And That's a Wrap: Final Reflection of MHST631

Reflecting on the past 12 weeks, I am in awe of my new knowledge. I have learned new health promotion and planning concepts that I can directly apply to my current public health leader position and develop this skill set in others.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this course and designing a health promotion initiative with a clear vision for driving equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility for a health issue that applies to my role. The evidence-based research for each assignment related to syphilis has broadened my knowledge related to the contributing factors to the rising rates and vulnerabilities specific to females of reproductive ages. I will now be able to use my strengthened knowledge to guide collaboration with others to develop health promotion initiatives that are evidence-based and targeted towards a population that is different than previous ones.

The most uncomfortable experience yet I experienced the most growth was researching and applying various diverse theories, models and frameworks to support health promotion planning, implementation and evaluation. The final assignment of MSHT631 challenged me to develop a proposed model for understanding the health problem I was studying. Extending this model, composed of some of the social determinants of health and other theories and frameworks, enabled me to understand the factors that contribute to the rising rates of syphilis amongst females and how the factors are intertwined with social and structural determinants of health. I always knew the complexity but now understand that addressing this health problem cannot be done by one person, organization or institution alone. In future health promotion efforts, I will be more empowered to foster community engagement.

Overall, this course has been primarily positive. I was pleasantly surprised by the broad range of health professions amongst my peers, allowing meaningful course discussions with the choice to explore topics relevant to one's field of work or personal interest.

I look forward to MHST632, the second Health Promotion course, where I can increase my knowledge and skills to conduct a comprehensive situational assessment for a priority setting.