Public Health is All of Us
Personal perspectives from Trailhead Staff during National Public Health Week
The people, places, and experiences that inspire our work for a healthier future are powerful and diverse. During National Public Health Week, we’re sharing personal perspectives on the ways public health has impacted our lives, our communities, and our commitment to advancing the well-being of communities across Colorado.
Our voices have never been more important than they are now. During National Public Health Week, join us in sharing how public health has made an impact in your life, and spread key messages about how public health ensures that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
I’ve had the privilege of serving and partnering with young people and communities across the state throughout my public health career. I’ve learned that centering lived experiences, and storytelling is crucial for informing public health approaches. This perspective positions young people as leaders and experts in their own health, while intentionally collaborating with communities to create sustainable solutions to public health challenges. The most effective and sustainable solutions to current public health issues are achieved through the partnership and leadership of the communities and individuals most impacted.
Adrienne Gomez (She/Her), Senior Program Manager
The biggest barrier to health equity that I see the most often is funding being paced by the budget year of the funder instead of by what the community/project needs to see desired outcomes. This barrier forces communities and projects to be output-focused to what can be marginally accomplished within a year rather than being outcome-focused to properly address/overcome the decades (and centuries) of oppression placed upon them.
Benjamin Robb (He/Him), Director of Projects and Partnerships
During his 25-hour protest, Cory Booker shared a letter he received from a person with Parkinson’s on Medicaid, who wrote, “I will need the compassion of a generous society to help care for me.” If I was given a megaphone, my message would be that this concept of a generous society may feel more distant than ever, but it’s what public health is working towards every day. Cutting funding and spreading misinformation may slow us down, but it’ll never stop us from continuing to work every day towards a generous society. The threats to public health are powerful, but so are we – because we all deserve the security of a generous society.
Ella Meyer (She/Her), Program Manager
I’d love to get a megaphone and let everyone know! The majority of public health is systems change where we work to address the root causes of health outcomes by examining mental models, behaviors, policies and processes, and power dynamics. This also means that it takes a long time before “change” happens. I was drawn to be in public health because I am curious about the connection of everything to the world at large, and how we are connected to one another, the earth, and ultimately the future of our world. I am so grateful for all the amazing people I work with in my work at Trailhead who are fellow systems change thinkers and doers (Regional Health Connectors, Community Research Liaisons, and so many amazing partners!), who are willing to sit in the long slow process of hope for a better world, and doing what we can to shift the systems and structures we live in.
Gillian Grant (She/Her), Senior Program Manager
In my family, we were taught the values of community, humanity, and justice. Working in public health allows me to honor those values by supporting the creation of more equitable systems that center all voices, respect all lived experiences, and work for everyone in society. I want to live in a compassionate world where all people are realizing their fullest health potential.
Jami Hiyakumoto (She/Her), Program Coordinator
If I had a megaphone to share one message with the world, it would be this: Public health matters—it impacts your life every single day. Whether you’re directly working in the field or only familiar with it because of the pandemic, public health initiatives, policies, and resources shape our communities and our daily experiences. It’s not just something for experts or policymakers to care about—it’s something that affects all of us. Public health deserves our attention, funding, and support, because it plays a crucial role in the world we live in today.
Kayla Cibic (She/Her), Workforce Development Manager
Public health is a basic human right, and the health of a country is inextricably tied to the health of its people.
Lisa Olcese (She/Her), Senior Director of Operations
I’m so grateful for healthy environments, clean water, and air. I’m inspired to keep pushing for a healthier and just world to protect our natural resources for our future generations.
Lyndie Kenlon (She/Her), AmeriCorps Senior Program Manager
Growing up, I was the child to a public education teacher and single parent. I saw the ways my mom supported her students and their families through the school system and various access needs her students had. To me that was such a clear model of public health in practice. Community members caring for each other, identifying needs and advocating for one another. As a teen, I had access to peer education programs that connected me with trusted adults outside of my family, and young people with similar experiences and passions. This opportunity provided me with so much additional support as I was moving through my teen years, exploring my identity and ultimately coming out as queer. I directly benefited from public health programs that increase connections and opportunities for young people. Now, as a public health professional, I see the ways public health is all around us, interwoven so deeply in our lives. Public health is access to basic human needs, basic human rights, and understanding that our experiences are not just our experiences, but are shaped by the systems of oppression and generational traumas that impact our lives every day.
Ocean Candler (They/Them), Youth Sexual Health Program Manager
Public Health work takes time. We may never see the fruit from the labor of the seeds we plant now, but if we keep tending the fields, our children and future generations can experience the benefits of our efforts.
To quote one of my favorite Public Health colleagues and mentors, Bonnie Koehler: “Public Health work is like dripping water on a rock trying to get it to change. It takes time, but eventually a droplet will make its way into the pores of the rock and eventually start freezing and thawing, expanding and contracting. With persistence and patience, gradually the rock will begin to transform and crack. Even though we may never actually see the work of the water in action, someday someone will see a different form of that same rock.”
Just because we may never see direct results from our work during our lifetime, doesn’t mean we should stop doing it. Rivers did not shape the valleys in just one day.
Tara Hardy (She/Her), Senior Director of Programs
I work toward a healthier, more just world because I know what it feels like to lack health and safety. Growing up, life often felt like a nightmarish game of tag—run, hide, defend myself. I hope for more of us, more of the time, life can instead feel like the parachute game—where we cooperate and create beauty together.
Taruni Donti (She/Her), Senior Communications Coordinator
Some of my earliest lessons about community come from my grandparents. They were funeral directors in a small town, and my sister and I grew up spending summers at the funeral home. From a young age we saw our grandparents care for others during some of the most tender moments of their lives. They showed us what it means to be connected to a community and to care for its entire wellbeing. I see these values daily in our field, and it’s what I admire most about the heart of public health.
Tess Burick (She/Her), Senior Communications Manager
Access to public health resources is so important for every community. A doctor providing free physical exams at our high school noticed my younger brother had an irregular heartbeat. Several months and many doctor visits later, my brother was preparing for open heart surgery to fix a congenital heart defect. It’s important to remember that a lot of public health data comes from people going through some of the most challenging moments in their lives.
Tyler Shirey (He/Him), Director of Finance
Growing up watching my mother dedicate herself to the nonprofit sector and public health, I learned that true service is not about recognition, but about making a difference where it’s needed most. Her unwavering commitment to bettering the lives of others has inspired me to serve my community with the same passion and purpose, knowing that every small act of kindness contributes to a greater collective impact.
Yuliza Hernandez (She/Her), Project Manager