Dbq Reflection

In my sophomore year of college, I attended a discussion with Linda Orsi Robinson, an alumna, nurse-midwife, and volunteer with Doctors Without Borders. More than give a talk, Linda planted a seed. While she recounted her experiences working in maternal public health in the war-stricken Democratic Republic of the Congo, I began to envision for myself a future of public health nursing. I contemplated the multitudinous needs of society locally and globally and began to research the area of LGBTQ+ health. After reflecting, I realized primary LGTBQ+ healthcare as the ultimate alignment of my passions with the needs of society. I see public health as a path toward this role.

I appreciate public health because of its emphasis on humanization in

the practice of healthcare. My elective studies of public health as an undergraduate encouraged me to pay attention to narratives; to reconsider professional notions of caregiving; and to explore my power as a community leader who will provide healthcare to individuals and communities in greater society. I anticipate that further studies in public health will prepare me to think critically on a macro level about the factors influencing community health and my role in addressing them, and to engage in culturally-humble care that embraces differences and promotes equity. As I prepare to enter professional practice as a labor and delivery nurse, graduate study of public health will enhance the care I provide to patients and families; conversely, my practice will better inform my studies.

Traditionally, individuals working at the intersection of nursing and public health focus on the healthcare needs of marginalized populations within larger communities; however, the unique and diverse needs of the LGBTQ+ community remain largely unexplored and underserved.

Recently, a professor lent me her copy of the book, Maternal and Child Health, by Jonathan B. Kotch. As I perused the public health text, I found only one paragraph about LGTBQ+ individuals, and this paragraph cited just one piece of research, which was more than fifteen years old. This, to me, highlights an area of need for attention, research, support, and public awareness. I do not immediately foresee myself crafting research proposals to offset this fifteen-year deficit. However, I do foresee myself providing comprehensive primary sexual and reproductive health care to LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, whether accompanying an adolescent in learning about intimate relationships; a trans* person in their sexual identity development; or a couple in their surrogate pregnancy. As a gay young adult, I hope to provide this care in a focused, sensitive, and relatable way, at once carving out a niche in the practice of public health nursing, while simultaneously meeting the underserved needs of LGBTQ+

folks.

Graduate education in public health, fused with my nursing background, will allow me to make possible the changes I hope to see in the world. Linda Orsi Robinson first planted the seed. A public health degree will nourish the sprout. In time, a flower will blossom in the fulfillment of my hope of providing primary sexual and reproductive public health care to LGBTQ+ folks. Ultimately, my work – like Linda’s – will be to effect change at the individual and community levels, building on the strengths of each to ensure the greatest quality of life for all.