CAREER GUIDANCE FROM LAKISHA HARRIS, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER BASED IN WASHINGTON D.C., USA

                                Lakisha can be reached on Twitter via [ @lakishaharris  ]
 
1) What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with? The people that I hang out with are optimistic, consistent, trustworthy, goal-oriented, and resourceful.

2) What do you do?
I am currently working full-time on my Doctor of Public Health degree with a concentration in Epidemiology. I am also working as a Clinical Data Manager for a Contract Research Organization (CRO), in support of a government agency.

3) Why do you do what you do?
In terms of my education, in order to affect positive global health changes, I am pursuing this level of education to further solidify my foundational knowledge of public health principles. Global health issues are multi-dimensional. In addition to experience, it is my belief that an advanced level of education is paramount to effectively address issues that affect the world that we live in. In terms of my current profession, I do what I do to aid in the prevention of diseases.

4) Is this where you thought you would end up?
Regarding my education, it wasn’t until I was nearing the completion of my Master of Public Health degree that I began to more strongly consider obtaining a terminal degree in public health. After graduation with my master’s degree, there was somewhat of a “void” and a desire to simply learn more. So, I decided to further my studies and here I am … very close to earning my Doctor of Public Health degree. With regards to my current position, I never thought that I would end up being a Clinical Data Manager – I actually love what I do! I get an opportunity to affect positive public health objectives.

5) What values are you committed to?
I am committed to integrity, respect, duty, personal courage, and leadership.

6) How many hours do you work in a typical week?
With work and school combined, I work 50-60 hours per week.

7) What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?
The skills that are required in my position are patience, efficiency, resilience, perseverance, and team work.

8) Are there any negatives to your job?
The processes of clinical data management are quite extensive. But, the bigger picture is my motivation.

9) What is the background of most senior-level executives in your SBCC circles?
The background of most senior levels are years of experience and adaptability to change.

10) What do you wish you knew at our stage? (IE: Entry-level SBCC practitioners)
As someone who has recently begun a public health career, I wish I knew a public health mentor.

11) What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received -- and used or implemented?
The best professional advice that I’ve ever received was to always know where to get information.

12) If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would not do anything differently if I could do it all over again. Every experience always teaches something valuable and can be potentially applied anywhere.

13) What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night?
What should keep enthusiasts up at night is whether the efforts that are being put forth are geared towards helping others.

14) Are there any professional associations or societies that you have taken up membership with?
I am a current member of the Society for International Development. I am also former members of the American Public Health Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives.

15) What mistakes have you made?
Thankfully, I have made a lot of “good” mistakes. My mistakes have provided life-long wisdom.

16) What one thing do you still struggle with?
I am overcoming the struggle of balancing too much at one time. Doing a few things at a time is more productive than doing several at a time.

17) What traits impress you the most in a working professional, irrespective of their area of expertise?
The traits that impress me the most are the ability to lead a multifunctional team and the courage to motivate positive outcomes and behaviors.

18) What are the top 7 technical skills that entry-level SBCC enthusiasts should strive to hone?
Technology, software, research, intuitiveness, interpersonal, flexibility, and adaptability are what SBCC enthusiasts should strive for.

19) Considering all the people you have met in your line of work, what personal attributes are essential for success?
For the most part, transparency and integrity are attributes which are essential for success.

20) What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job?
The employee and employer must have a mutual exchange of sort.

21) What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
My most rewarding accomplishment was to lead a health fair event and to lead a ceremony in a national event.

22) What developments in the horizon could affect future career opportunities in this field?
Unknown strains of infectious diseases could affect career opportunities in public health.

23) Can you recommend a "must-read" book that will help us broaden our skills as working professionals or inspire us to reach our highest potential?
“Who moved my cheese?” by Spencer Johnson is a “must-read” book for working professionals.

24) As a communicator, if you could write a book on a social issue; what would it be and why?
I would write a book on global efforts to completely eliminate the stigma associated with a positive Human Immunodeficiency Virus diagnosis.

25) Which other SBCC maven would you recommend for this interview?
I would recommend AIDS United. I follow them on Twitter @AIDS_United and receive great communications.

26) What's the most valuable question we should ask the next SBCC maven who is interviewed on this blog?
How they feel their communications have impacted others?

 END//

CAREER GUIDANCE FROM CARMEN CRONIN, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER BASED IN KAMPALA, UGANDA

                                Carmen can reached on email via [ ccronin88@gmail.com ]
                                                              Photo credit: Viktor Pauer
 
1) What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with?
I look for people who are curious about the world around them, aren’t afraid to try new things, laugh heartily, and are genuine.

2) What do you do?
I am currently a U.S. Fulbright Student based in Kampala, Uganda where I am conducting formative research with out-of-school adolescent girls on the topic of menstruation. I’m also working with a few other local organizations to provide monitoring and evaluation technical guidance. 

3) Why do you do what you do?
A colleague of mine once said, communication is the currency of everyday life and I couldn’t agree more. My research leverages and experiments with participatory research methods to create space for communication to be a vehicle of empowerment, a driver of individual and social change, and a mechanism to recognize and validate the voices, opinions, and rights of marginalized groups (e.g. children and adolescents).     

4) Is this where you thought you would end up?
No, for the longest time I wanted to become a pediatrician. It was only after I spent a few months in Rwanda doing health promotion work that I realized a career in public health offered more opportunities to study the socio-cultural determinants shaping individual and collective health. In my masters program, I learned about the art and science of health communication and gained a solid foundation in research methods, and now I combine the two in my day-to-day work. 

5) How many hours do you work in a typical week?
A lot, but don’t we all?

6) What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?
· Creative thinking
· Adaptability
· Attention to detail
· Self-discipline

7) Are there any negatives to your job?
Good quality research takes time and money. All too often donors and partners want quality research, but done quickly and at a bargain price. It can be hard to work within those parameters, find the right compromise, or convince donors and partners of the value of investing in research, monitoring, and evaluation. 

8) What is the background of most senior-level executives in your SBCC circles?
Most of them have a PhD in either communication or public health.

9) What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night?
SBCC enthusiasts should stay up at night thinking about whether they’ve asked the right questions, crafted the right message for their intended audience, and in what ways their work is propelling the field of communication forward.

10) What professional organizations are you associated with, and in what ways?
I’m a member of the American Public Health Association, the Society for Public Health Education, and the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, and an associate for Rain Barrel Communications.

11) What mistakes have you made?
Too many to list, but that’s part of learning.

12) What traits impress you the most in a working professional, irrespective of their area of expertise?
I am impressed by individuals who have integrity, a hard work ethic, take the time to mentor others, and never stop learning.

13) What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
I hope it’s still to come.

14) What developments in the horizon could affect future career opportunities in this field?
The newly adopted sustainable development goals will certainly shape the type of career opportunities and work available for SBCC scholars and practitioners.

15) Which other SBCC maven would you recommend for this interview?
Suruchi Sood, PhD, Associate Professor at Drexel University

16) What's the most valuable question we should ask the next SBCC maven who is interviewed on this blog?
In your work, how are you pushing the boundaries of SBCC? 

 END//

CAREER GUIDANCE FROM OBINNA CHUKWUEZIE, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER BASED IN JOS, NIGERIA

                               Obinna can be reached on Twitter via [  @obinnachukwuzie ]

1) What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with?
I hang out with people who inspire and challenge me.

2) What do you do?
I do communications in all its entirety. I am the founder of Journalists Initiative for Youth Empowerment (Ji4Ye) based in Jos, Nigeria. (visit: www.ji4ye.org)

3) Why do you do what you do?
I like what I do.

4) Is this where you thought you would end up?
Not exactly, but I'm on track.

5) What values are you committed to?
Hardwork, Innovation, Personal and Youth Development

6) How many hours do you work in a typical week?
50 hours

7) What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis? Social media, Journalistic story-telling, Writing, Photography, Blogging

8) Are there any negatives to your job?
Deadlines

9) What is the background of most senior-level executives in your SBCC circles?
Communications

10) What do you wish you knew at our stage? (IE: Entry-level SBCC practitioners)
How to develop a communication strategy.

11) What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received -- and used or implemented?
Apply conflict-sensitivity and gender-sensitivity in your SBCC.

12) If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Enlist the support of a mentor.

13) What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night?
How to ensure your messages move your target audeince from current behaviour to expected behaviour.

14) What professional organizations are you associated with, and in what ways?
Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Springboard (a platform for health communicators)

15) What mistakes have you made?
Not pre-testing message before going to press.

16) What one thing do you still struggle with?
Inability to completely put myself in the shoes of the target audience.

17) What traits impress you the most in a working professional, irrespective of their area of expertise?
Good knowledge of their area of expertise; Willingness to share and exchange knowledge

18) What are the top 7 technical skills that entry-level SBCC enthusiasts should strive to hone?
Writing; Social media; Ear for news (reporters instinct); Knowledge of the principles of communication; Audience analysis; Media relations

19) Considering all the people you have met in your line of work, what personal attributes are essential for success?
Openness and willingness to learn new things. There is always something new to learn.

20) What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job?
Keep preparing yourself because opportunity will always come. The tragegy is when it comes, and you are not ready.

21) What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
Nomination for CNN Multichoice African Journalists Award in 2012

22) What developments in the horizon could affect future career opportunities in this field?
There are more prospects in the field than before.

23) Can you recommend a "must-read" book that will help us broaden our skills as working professionals or inspire us to reach our highest potential?
Attend Webinars more.

24) As a communicator, if you could write a book on a social issue; what would it be and why?
Youth unemployment; Farming; Youth radicalisation

25) Which other SBCC maven would you recommend for this interview?
Zainab Laminde


 END//

CAREER GUIDANCE FROM GARY L. KREPS, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER BASED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. METRO AREA, USA

                                   Gary can be reached on Twitter via [  @GaryLKreps  ]

1) What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with?  
I like to work with creative, intelligent, and cooperative folks who are committed to making a difference in the world. Luckily, I have wonderful colleagues!

2) What do you do? 
I study, write, and speak about the role of communication in promoting health and wellbeing. In my work I strive to promote informed and engaged health decision making, health risk prevention and early detection, effective health information dissemination, and collaboration in the delivery of care to enhance health outcomes.

3) Why do you do what you do?
I believe that strategic, culturally sensitive, and adaptive use of communication can improve health outcomes, reduce suffering, and enhance quality of life locally and globally. I try to provide the evidence base for guiding strategic health communication.

4) Is this where you thought you would end up?
I had no idea what I would be doing professionally, but I am very pleased with the path I have taken. I enjoy my work as a researcher, educator, writer, and speaker.

5) What values are you committed to? 
 I am committed to equity, cultural sensitivity, collaboration, and multi-methodological research rigor.

6) How many hours do you work in a typical week? 
My wife tells me I work all the time, planning my research, writing manuscripts, collecting data, advising students and mentees, keeping up with correspondence, participating in meetings, teaching, traveling, seeking research funding, reviewing manuscripts, etc. I probably spend most of my waking hours working (and perhaps some of my sleeping hours dreaming about my work too)!

7) What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?
Conceptual, analytic, interpersonal, writing, speaking, creativity, research design competencies, and resilience enable me to achieve my goals.

8) Are there any negatives to your job?
I enjoy my work, but I need to focus on maintaining a good work/life balance so I spend quality time with my family and promote my own health.

9) What is the background of most senior-level executives in your SBCC circles? 
Many of the people I work with have doctoral level and other advanced graduate level educations. However, they come from and live in many different parts of the world and have different ethnic, racial, generational, and cultural backgrounds.

10) What do you wish you knew at our stage? (IE: Entry-level SBCC practitioners)
I wish I knew how complicated it is to promote and sustain health behavior change. I also wish I knew how important it was to work collaboratively with different audiences and colleagues.

11)  What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received -- and used or implemented?
Don't just jump in to a complex project. Take the time to seek input and carefully plan, evaluate, and adapt research and intervention strategies.

12) If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would take more time and not be in such a rush.

13) What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night? What are the critical social issues that need attention and how can these issues be best addressed?

14) What professional organizations are you associated with, and in what ways?
I work with a number of federal agencies in the US (the NIH, CDC, FDA, VA, AHRQ, HRSA, SAMHSA, etc.), foreign government agencies, health promotion organizations, health care delivery systems, corporations, public health departments, and foundations. I also participate in several professional societies such as the American Academy for Health Behavior, the Society for Participative Medicine, the National Communication Association, the International Communication Association, and others.

15) What mistakes have you made?
I've made many mistakes, but I try to learn from them. Most of my mistakes were based on not being more patient, reflective, and collaborative.

16) What one thing do you still struggle with?
I struggle with time management, work-life balance, and patience.

17) What traits impress you the most in a working professional, irrespective of their area of expertise? 
I appreciate receptivity, openness, candor, creativity, intelligence, and sense of humor.

18)  What are the top 7 technical skills that entry-level SBCC enthusiasts should strive to hone?
It is important to understand relevant theory, research methods, data analytic strategies, clear writing skills, good speaking and interpersonal skills, inquisitiveness, and listening skills.

19) What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job? 
Address important issues in methodologically sophisticated ways.

21) What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
I have enjoyed starting and nurturing important research and outreach programs such as the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), HINTS-China, the Global Advocacy Leadership Academy, the Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute, the PhD program in Health and Strategic Communication at George Mason University, and the Fairfax County Health Literacy Initiative.

22) What developments in the horizon could affect future career opportunities in this field?
The growth of digital information systems have provided important new channels for reaching different audiences with relevant, timely, interactive, adaptive, and actionable information for guiding decision making. There is tremendous need to design and implement these digital systems effectively to address important social issues.

23) Can you recommend a "must-read" book that will help us broaden our skills as working professionals or inspire us to reach our highest potential? 
I have been influenced by several books: Ev Rogers' The Diffusion of Innovations, and Karl Weick's The Social Psychology of Organizing.

24) As a communicator, if you could write a book on a social issue; what would it be and why?
I recently co-edited two books on important social issues; One was on using communication programs to reduce health disparities:

Dutta, M.J., & Kreps, G.L. (Eds). (2013). Reducing health disparities:  Communication Interventions. New York: Peter Lang Publishers.

and the other book was on promoting global health with communication:

Kim, D.K., Singhal, A., & Kreps, G.L. (Eds.).  (2013). Health communication: Strategies for developing global health programs. New York: Peter Lang Publishers. Publishers

I am writing a book now on promoting interdisciplinary teamwork in the delivery of health care.

25) Which other SBCC maven would you recommend for this interview?
I encourage you to contact my brilliant colleague Ed Maibach who directs the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University.

26) What's the most valuable question we should ask the next SBCC maven who is interviewed on this blog?
Who were the professionals who most influenced your work? For me it was Ev Rogers, Karl Weick, W. Charles Redding, Gerald M. Phillips, Thorrell Fest, and Barbara Rimer


END//

CAREER GUIDANCE FROM NDUMISO TSHUMA, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER BASED IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

                                        Ndumiso can be reached on Twitter via [ @nchphd ]

1) What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with?
Likeminded people, highly motivated people and hard working.

2) What do you do?
I’m a public health specialist, with an interest in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating health programmes. I hold a Programme Manager position at CARe (Community AIDS Response).

3) Why do you do what you do?
Passion drives what I do. This is coupled with seeing change in communities. 

4) Is this where you thought you would end up?
I must say opportunities drove me in this direction. I started volunteering and assisting senior researchers and public health specialists with a passion in behavior change. Then I grew to love the sector, and I invested my time and energy to learn more.

5) What values are you committed to?
Hard work, passion and team building.

6) How many hours do you work in a typical week?
I prefer not to say otherwise you will think I’m a workaholic.

7) What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?
Top of my list is conceptual skills, there is so much pressure to deliver and to drive change with limited financial and human resources, yet time is never allowing.

8) Are there any negatives to your job?
No matter how good the programme is, if the funding ends or the funding direction changes the programme gets to be abandoned. That makes me feel bad, especially during times when you can see the programme would have yielded results if there was an additional year or two.

9) What is the background of most senior-level executives in your SBCC circles?
It’s largely public health and nursing. Nursing being top on the list, some are from social work, doctors, nutrition and the rest are from other social sciences. 

10) What do you wish you knew at our stage? (IE: Entry-level SBCC practitioners)
Volunteering or doing some internship at a local NGO at an early stage of a career while waiting for other opportunities better prepares anyone for the industry.

11) What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received -- and used or implemented?
Believe in everyone around you, believe in your teams, motivate your teams and build the career of everyone around you. There is always a diamond in everyone you come in contact with and ideas on programme designs and behavior change can be born out of the people you least expect. 

12) If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Invest more time in assisting other people build their network and careers.

13) What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night?
The numbers of projects they have contributed to and the change models or strategies that they have been involved in. They need to be on a look out for opportunities to keep them busy and build their career. The more people they interact with the better.

14) What professional organizations are you associated with, and in what ways?
I interact a lot with guys from various academic institutions, non-governmental organisations and public health professional organisations. Most of my interactions involve research collaboration, lecturing, mentoring, programme reviews and assisting with the design of behavior changes programmes.

15) What mistakes have you made?
Not sharing my publications early enough or making them available to other behavior change professionals. It is so important to share research findings and to document all the work one does in social and behavior change communication. No matter how small the findings are, there is a need to document and share them.

16) What one thing do you still struggle with?
Dealing with toxic people or negative people especially when it comes to generating new ideas and driving SBCC programme innovation. Toxic people defy logic. Some are blissfully unaware of the negative impact that they have on those around them, and others seem to derive satisfaction from creating chaos and pushing other people’s buttons. That I struggle with.

17) What traits impress you the most in a working professional, irrespective of their area of expertise?
Hard working, passionate and self-driven individuals

18) What are the top 7 technical skills that entry-level SBCC enthusiasts should strive to horn?
Key skills are: Listening, writing and research

19) Considering all the people you have met in your line of work, what personal attributes are essential for success?
The most successful have been those who assist others build their career and those that collaborate with interns and help build them. Key to social behavior change has been the ability to understand the needs of the communities.

20) What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job? 
First know what makes you tick, what is your area of interest and as you work or volunteer try to look for the opportunity to do what you like even if your current task don’t prescribe that you do it.

21) What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
Assisting upcoming volunteers and interns find their feet in the field of public health and providing a broader understanding of behavior change.

22) What developments in the horizon could affect future career opportunities in this field?
Social and Behaviour Change Communication will always be a vehicle through which programmes are implemented and I forsee its growth and a lot more opportunities.

23) Can you recommend a "must-read" book that will help us broaden our skills as working professionals or inspire us to reach our highest potential?
It’s a bit difficult to make a general recommendation, considering how broad the field is. I would rather make tailored recommendations dependent on individual interested and the career direction they are planning to take.

24) As a communicator, if you could write a book on a social issue; what would it be and why?
A lot has come to my mind on this one. I have been toying around a lot of ideas and some of them have been on stigma and discrimination relating to HIV. I think it is one area that still drives the HIV pandemic.

END//

CAREER GUIDANCE FROM LAWRENCE SWIADER, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER BASED IN WASHINGTON D.C., USA

                               Lawrence can be reached on Twitter via [ @lawrenceswiader ]
 
1) What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with?
Great question! The qualities I look for depend upon the circumstances of the hang out. For example, I’m a tennis player and in my player-partners, I look for people who are passionate about the game, who are able to pretend that “it all matters so much” while we’re playing, and who are good-natured and good sports. In the people I hang out with for dinner I look for people who are good listeners, interested in the world around them, and who are fun. Creativity is a quality that spans many of the types of people with whom I hang out. I adore creative people who are always searching and, like me, are still seeking what they want to be when they grow up.

2) What do you do?
I am the VP of Digital Media at the << National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy >>. I have spent my career studying the intersection of technology, media, education, and how it can better people's lives. In my current role, I lead digital programs that make use of new media to change the reproductive health behaviors of young adults in the U.S. For ten years before that, I used technology as a tool to teach about the history of the Holocaust and to motivate people to act to end contemporary genocide. My most recent project is the << Innovation Next Awards >> set up to fund innovations using technology towards teen pregnancy prevention. We are accepting applications until January 31, 2016.

3) Why do you do what you do?
I do what I do because I am privileged to work for a cause I believe in and have purpose in my work. Most important, I can see the effects of my work.

4) Is this where you thought you would end up?
I haven’t “ended up” anywhere! Twenty years ago, I wouldn’t have thought, necessarily, that I would have been working in reproductive health but certainly I thought—hoped—that I’d be working in education and helping people in some capacity.

5) What values are you committed to?
The first value that comes to mind is “opportunity.” I think so much is possible when people are given an opportunity to make the most of themselves. Sadly, we have far to go to provide good opportunities for everyone.

6) How many hours do you work in a typical week?
Digital media makes long work weeks possible. That’s a double-edged sword. I work, play a bit, eat, and spend time with my family. Rinse and repeat. I’m a creature of habit and kind of like that, to be honest. To answer your question, I’d say that I work about 50 hours a week on average.

7) What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?
I am lucky to count on both of my degrees from university (Syracuse University) in communications and education every day. My communications degree helps me form messages in textual and visual form for a variety of channels—and direct the work of others who do that too. My education degree instructional design helps me understand and look closely to see what behavioral barriers exist (what’s the performance gap) and design solutions with the right tools for specific audiences.

8) Are there any negatives to your job?
None.

9) What is the background of most senior-level executives in your SBCC circles?
Because I work in public health, I would say that most senior-level people have a Master’s of Public Health, Health, or Health Communications background. From a wider view, I think the filed has a healthy mix of people with a variety of backgrounds. I think diverse teams are needed to solve difficult problems.

10) What do you wish you knew at our stage? (IE: Entry-level SBCC practitioners)
I wish I knew the value of any sort of observation, assessment, or evaluation. It’s always easy to sit in your office but field work is so, so important and much easier than we think. To have the words and actions of the audiences you are trying to serve in close proximity is so, so valuable.

11) What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received -- and used or implemented?
Following up on the last question, the best piece of advice I have received—and try to act on daily—is to meet your audience where they are. Empathize. Do it often. And speak your mind on behalf of the audience—even in the face if dissent—because you are their voice.

12) If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Honestly, nothing. I have no regrets.

13) What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night?
Their audience. Have they spent enough time with them? Are their insights a result of good observations rather than group-think in focus group settings?

14) What professional organizations are you associated with, and in what ways?
I am associated with information technology groups because my work depends so much on tech. Other group topics include social marketing/behavior change, human-centered design, creative design, tech-for-good groups, including international development, marketing and advertising, and art/museums. I most attend meetings, but often make presentations.

15) What mistakes have you made?
Too many to list here! My mistakes have mostly been productive.

16) What one thing do you still struggle with?
I’m a big-picture person so I struggle with the details at times. I’m lucky to work with a lot of detail-oriented people! On a different note, when you are involved in a long-running program I sometimes struggle with the balance between the day-to-day activities and leading change according to a knowledge of the audience and intended outcomes. Sometimes, there can be “drift” as you work on a program. It is important to keep the outcomes in mind always and challenge yourself: is this activity contributing to behavior change? It’s okay for the answer to be, “I don’t know,” but you should at least have a strong hypothesis as to why you are doing that work—it should fit into the logic model somewhere.

17) What traits impress you the most in a working professional, irrespective of their area of expertise?
I’m impressed by kind, open, creative people. Soft skills go a long way and when you see the people you work with more than your family, that’s important!

18) What are the top 7 technical skills that entry-level SBCC enthusiasts should strive to horn?

• Know your audience well. Learn to observe. Learn to listen. Articulate your expected outcomes well (practice writing goals and objectives).
• Know the research and who came before you. Understand the barriers they faced and the successes they had.
• Learn a lot about the tools that are available—but don’t select them too soon.
• Practice writing. You need good writing for everything!
• Also practice telling stories with pictures. It is so important in the social media age, but also cuts across cultures and literacy levels.
• Learn how to assess your work. Any assessment, no matter how small, or when it occurs, is good. And as Peter Drucker said, “what’s measured, improves.”
• Be kind to those around you.

19) Considering all the people you have met in your line of work, what personal attributes are essential for success?
I really have to highlight soft skills. Be positive and kind. Don’t say “sorry” when you mean “thank you.” Say thank you a lot.

20) What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job?
Do what you love. When you are not watching the clock—which is what happens when you do what you love—you can put in your “10,000 hours” and become an expert.

21) What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
Building << Bedsider.org >> with an awesome team and participating in its evaluation which showed it works! In addition, my work at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum raising awareness to the Darfur genocide was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

(This is a link to the evaluation of Bedsider: << http://providers.bedsider.org/pages/bedsider-evaluation-results >>.)

22) What developments in the horizon could affect future career opportunities in this field?
New technology is changing everything. How will the “Internet of things” provide opportunities to eat better, provide opportunities, and help people live healthier lives? 

23) Can you recommend a "must-read" book that will help us broaden our skills as working professionals or inspire us to reach our highest potential?
Oh, my, there are so many! For inspiration, I recommend reading anything Seth Godin has written. To challenge your assumptions about human behavior, check out Dan Ariely. To contemplate the world’s philosophical wisdom read Jonathan Haidt’s great book, The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. On the topic of human-centered design and behavior change, I recommend Dilip Soman’s new book, The Last Mile, and Doug McKenzie-Mohr’s Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing—both great reads for people new to the field. Last, to catch up on the possibilities of the Internet of Things, check out Code Halos: How the Digital Lives of People, Things, and Organizations are Changing the Rules of Business, co-written by my good friend, Paul Roehrig. The ideas in the book can be applied easily to non-profits.

24) As a communicator, if you could write a book on a social issue; what would it be and why?
If I could write a book on a social issue right now, I would probably focus on what I know and focus on the importance of parents in the healthy sex lives of their children. That sentence scares a lot of people because parents don’t like to think of their (young) children and sexual beings. But they make much better decisions when conversation is free-flowing and parents are present in their sexual health lives. A second book might be about preserving culture—specifically, the culture of Greece (my second home) of the last thousand years.

25) Which other SBCC maven would you recommend for this interview?
I would like to nominate Michael Edson, Associate Director/Head of Digital at United Nations Live, Museum for Humanity. Michael’s work doesn’t fit neatly into traditional SBCC since people focus mainly on health outcomes but he is changing behavior through information and culture. I think he would have a lot to offer this community.

26) What's the most valuable question we should ask the next SBCC maven who is interviewed on this blog?
What inspires you?

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MANY THANKS TO THE SBCC PRACTITIONERS WHO HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED ON THIS BLOG

1] ERIC 'MAQ C' GITAU - based in Nairobi, Kenya 2] ADEPEJU SALU - based in Lagos, Nigeria 3] AMY HENDERSON RILEY - based in Philadelphia, USA 4] MOSES ODONGO - based in Kampala, Uganda 5] JOSE MORIANO - based in Quito, Ecuador 6] ROBYN KALDA - based in Toronto, Canada 7] MICHAEL D'ANTUONO - based in New York, USA 8] MONICA CURCA - based in Los Angeles, USA 9] MICHAEL D'ANTUONO - based in New York, USA 10] TOSIN AKIBU - based in Abuja, Nigeria 11] JESUS MATSUKI - based in Madrid, Spain 12] ANDERSON OGOYE - based in Galkacyo, Somalia 13] CHARLIE BECKETT - based in the United Kingdom 14] STACY HILLIARD - based in the United Kingdom 15] CHIAMAKA ADLINE - based in Abuja, Nigeria 16] MAULID HAMIS MSHAHAME - based in Mombasa, Kenya 17] COLLINS 'COBS' OTIENO - based in Mombasa, Kenya 18] ERICA DI RUGGIERO - based in Toronto, Canada 19] SUCHI GAUR - based in India 20] YOSHITH PERERA - based in Canada 21] GAURAV GARG - based in South Asia

CAREER GUIDANCE FROM ERIC 'MAQ C' GITAU, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER BASED IN NAIROBI, KENYA

Eric 'MaqC' Gitau can be reached on Twitter [ @MrMaqC ]

1. What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with?
My best friend calls me sapiosexual – attracted to people who have a good head above their shoulders and some good content in it. I am drawn to people who want to achieve more with life, people willing to try and change narratives that surround our daily lives in whichever field they are in, regardless of their background. Often, I find that these are young people who are discovering their passions, and I am glad to help them transition into their optimal selves. It gives me great joy to see a few of the ones whom I hang out with break barriers and do exploits that are beyond their age and mental capabilities. It is quite reciprocal, as I am also at my best with them as well.

2. What do you do?
My 24 hour very huge job description is that of a husband and father :) . However in view of this blog, I influence evidence based policy and programming for positive outcomes in young people’s health and development. It is often a fine mix between working directly with the community where teenagers and youth are facing every day social and economic issues on one hand, and high level policy advocacy for the prioritization of the solutions to these issues on the other. I am grateful for and love what I do daily.

3. Why do you do what you do?
Whereas by and large passion drives me, evidence fuels me. I am very fortunate to have a job that aligns to my interests of working with, for and through young people. Evidence shows young people are key to shifting the tide in development at local, national, regional and global levels, especially in fields which I have acquired a lot of knowledge and valuable skills in research, policy and programming: sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and gender-based violence.

4. What does your career journey look like and is this where you thought you would end up?
I have not ended up just yet :) . Actually I am not sure I will ever end up. No one just ends up. Choices are made that lead to particular paths. For me, everything, despite a multidisciplinary education and practice background has added up well to contribute to where I am today. Here’s my 18 year journey thus far in this thing we call career…

- As I did a diploma in ICT while awaiting to determine what to do with my life after high school 18 years ago, I took on acting and brought set books to life in high schools across the country; my confidence on stage and with communicative language grew a great deal as a result.

- Starting as an intern at Nation Media House (NMG) in 1999, I matured to produce and host several broadcast (TV and Radio) programs for 5 years at a time, while I also did Media Studies and Journalism in college; NMG is as private sector an organization as they come. It was a blessing to acquire vital skills in corporate Kenya at an early age. I learnt the value of working hard, time management, going the extra mile, and biting more than you can chew, but chewing it nonetheless. This period shaped me as a daring soul, a go-getter, a young person setting goals larger than myself and working hard to achieve them.

- Between 2004 and early 2007, I had a period I call “in-between” where I did a lot of “gigs” that seemingly didn’t relate to each other: artists/creatives management; running a gospel artists website; rites of passage and mentorship programs in urban settlements; writing academic papers, research and proposals for graduate students; Church ministry and pastoral work; modelling and voice over artistry; while at the same time undertaking my undergraduate degree in Business Management. Interestingly, disjointed as all this looked, it was a discovery period that shaped in me a spirit of enterprise, an appreciation for diversity and contributed significantly to how I express myself, and how I relate to one and all, including creating great contacts that have been useful through me for others.

- In April 2007, I took on a consultancy assignment with I Choose Life – Africa (ICL) to produce a radio program targeting campus students on Capital FM, which would be later dubbed “Lust, Love and Life.” That and other opportunities I harnessed while at ICL led me to a path into SBCC. I volunteered to train University of Nairobi peer educators on gender and sexuality in a life skills training in Limuru. I followed the guidance in the training manual but added a little bit of my personal flavour from the acting, TV & radio presenting and preaching days, which made my delivery of the session quite interesting, From the post training evaluation, students found my session the best. I would then be roped into subsequent trainings and when the consultancy for the radio program was ending, I was made into a program officer in charge of training and communication and later an assistant program manager. Over the next four years, I would do extensive curriculum development, manage Behaviour Change Communication programs, organize and host a number of high impact thematic events in Universities of Nairobi, Kenyatta, Daystar and USIU. This gave me valuable experience through dedicated work on SRH with adolescents and young people in schools, out of school youth and other key affected populations.

- During this time, I also completed my undergrad, did a post graduate certificate in project management and enrolled for my masters in Communication for Development. What I studied gave a great basis and theory to what I did in practice daily at work.

- My time at ICL was holistic for various reasons, chief amongst which is (I met my wife during my first year at the organisation, and as we went through staff orientation one day, she and I would be passing on love notes to each other :) not sure we concentrated much – but that’s a story for another day).

- The passion for young people became so addictive that I started by the side, to host a features talk show dubbed 7-2-7, a weekly experiential interaction that challenged and motivated young urbanites to innovatively and decisively impact different spheres of life. This ran from January 2011 through to January 2012, and great SBCC results and impact on individuals was achieved in the process.

- I undertook a yearlong SBCC consultancy at this same time, in which together as a team of technocrats with diverse strengths we reached over 500,000 girls and young people across the country with life skills education in addition to a push for contraceptives and HIV testing.

- I then took on a job offer to manage an organization working on rights and wellbeing of sexual and gender minorities. My management (admin and project) background helped me to settle in pretty fast to the management roles, as did my background in SRH and HIV programming. That said, I got a serious baptism by fire, needing to quickly learn the ropes on human rights based advocacy and programming. It was a great on-the-job training in policy work as well as I was often thrown into the deep end, being required to represent and be accountable on various issues at a community, national and international level. I learnt the value of consultation, negotiation, meaningful community engagement and consensus building, which were previously only units I got good A’s in while undertaking studies. The thesis for my masters’ program sought to do a comparative analysis between mainstream media and development communication vis-à-vis usefulness for the well-being of sexual and gender minorities in Kenya.

- Towards the end of 2012, I made yet another transition to become a Program Coordinator for Youth with one of the leading Civil Society Organizations working on Health in Kenya – LVCT Health. My work here built on the years of SBCC work I had done and I used that to inform policy and programming for key affected populations including adolescents, youth, MSM and sex workers. This background also helped me lead a great team running a flagship for-youth, with-youth and by-youth evidence based program (one2one) which boasts of an innovative integrated digital (web and mobile based) platform that reached over 200,000 young people with credible, accurate and relevant information on sexual health, HIV and young peoples development.

- After two years of dedicated service and demonstrable results in policy advocacy, another seamless transition occurred. Slightly over a year ago, I joined UNICEF as Adolescents HIV and AIDS Specialist where I now advice and support the UNICEF country office, Government and partners in designing effective programmes and practices to promote the prevention, treatment, care and support of adolescents’ vulnerable to, affected by, or infected with HIV/AIDS and where I also act as a focal person for adolescents’ interventions, innovations across sectors and in different emergency and humanitarian situations. It is a simple yet complex assignment and gives me great delight to do what I do daily.

- And as I now enter into my second year at this position and also the second of a four year doctorate fellowship in social policy, my career and life journey continues. I love myself a challenge; I thrive in the unknown. Comfort zone is the most uncomfortable place for me. I become restless. I start testing new waters; I love unchartered territories; I take risks; so yes, it is hard to say I thought I would “end-up” here, as it hard to tell you where I will be in 5 or 10 years. As opportunities harnessed and decisions carefully prayed over and made have led to where I am as I complete the first quarter of my life (turning a cool 35 on 14th January), so will the next ¾ of this life/career yet to be lived.

5. What values are you committed to?
I am committed to integrity and excellence. I believe the pursuit for both is complimentary, and it transcends work but even personal life. Pursuing these has taught me two important virtues – Patience and flexibility. In life, and especially in my field of work, these are a requirement. Results take time. Nothing of life long impact and sustainable happens fast. The things that you want urgently will often be overridden by those that are important. And that’s just the way it is.

6. How many hours do you work in a typical week?
My work week can’t be termed typical because no week is the same as the other. I can be in a village or slum with kids, teens and their caregivers pretesting some treatment literacy materials; or a faith based, government or private sector health facility assessing how adolescent responsive youth friendly service guidelines are; or at an out of town hotel or boardroom with fellow technocrats developing, reviewing or launching a policy, guidelines or standards for most affected and vulnerable adolescents; or by the coastal breeze of Mombasa conducting a focus group discussion with young key populations; or in the Kakuma Refugee Camp conducting a needs assessment for children and adolescents HIV, GBV and SRH services at the camp; or at a roundtable with donors in the UK, Norway, or US making a case for the prioritization and resource allocation for high impact interventions for adolescents; or breaking ground with the first lady of Kenya for the beyond zero campaign clinic in Homabay; or at statehouse with the president and the cabinet secretaries for health and education giving a state of adolescents HIV report; or at a live media interview at prime news bulletin in the evening or early in the morning discussing the rot in society due to drugs and alcohol abuse by teens and underage sex; or in the office with different section chiefs and specialists designing a strategy to ensure displaced adolescents living with HIV continue receiving lifesaving medication during an emergency situation; or at a UN joint team meeting/ international conference learning and sharing best practices with colleagues from other agencies; or at a mall on the outskirts of Nairobi hanging out with my friends over a soft drink analysing the latest TV series on Netflix; or in the house streaming TedTalks and YouTube videos. It is pretty unpredictable, which makes it fun. However, I average 40 hours a week, in order to balance with other family, school and social commitments.

7. Are there any negatives to your job?
Negatives would assume that there are extremes in every job. I would say it is just like any other job, it’s not all rosy or a walk in the park. It’s a stretch being a PhD student while still at work. They can both be very demanding, not forgetting the family (wife and son) who need me as much as I need them; and close friends whom we share life with. There’s good understanding across the board which reduces the burden and which has taught me that even with time, quality is more important than quantity.

8. What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?
Fostering and upholding clear communication, working with people, drive for results, leading and supervising, formulating strategies and concepts, analysing data, evidence and trends, relating and networking, deciding and initiating action, applying technical expertise and staying abreast of developments in Adolescents, HIV, Policy environments, Social and Behaviour Change Communication.

9. What are the top 5 technical skills that entry-level SBCC enthusiasts should strive to horn?

- Communication tops the list

- Drive for results

- Community engagement

- Resilience

- Decision making 

10. Considering all the people you have met in your line of work, what personal attributes are essential for success?
I think there is no formula par-sè. However, I have seen that the people who succeed are those who keep trying against all odds. They get tougher with each challenge they face and it makes them resilient. Success is simply a matter of overcoming failure.

11. What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received -- and used or implemented?
Make mistakes fast and forward. I don’t beat myself too much for not getting it right always. As a Social Communication and Policy Practitioner, everything can be messy or very slow at some point. From retrogressive policy and programming environments, to antagonistic or long winded processes and procedures, etc. I now worry less, and enjoy the process more which makes the learning curve shorter.

12. What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job?
Find what you are good at and leverage it in any job you have, your career course will reveal itself to you in time. Everything works as it should. If you do what you are supposed to do, everything else aligns itself eventually.

13. What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night?
Innovation. The only constant is change. Stay ahead of the game. At worst, keep up. Playing catch up isn’t a good bet.

14. Can you recommend a "must-read" book that will help us broaden our skills as working professionals or inspire us to reach our highest potential?
Authors such as Stephen R. Covey, Malcolm Gladwell and Robin Sharma have nice titles that can help put perspective on reaching your full potential.

15. As a communicator, if you could write a book on a social issue; what would it be and why?
I have been writing one for the last four years. And it’s taken quite a turn from what it begun us. Now it is about intimacy – with the self, with personal struggles and private victories’, with friends and family (family), with creation, with communities, with those in need, with God, with the world around us. I have dubbed it “In2MeSee”. It has moved from my story, to other stories that motivate, challenge and inspire. It's essentially an SBCC outlet of sorts that has moved beyond my story, to those of others that intimately reach to, inspire, motivate and challenge individuals, communities and nations for transformative gains.


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CAREER GUIDANCE FROM ADEPEJU SALU, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER BASED IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

 Adepeju can be reached on Twitter [ @ibafighter ]  

1. What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with?

I can hang out with any type of person so long you are peaceful person and are not lazy.

 

2. What do you do?

I am the founder and executive director of the only youth-led malaria focused organization in Africa called The Iba – Malaria Eradication Foundation.

 

3. Why do you do what you do?

I founded the organization because of my personal experience with the disease while growing up. I missed some of my primary school education because of the disease.

 

4. Is this where you thought you would end up?

Though I studied Forest Resource Management, I had no idea I would be doing this but they say passion and ideas evolve and I think I have not ended yet. This is only the beginning. There are plenty challenges to solve in the world.

 

5. What values are you committed to?

My values are hard work, selfless service, ingenuity, ambition and adjustment.

 

6. How many hours do you work in a typical week?

I am my own boss so I can work at any time or period of the day. Typically, 8am – 12:00 midnight everyday but with a lot of breaks and very serious moments so it is pretty difficult to calculate.

 

7. What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?

You need to be up there with your innovation skills and ability to do not only more than local organizations but also international organizations despite your lean budget and all the factors associated with running a start-up in a developing country. You also have to be flexible and teachable.

 

8. Are there any negatives to your job?

Malaria has been around for so long that you need to battle with that perception by innovating to combat malaria and constantly implementing projects, in order to give your organization visibility, a chance to survive and be reckoned with.

 

9. What do you wish you knew at our stage? (IE: Entry-level SBCC practitioners)

I wished I knew that promoting social change through communication is not a one-day job and an organization needs to consistently promote behavioural change messages. I also wish I knew the relevance of technology and how to integrate it into our work.

 

10. What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received -- and used or implemented?

"Don’t give up whatever the situation is," and I guess I am using it well.

 

11. If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would apply to study social work with special concentration on public health at the Bsc level.

 

12. What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night?

The fact that your actions, innovations and interventions can save a life anywhere should be enough reason.

 

13. What professional organizations are you associated with, and in what ways?

I have partnered with so many, both local and foreign based and I have a mentorship and working partnership with some of them.

 

14. What mistakes have you made?

I wasn’t too tactical about my plans to start up my own organization hence I lost my job several times.

 

15. What one thing do you still struggle with?

I don’t know how to give myself adequate rest. I find people close to me warning me several times about how I “use” myself.

 

16. What are the top 7 technical skills that entry-level SBCC enthusiasts should strive to horn?

• Research
• Innovativeness
• Adaptability
• Inquisitiveness
• Analytical mind
• Open mindedness
• Partnership/Collaboration

17. Considering all the people you have met in your line of work, what personal attributes are essential for success?

Perseverance and you must possess the strength and ability to stay on your lane.

 

18. What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job?

Be a risk taker, experiment and be very tactical.

 

19. What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?

Ability to run a start-up successfully, and not just a start up but one that is saving lives.

 

20. What developments in the horizon could affect future career opportunities in this field?

If a cure to malaria is found, it definitely will affect our organization but we are a team of young, efficient and capable people.

 

21. As a communicator, if you could write a book on a social issue; what would it be and why?

I would write a malaria comic book and that’s because it is my area of focus. By the way, I am about to publish one.

 

22. What's the most valuable question we should ask the next SBCC maven who is interviewed on this blog?

How do you communicate change to a people with strong cultural and religious bias?

 

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CAREER GUIDANCE FROM AMY HENDERSON RILEY, SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION PRACTITIONER BASED IN PHILADELPHIA, USA

 Photo: Tricia Burrough, Lilac Blossom Photography

 

   Amy can be reached on twitter [ @AmyHRiley ]

1. What qualities do you look for in the people you hang out with?
I find myself drawn to passionate people, like myself, who are driven in their field, whether it is in public health, communication, the arts, or a different area entirely. I also look for people who have a great sense of humor and who like to try new things.

2. What do you do?
I am a doctoral candidate and researcher at the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health in Philadelphia in the “all but dissertation” (ABD) phase (http://drexel.edu/dornsife/). Drexel has a contract with UNICEF Mozambique to monitor and evaluate “Ouro Negro” (Black Gold), an entertainment-education radio program, and I work as the Project Manger for the project under the guidance of Dr. Suruchi Sood, the Principal Investigator and my research advisor. My research focuses on health communication, global health, entertainment-education, and the intersection between the arts and health promotion. I have worked in research and evaluation in the United States, Ghana, Mozambique, India, and overseen projects in Belize and Nigeria.

3. Why do you do what you do?
At the root of my research and work is the belief that communication, particularly storytelling in all its forms, is a powerful way to reach audiences, to deliberately promote health and prevent disease, and to inspire social change.

4. Is this where you thought you would end up?
Nope. I moved to New York City when I was 18 years old to study to be an actress. My bachelor’s degree is in theater and I thought I would end up with a stage or film career. In my mid-20’s, I decided to pursue a master’s program in health education at Columbia University. It was in this master’s program that I first learned about social and behavior change communication and entertainment-education, which has shaped my career and professional goals ever since.

5. What values are you committed to?
I am committed to dedication, dependability, and creative thinking.

6. How many hours do you work in a typical week?
I’d rather not know.

7. What skills are required in your position on a day-to-day basis?
For the Project Manager position, the skills required include research coordination, delegation of tasks, organization, and attention to detail. As a doctoral candidate working on my dissertation research, the skills include research skills, communication skills, and plenty of self-motivation.

8. Are there any negatives to your job?
Quality research and evaluation takes time. It can sometimes feel like progress is slow, but the time is worth it in the end.

9. What is the background of most senior-level executives in your SBCC circles?
The Principal Investigator (and my research advisor), Dr. Suruchi Sood, has a PhD in Communication and over 20 years of experience working in health communication around the world.

10. What do you wish you knew at our stage? (IE: Entry-level SBCC practitioners)
I remember learning about theory in my master’s program and not really understanding its role in planning, implementing, and evaluating programs. I wish I had better understood the importance of theory earlier in my career.

11. What is the best piece of professional advice you've ever received -- and used or implemented?
The best advice comes from my father, a family physician, whose motto is: “Be good to people.” It’s a simple and direct message and is applicable for any professional or personal situation.

12. If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would start my master’s and doctoral work earlier. I am 33 years young but there are still so many things I want to learn, so many projects I want to contribute to, and so many places I want to travel and work.

13. What should keep entry-level SBCC enthusiasts up at night?
Thinking about how we can work with colleagues outside of communication fields to nurture our messages and translate them into tangible change.

14. What professional organizations are you associated with, and in what ways?
I am a member of the American Public Health Association, the Society for Public Health Education, and the International Communication Association.

15. What mistakes have you made?
I have made plenty of mistakes, but I always try to learn something from each one.

16. What one thing do you still struggle with?
Saying no. I am very passionate about this field so it is hard for me to pass up opportunities, whether big or small.

17. What traits impress you the most in a working professional, irrespective of their area of expertise?
I am most impressed with people who are confident in themselves and their work.

18. Considering all the people you have met in your line of work, what personal attributes are essential for success?
One the greatest lessons for success comes from my background in theater: make the other guy look good. The best actors are not focused on themselves, but instead make their fellow actors look good. The same is true in research and evaluation. When you trust, support, and make your colleagues look good, everyone succeeds.

19. What's the best advice you can give to help plan a career rather than simply work to keep a job?
Enjoy what you do. You won’t love it every day, but do something you enjoy and are passionate about or you will never be happy.

20. What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
My most rewarding accomplishment will be in 1-1.5 years from now: completing my doctorate!

21. What developments in the horizon could affect future career opportunities in this field?
Shifting global priorities and frameworks for change.

22. Can you recommend a "must-read" book that will help us broaden our skills as working professionals or inspire us to reach our highest potential?
“Entertainment-Education and Social Change” – Edited by Singhal, Cody, Rogers and Sabido. It is a few years old now but a wonderful history of EE and still very relevant.

23. Which other SBCC maven would you recommend for this interview?
Carmen Cronin, MPH, Fulbright Fellow in Uganda


Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your blog! Please connect with me on Twitter @AmyHRiley to converse about all things health communication.

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