A panel of public health leaders shared their career experience and encouraged over 100 students to explore educational pathways at a Sage Hill Internship Program event on Feb. 11.
Orange County Health Care Officer Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong and Dr. Elizabeth Cauffman, UC Irvine professor of psychological science, education and law, spoke about how they’ve dedicated their lives to positively influencing youth criminal justice and public health.
“Keep your mind open and your curiosity alive – every step of your life, even the unexpected ones, can lead you to your purpose,” Dr. Chinsio-Kwong said.
Dr. Chinsio-Kwong’s success in public health was originally rooted in her interest in being an athletic trainer. In her early college years, Dr. Chinsio-Kwong used to love taking care of athletes and making sure they were physically comfortable for their games. Following in her father’s footsteps, she decided to pursue medical school and served in the U.S. Navy as a family medicine resident at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton.
Dr. Chinsio-Kwong said that she finds joy in seeing her patients carrying their life pain-free and physically robust. Since she stepped into the top role at the Orange County Health Care Agency, Dr. Chinsio-Kwong spends less time interacting with individual patients and focuses on overseeing public health for over three million residents of Orange County. Her average workday includes Zoom calls with state and county health leaders, communicating her agency’s functions to the public and high-level management of Orange County’s public health clinics.
One of Dr. Chinsio-Kwong’s most notable works was her creation of digital vaccine records in California. The record ensures that vaccines are equitably and efficiently distributed during pandemics. Dr. Chinsio-Kwong advocated and prepared the Orange County community on how to face outbreaks like COVID-19.
She emphasized the importance of having an open mind and exploring various career paths, highlighting how she was personally driven by curiosity and a willingness to learn. Dr. Chinsio-Kwong’s openness enabled her to discover her interest in healthcare.
Dr. Cauffman, a professor at the UC Irvine School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine, shared about finding her calling to provide the nation’s youth with a fair juvenile justice court and used her research in adolescent brain development and decision-making as a way to achieve her goal.
Among other areas of interest, Cauffman advocates for building separate jail units for adults 18 to 25 years old as one strategy to protect the nation’s youth and prevent recidivism. Cauffman believes in offering second chances for youths who made mistakes and move on and create positive change in their lives.
The panelists encouraged students to be bold in trying out careers through internships and other opportunities.
