Recovery Response: Beneath the Surface

By Antony Nguyen, NYC Department of Health Fellow

My name is Antony Nguyen, and I am a second-year graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Epidemiology and a certificate in Child, Youth, and Family Health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Currently, I am placed at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), which is one of the largest and oldest public health agencies in the world. At DOHMH, we focus on the public health of 8 million New York residents through initiatives ranging from inspection of restaurants to studying the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in NYC neighborhoods. Specifically, I am under the Bureau of Healthcare and Community Readiness and the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response.?

Initially, I was motivated to participate in the John D. Solomon Fellowship for Public Service given my prior public service in COVID-19 response under my local health jurisdiction in California, which piqued my curiosity in public health emergency response. However, being a part of NYC DOHMH and working on the projects that I have been on have shifted my perspective on emergency management. The projects that I have focused on have been attributed to recovery within the phases of emergency management. Often, when we think about recovery, we think about the external communities that have been serviced during the other phases—mitigation, preparedness, and response—but yet, we overlook those within our communities that have been a part of building those essential structures of mitigation and preparedness and both tirelessly and directly providing services as part of the response to a public health emergency, such as COVID-19. We overlook our workers, who have dedicated their time and energy.??

During my time so far at DOHMH, I have been working closely with the Recovery Committee to develop initiatives to help staff members within the bureau and office through the recovery phase as we enter a new normal after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of our initiatives have included a mentorship program that integrates diversity, equity, and inclusion principles to help staff members leverage resources and expand themselves within the agency. Through this experience, as someone with a background on data analysis and research, it was refreshing to be able to also practice my program planning and communication skills and integrate that into developing the mentorship program for staff. I am grateful to my supervisor and the staff that I have met so far within the agency, and I hope that my work continues on and be a vital part of the bureau and office.?