84: From Conditional Failure to Succeeding for her Master of Public Health with Ruth Cooper, MPH

Interview with Ruth Cooper, MPH

Listen Here:

Highlights from this episode:

1. Working as a Government Consultant for a State Health Department
2. Why failures don’t define us, but are opportunities for learning and growth
3. How the AmeriCorps Vista program shaped her public health career
4. The intersection of disaster recovery and public health

Episode 84 of Public Health Careers

Ruth Cooper, MPH is aiming to make a difference in peoples’ lives by helping them feel empowered. She works as a Government Operations Consultant at Florida Department of Health.

She got her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology at the University of South Florida. She started off as a pre-medical student but then switched to psychology and got a minor in public health. During her time there she was a REACH Peer Educator at Wellness USF.

After Ruth graduated, she worked as an AmeriCorps Vista with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. She was shifted into a full time position as a Mentor Manager and Site-Based Match Specialist for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Ruth then moved into an Affordable Care Act (ACA) Navigator Program Coordinator at Broward Regional Health Planning Council.

She was then conditionally accepted into Florida International University for her Master of Public Health where she started the degree but then was removed from the program. After continuing to work and figure out next steps, Ruth was able to complete her Master of Public Health at Nova Southeastern University.

After graduating, she was a Disaster Recovery Program Coordinator at Broward Regional Health Planning Council. She then shifted into her current role as a Government Operations Consultant at Florida Department of Health.