Elena Kern Finds Her Voice

Elena Kern earned her MSPH from the Bloomberg School’s Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, in May 2024. As part of the MSPH program, students participate in a four- to six-month supervised field placement with domestic and/or international organizations, during their second year. The field placement provides an opportunity to integrate formal classroom teaching with practical experience in the student’s chosen field. For her MSPH field placement, Elena partnered with the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), where she focused on child health initiatives and the fortification of primary health systems in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.

How did you choose your field placement? 

During my undergraduate studies, I interned at a hospital in Ecuador, where I shadowed a “partera,” or Quechua midwife. I knew I wanted my MSPH field placement to be based in Latin America, but struggled to identify established field placement opportunities in the region and I knew I would have to seek one out. I was very intentional and proactive in seeking out Bloomberg faculty and students who were able to connect me towards that goal. I scheduled time every week to go to different school events and lectures about topics I was interested in, and made a point to talk to people at these functions—even though it was uncomfortable at first. 

Through these conversations, I met a Bloomberg School MPH/MBA alum, who was in touch with a classmate who was looking for interns. That former classmate was Luciana Armijos (MPH ’17), now chief executive of health and nutrition within the department of Social and Human Development at CAF. We connected through email and then I interviewed for the internship. Given my previous in-country experience in three of the five major areas that CAF has programs in, we discovered that it was a perfect fit.

What did you work on during your time with CAF? 

I worked on several different projects, either directly or in collaboration with team members at both CAF and PUCE University (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador). Examples include co-authorship of a policy research manuscript on Ecuador’s efforts to reduce stunting, a needs assessment and feasibility analysis of countries with successful telehealth projects to inform the first telehealth projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, editing and contributing to a document outlining CAF’s strategy to address the burdens of stunting and obesity in Ecuador, and making recommendations on CAF’s early-stage policy proposals. I also attended several exciting conferences and meetings, including the Big Surv Data and Survey Science conference and Infancia Con Futuro (Early Childhood with a Future). 

What did you learn that surprised you?

I was surprised to feel quite a bit of culture shock, given that I had lived in Ecuador previously. Being new to both the corporate work environment (my previous work was in clinic-based healthcare) and to the professional and social norms in Ecuador necessitated that I take things one day at a time.

My first language is English, and my second language is Spanish. In the beginning of my internship, I wrestled a lot with a lack of confidence in my Spanish communicating skills. I was hesitant to ask questions in meetings and, although everyone around me was very kind and inviting, I held back because of the fear that I had possibly missed information—or that my questions would waste their time. I became aware of how much my body language changed when searching for the right word in my head or feeling afraid about making grammatical mistakes. I realized that I was unintentionally communicating uncertainty and shyness, —and that, by holding back my questions and my input, I might be coming across as unengaged, or missing opportunities to learn. 

It is more important to engage, even imperfectly, than to miss the opportunity to learn and contribute because I am afraid to make a mistake. 

Did your confidence grow during your time there?

Yes—and I remember exactly when this shift happened. I was invited to attend an important presentation with the Ministries of Health and Environment, where I was encouraged to ask questions between each presentation.  At first, I was afraid of wasting the group’s time by potentially misunderstanding the details of the presentations or miswording my questions. But then it clicked for me: It is more important to engage, even imperfectly, than to miss the opportunity to learn and contribute because I am afraid to make a mistake. 

Embracing the inevitability of occasional mistakes allowed me to communicate more confidently and effectively. I have a lot of respect for people learning and working multiple languages.

Were you able to travel and see other parts of the country during your time there?  

Yes, I took several incredible weekend trips which found me boating along the Amazon River in Tena and Cuyabeno, taking a Quechua cooking class at Kawsawmi in Otavalo, learning how cacao is harvested and processed into chocolate, scuba diving in in Puerto López, and rappelling down waterfalls in the cloud forest region of Mindo. Ecuador is a small country, but incredibly diverse and beautiful, so traveling between different regions is feasible—even on a weekend trip.

What advice do you have for students seeking out their field placements?

You can make this program whatever you want it to be—as long as you put the time and effort into talking to many different people at the Bloomberg School. Allow them to provide you some direction. I recommend intentionally adding this time into your schedule, even when you feel you don’t have any time at all. I kept an eye on the School’s event calendar and attended presentations, seminars, and networking events each week. You may perceive you are being a bother by asking for advice or guidance, but you are not! People see themselves in you and want to point you in the right direction.

How has your experience with CAF shaped the organization’s relationship with the Bloomberg School? 

I was CAF’s first intern from Johns Hopkins, and I want to make CAF internships accessible to more students. Dr. Armijos and I both  share this same goal. 

When I returned to Baltimore, with the support of the Bloomberg School’s Latino Public Health Network, I convened the initial conversations with Dr. Armijos, MPH program manager Paul Whong, and various offices at the School, to explore the feasibility of a CAF collaboration. In May, CAF representatives visited the Bloomberg School to present their work and partnership vision to faculty and representatives from the MPH and dual degree programs. 

I am happy to share that CAF has now formally partnered with the Carey Business School to accept Hopkins MPH/MBA students. They welcomed three Hopkins interns from the dual degree program this year, and plan to continue expanding opportunities for students in the future. 

I am proud to have played a role in expanding public health collaborations between Johns Hopkins and the Americas by making the opportunity that I had available to more students. I hope that future Hopkins students—especially those coming from Latin America and the Caribbean—will benefit from these additional opportunities to gain meaningful experience and grow their networks in the region.