist, and Graduate Student who is leveraging a decade of experience treating the symptoms of everyday patients in order to address the root causes of those symptoms through research, education, program coordination/development, planning, and policy.  I’ve had the opportunity to work in the health/healthcare sector in multiple capacities, uniquely shaping the innovative lens I bring to public health solutions. I was intrinsically driven to step away from direct patient care to utilize my critical thinking and problem-solving skills to help answer big-picture questions. I am a Graduate Student at Boise State University pursuing a Master's in Public Health with an emphasis on Health Management and Leadership. With a patent pending alongside Dr. Uwe Reischl, M.D., Ph.D., I am involved in multiple projects and completing a thesis to understand and improve the health conditions and outcomes of wildland firefighters.

The Sweet:

   I was born in Boise, Idaho, and spent my youth growing up in Washington State’s westside. After completing running-start and graduating with my associate degree at the same time as receiving my high school diploma, I attended Eastern Washington University for Kinesiology before stepping away to pursue a career as a professional athlete. This allowed me to re-enter the workforce as a strength coach where I wanted to apply more of the science I geeked out on. Adding a massage license to my toolbelt to better serve my clients taught me invaluable lessons about health and the human body, but it still did not stimulate big-picture problem-solving or get to the root cause of my patient's complaints. 

   Moving up to Bellingham, WA in 2018,  I continued my education, fell in love with the location, deepened my passion for mountain biking, and explored blending my passion for outdoor recreation and health through emergency medicine and wildland fire. Maintaining these roles, in 2021, I transferred to Boise State University to complete my degree, graduating in August of 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health as a CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist) candidate. Along the way, my experiences with people from all walks of life have opened my eyes to the humanity we all share and added to my skills and drive to help others meet their basic needs and be a part of providing equitable health opportunities for all.

   In my personal life, I’ve volunteered for homeless populations in multiple capacities, served underrepresented communities in sports, participated in ten-day silent mediations, create [almost] daily, and have always been guided by compassion and seeking truth. Growing up as a middle child of 3, and a twin with two working parents, my father a self-taught engineer, and my mother a K-12 teacher, I’ve been handed a mixture of appreciation for and skill in teaching, analytical thinking, compassion, and leading by example. I’m often guided by stoic principles, enjoy challenging myself, and show independence in my work while appreciating the irreplaceable value of teamwork and collaboration.

My top five strengths, as identified by Gallup Strengths Finder, are: 1. Learner 2. Intellection 3. Connectedness 4. Relator 5. Empathy. 

Note:  On the following pages all academic work provides a course number. Work labeled "PUBH" was completed as part of my undergraduate degree, and work identified as "MPH" is from my graduate pursuits.