Presenter: Morgan Lowrey, Behavioral Community Health and Spanish, Global Public Health Scholars
For my practicum project, I am interning with the Public Health Law Clinic at the Network for Public Health Law, Eastern Region Office and UMB Interprofessional Eviction Prevention Project within the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. Blending both of my majors, I will be assisting attorneys and social workers in the UMB Interprofessional Eviction Prevention Project with translating materials and communicating with Spanish-speaking clients. I will also have the opportunity to participate in client meetings (in person or via Zoom) and to attend court proceedings at Hyattsville District Court. I will also be able to observe and research the impact of housing instability on low-income populations and understand housing as a social determinant of individual and population health. Because my supervisor also teaches the law school’s Public Health Law Clinic and directs the Eastern Region Office of the Network for Public Health Law, I will have the opportunity to attend lectures and events of interest to me and to learn about and research other public health policy issues. I may also attend virtual hearings of the Maryland General Assembly if they consider any bills related to housing relief or changes to housing laws that are relevant to the project. I will be expected to prepare a memorandum summarizing any hearings.
Did you feel as though your internship was more of a law learning experience or a public health learning experience? Did this make you want to go to law school in the future if you already didn't have plans to?
What kinds of barriers does a lack of English literacy create for accessing housing stability? What can/should be done to address these barriers?
How much did all of the skills and concepts you learned in GPH apply in the real world to your practicum project, and would you be interested in addressing these issues on a global scale?