Current position: DrPH Candidate at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Sarah Bowler, MPH, graduated from Dornsife School of Public Health in 2020 with a major in Health Management and Policy (HMP) and a minor in Maternal and Child Health (MCH).
During her time at Dornsife, she was a Dornsife Fellow working on a community-based HIV testing project, and a research assistant studying adverse childhood experiences.
Bowler was also the President of the Maternal and Child Health Student Organization and participated in community events such as Give Kids Sight Day.
What drew you to MCH?
Bowler decided to study public health and MCH because she wanted to focus on the broader picture of health.
She says, “Growing up, I didn’t think too much about politics and didn’t pay attention to the news until I was in college and realized that people were making decisions about what I can do as a woman and what I can do with my own body. I realized that if I didn’t speak up, who was going to? This led me to policy, and to women’s health policy. It’s so relevant today, and I want to be part of the change.”
How are you using your current MCH training?
Bowler is now a second-year Doctorate of Public Health candidate at the University of Alabama at Birmingham studying MCH leadership and policy.
Her work focuses on Medicaid family planning, access to care and utilization of services for low-income women, and maternal and infant review committees.
Bowler hopes that her MCH career will take her to Washington DC where she plans to work for a NGO or nonprofit, advocating for women’s health. After gaining national level experience, she hopes to work internationally and focus on women’s health policy at the global scale.
Highlights from getting your MPH at Dornsife?
“The most impactful part of my time at Drexel was my time as a MCH trainee. My MCH related work at Drexel opened so many doors and brought me into the exact career field I wanted to go into. I loved working with Dr. Davis and Dr. Turchi, they were great mentors and led me to every opportunity. I also really enjoyed my depth experience as a trainee through the Title V MCH Summer Internship Program.”
Bowler spent the summer between her first and second year in Chicago, working as part of a team with the Illinois Department of Public Health on their Infant Mortality Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network.
In addition to her time as a MCH trainee, Sarah also received a Winston Health Policy Scholarship and traveled to Geneva, Switzerland to participate in a learning session on HIV-affected adolescent mothers and children in Sub-Saharan Africa at the World Health Organization.
Advice to current and future MCH students?
To current and future students, Bowler recommends making every effort to meet with professors and network. Bowler accredits much of her success at Drexel to networking and the relationships she built with professors, faculty, and fellow students.
She also says to subscribe to the weekly Maternal and Child Health Newsletter, where she found many opportunities for conferences, internships/volunteer work, and lectures.