From Canada to the US for a PhD in Mental Health at Johns Hopkins University and exploring careers outside of academia, with Kira Riehm

In this episode, Sujani sits down with Kira Riehm, a psychiatric epidemiologist and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. They discuss Kira’s journey and interest in mental health and things to consider when pursuing education in the U.S.You’ll LearnWhat kicked off Kira’s interest in pursuing a career in mental healthWhat Kira’s journey has been like so far and where she hopes to go nextWhat things to consider if you are thinking of pursuing education in the U.S. versus in CanadaAn overview of the Johns Hopkins PhD in the Department of Mental Health program including:What coursework is likeThe specialties of being the only mental health department in a school of public healthWhat Kira’s research interests are and what she has worked on in the pastKira’s postdoctoral experience and what research she is currently working onWhat it was like for Kira being a Canadian student doing her PhD in the U.S.What financial resources are available for Canadian students looking to pursue higher education abroadAdvice from Kira for public health students, especially for those looking at studying abroad or pursuing research experiencesTips from Kira on how to plan out a career pathToday’s GuestKira is a psychiatric epidemiologist and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The primary aim of her research is to understand the causes, correlates, and consequences of mental health disorders among adolescents. Drawing on a wide variety of data sources, she designs research studies that involve the application of rigorous epidemiologic methods to answer pressing questions about youth mental health and substance use. Her work has been published in JAMA Psychiatry, Pediatrics, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and American Journal of Public Health.ResourcesLearn more about Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's PhD in the Department of Mental Health program Learn more about the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Doctoral Research AwardsLearn more about Kira and her researchIf you have any further questions for Kira, you can contact her by emailOther PH SPOT resources:Share ideas for the podcast: Fill out this formNever heard of a podcast before? Read this guide we put together to help you get set up.Be notified when new episodes come out, and receive hand-picked public health opportunities every week by joining the PH SPOT community.Contribute to the public health career blog: www.phspot.ca/contributeUpcoming course on infographics: Support the showJoin The Public Health Career Club: the #1 hangout spot and community dedicated to building and growing your dream public health career.

Om Podcasten

Sujani Sivanantharajah from PHSPOT.org sits down with public health heroes of our time to share career stories, inspiration, and guidance for building public health careers. From time to time, she also has conversations with friends of public health - individuals who are not public health professionals, but their advice and guidance are equally important. The emotions, energy, and passion that comes from these stories act as a reminder that this space we’ve created for the public health community is a space that you can lean on as you navigate your career. We believe that to build a successful career in public health does not mean that it has to live up to a certain level of standard set out by somebody else...or that we need to burn ourselves out in the process. We believe that you can craft a career perfect for you, and your unique life. The message we hope to get across through these conversations is that building a career is not only about climbing up the ranks, but about crafting a life that you want, around your unique needs, and one that gives importance to your mental health, wellbeing, and building relationships and friendships: you can only do good in the world if you take care of yourself. Through PH SPOTlight, you will connect with peers you have never met before, and build relationships in a deep and meaningful way. What you will hear the most, from every single person is also passion. Passion to do good. Passion to advance human health and the human race. And a passion to share back with the public health community.