Ep. 125: Dr. Linda Baffo
Dr. Linda Baffo
DrPH in Community Health Behavior and Education
Georgia Southern University
There are plenty of different approaches to building a career. What should come first, academic pursuits or real-world experience? Today, our guest is Dr. Linda Baffo, a health equity evaluator and public health analyst with over a decade of experience in the field. In this episode, Dr. Baffo talks about how her two years of teaching with Teach for America propelled her into the field of public health, the pros and cons of pursuing a doctoral degree in your 30s and how she used her experience in the field to supplement her in classroom learnings for a robust dissertation. Dr. Baffo shares some powerful tips on liking what you’re working on and scheduling time in, just for yourself, in order to achieve balance and overall wellness, and she tells us how her studies affirmed her existing approach to her work, helping her to gain confidence as a professional. We hope you join in for some powerful insights on how best to go about pursuing the work that you’re passionate about today.
Connect with Dr. Linda Baffo on LinkedIn.
Key Points From This Episode:
Dr Baffo’s introduction to the public health field.
Why the practical aspect of DrPH studies appealed to Dr. Baffo.
The fellowship that Dr. Baffo started at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Baffo’s work history at Center for Disease Control and Prevention at American Cancer Society and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
How working on different topics enriched Dr. Baffo’s research experience.
The importance of liking what you’re working on.
Dr. Baffo’s dissertation and findings around rural health, childhood obesity, and legislation.
What it was like to work and study full time.
The value of scheduling time in, just for yourself.
How Dr. Baffo experienced building community at Georgia Southern.
Dr. Baffo’s experience of mentorship at Georgia Southern and through her work experience.
How having work experience can enrich doctoral studies.
How Dr. Baffo’s studies were funded.
Graduate Riders Bootcamp: how it served Dr. Baffo and why she ended up volunteering.
Some of Dr. Linda’s biggest successes during her studies.
Final words of advice: do it if you can.
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