yipeng

As I am writing this journal update, I am approaching four weeks of my time here in Geneva and interning, which is astounding to think about how quickly the time passes here when you are surrounded by this unique work environment for learning about international public health, great people and friends, and new experiences and adventures. Although each day passes so quickly because I seem to have gotten used to this routine and feel quite comfortable with where I am, I am wary of this time passing me by with not having taken as much out from this experience as I possibly could.

Sunset over Geneva as seen from Mont Saleve, France

Learning about myself

I have been learning about myself as a student and young professional ambitious about pursuing a career in healthcare and public health, but also cautious and critical of the limitations. My perspective of the WHO coming into this experience was one that is critical of the work being done as it seemed too far removed from the people that it benefits and that the organization is too political to get things done. I suppose my opinions have more or less not changed too much. Speaking to other staff and colleagues here in the building is a fantastic way to get a sense of the trials and tribulations of the work produced here. Even though the WHO is limited in its capacities in many aspects – human resources, financial resources, structural or political obstacles, the list goes on – it’s easy to criticize and find these limitations in the work, but it’s about how we deal with these structures in place to move an agenda forward or to even work to change these structures in place. It’s also about learning to be realistic with the resources available and to work with what you have. Of course WHO has its limitations, but it also has seen great successes. Public health is not an easy field to be in, since the outcomes of the work can be non-existent for so long or fail so many times, but when there is a successful outcome, it will arrive in the long term and it will arrive big. Public health at this level has the potential to influence and improve the lives of so many, but to get there takes much time, dedication, perseverance, a tolerance for repeated shortfalls, and working with the resources you have and the structural processes in place.

But what has all this taught me about myself? It has taught me to simply go where my interests take me and to do what makes me happy at this point in time. Fairly obvious realizations I understand, however I am at a place where there is so much more to learn and experience, with many big questions about the world and its many issues and inequities – it is important to learn and to continually question things, but to do so with great intrigue and optimism. I also will one day make decisions about my career in this field that I can definitely think about now, but it is quite far in the future to really worry about. The main goal now is to learn. Such a decision could be about deciding a balance between public health and clinical practice. One thing that I know for certain is that I suffer from being here at WHO by not working with people on the ground and I believe patient interaction is something I need before I spend an extended period of time in public health.

Learning about myself is also about figuring out what I need in a career to be happy and productive in a way that fits into the bigger picture of this coordinated public health effort to address inequity. And from time to time, at this point or in the future, that decision will change, which is okay. I know at this point, I want to do so many different things and I am interested in many different things. This could look like working with an NGO, a government, or even in the private sector, as these learning experiences will provide a better understanding of the systems we are working with in public health. Also I should read more books, fiction and non-fiction. I just don’t read as much as I would like to.

20160725_190553720_iOS — After-work hikes 🙂

The friends and the relationships I have made

I have met some very incredible people here and the friends that I have met have definitely made my time here extremely enjoyable and memorable. The fellow interns that became close friends are definitely part of the reason why it feels like my time here is going by so quickly. It’s quite interesting how close you can get with others in such a short period of time, but I consider myself quite lucky to have found like-minded friends that keep me questioning things about public health, act as a soundboard to bounce ideas and reflections with, push me outside of my comfort zone in after-work adventures, and the list goes on. I have managed to stumble upon some unique, friendly, intelligent, and truly kind individuals that I am able to share many stories, memories, and adventures with. Also importantly, I am able to share my ramblings about the ups and downs of the internship experience with them, and they in return give me more to think about through their own reflections, thoughts, and criticisms. Further to these relationships, having short coffee chats with various staff members have also proved invaluable in shaping my experience here at WHO as a positive and productive one.

20160727_214124000_iOS — Poolside yoga anyone?

Privilege and interning

I have struggled ever since the first week I got here in Geneva with fully comprehending the consequences and realities of the privilege that comes with interning at a UN agency. To my understanding, in an address the Director-General of WHO gave to interns a few weeks ago, there is no funding available from member states to support interns and there is no shortage of students and young professionals knocking on the doors of UN agencies, such as the WHO, for internship opportunities. Further, framing the experience as an educational and learning experience or stepping stone for young professionals as a justification for an unpaid internship was also emphasized. As a current unpaid intern, without a doubt I would appreciate being paid to have a bit more financial flexibility in an incredibly expensive city, Geneva. While on the other hand, I am by no means, going into excessive amounts of debt to be here. Even though the financial costs did pose a barrier and consideration for whether or not I would choose to attend the internship, but after all, I am still here. I come from a privileged background: I have supportive parents that value my education, I grew up in an English-speaking high income country, and I had the means to hold multiple part-time jobs in my home country during my academic studies to fund this, etc.

Additionally, from my interactions thus far with colleagues and interns, most people seem quite well off in sustaining and supporting themselves in this experience, even in this unpaid work environment. Simply an observation and how I perceive it, but sometimes I feel that I am in this work environment with some extremely privileged and educated people that have been dealt all the right cards in the game of life, but have discussions about improving the health of others from the comfort of the institute. On top of this, interns, myself included, often spend weekends and the time away from work enjoying the pleasures of living in the middle of Europe for a few months, which can mean flying off to another nearby country. There are talks about improving the internship experience in making it more ‘fair’ or equitable, and recently there was a survey to gather data on interns’ experiences and financial background, among other things. However, those that can afford this internship are already here and those that cannot are not included in the conversation. If these UN agency internships (some are!) ever become paid, would this even be a step towards equitable opportunity for youth as there is clear misrepresentation as it currently stands – I’m not sure I am convinced. I think a significant amount of work can be done and should be done to diversify the internship program.

There is work being done on creating a fair internship experience for young professionals, but this needs to be able to take into consideration the various differing socioeconomic backgrounds of young people from low- or middle-income countries that want to access these opportunities. It is also those that gain experience at this level as an intern that have an advantage when returning as staff members of an UN agency, which is ultimately meant to represent the diversity and interests of 193 member states. It’s not about if there is an issue, but rather it’s about thinking structurally and how we need to question whether or not the approach taken to alleviate obstacles is equitable, respectful, and mindful in improving access to UN agency professional development opportunities.

20160725_195817284_iOS — Geneva at night

Yipeng

What am I actually doing at WHO

So what am I actually doing with most of my time at WHO? My official supervision is from the Director of the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases (PND) Department. With that said, the role of a director often involves quite a lot of travelling for representing the department and WHO in international conferences and meetings. Thus, my supervision and work terms are definitely a bit more fluid than what I am used from my previous research and work experiences. I suppose the comfortable research and supervisor relationships that I am accustomed to from undergraduate research involve working continually on a single well-defined project either with little or some direction but with frequent meetings to update on progress and assess next steps. My work for the past two weeks have been quite different from this formal structure in research settings, and it is definitely something that has been a little uneasy and sometimes frustrating for me, but also quite rewarding in other aspects.

The lack of continuity in some of the work makes it strange, unconventional, and difficult to feel like I am making a contribution. On the other hand, I am able to assist where more hands are needed, to fill the gaps and lessen the workload of people I am supporting, and expose myself to many different aspects of the department’s work and gather a more comprehensive understanding and appreciation for the work that my various supervisors in health promotion contribute to on a daily basis. I would say at this point, the majority of my time is dedicated to assisting the health promotion programme in the technical and logistical planning aspects of the upcoming 9^th Global Conference on Health Promotion co-organized by WHO and NHFPC held in Shanghai this November.

Upon reflection and discussion with fellow interns and friends, there are pieces of my day-to-day work that I take for granted. I suppose how the grass is always greener on the other side, definitely applies here. Being able to work on various assignments and tasks resulted in more exposure to different faces within the department and more opportunity for mentorship and unique discussions. And it definitely gives me a deeper appreciation for the depth and breadth of the work behind the scenes of briefing note preparation, monograph preparation, institutional collaboration, the technical and logistical aspects of high level event planning, and of course the political considerations that underlie so many decisions.

20160704_132217273_iOS — The view from the 8th floor of WHO HQ

What have I learned about so far about WHO, yourself, others

What have I concretely learned so far. It is hard to say. I actually did not form very defined goals or personal objectives prior to the start of my experience. I thought I knew what I wanted, which was simply to experience the enormity, bureaucracy, and complexity of the organization for myself. However, I actually ask myself more frequently than I thought I would, why am I actually here and what do I concretely want to get out of this. I came quite a long distance for this, so what do I want? Speaking with one of my supervisors about the reason I came here and listening to their response really striked me, as their response was that doing the work here at WHO won’t actually give me what I want, rather I need to go out and look for it for myself. Finding the answers to my interests in public health and medicine and what a career for myself in the future looks like, one that is fulfilling, etc. etc. is something that I need to actively play a role in seeking out. It seems simple, yet incredibly true and important. I have learned so much more from the informal interactions I have had with staff, interns, and friends, than I have from the actual work. Not that the work is unexciting or irrelevant, rather it is the learning about the structures and systems that define, encompass, and make the work and the meetings the way they are, that provide the most fruitful learning as someone interested in the institution as it functions and performs.

On the topic of learning and taking control of my own learning. Supervisors emphasize the important of learning. I suppose that I am actually on the fence regarding the unpaid aspect of interning. It’s a pretty heated topic of unfair conditions for interns at UN agencies that go unpaid, but how I currently feel about this is that the aspect of being unpaid as an intern is in the advantage of the intern. The emphasis of an unpaid internship is heavily on the young professional’s learning and exposures to mentorship, new skills and knowledge, etc. etc. And if the work relationship becomes one that is paid, I’m not sure if the emphasis will stay on our learning. And I suppose that I am skeptical that WHO gains as much as what an intern receives. Regardless of this point, I am very appreciative to know that supervisors and staff are cognizant of prioritizing learning for interns.

What have I learned though? Of course I feel as though I have picked up on how as a department and organization as a whole, there are structural and institutional policies and procedures that make it the organization that it is which represents 193 member states. Further to this, I have been exposed to new knowledge and understandings about interesting work surrounding tobacco control, but also in other departments. But where I have gained the most would be by far the various interactions that happen with supervisors, other staff, and other interns. It’s the discussions that share perspectives and ideas that have been helping me form and refine my academic interests in public health and my personal decisions that have led me to where I am today. The interactions that I have on a day-to-day basis are definitely helping me do just that.

Yipeng

Author: yipeng

Learning

Learning about myself

The friends and the relationships I have made

Privilege and interning

What am I doing