Two Recent OPHS Grads Share Their Career Pathways to the Hawai‘i DOH

Eden Sun (left) is the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) Specialist. Renzymeri Baloran (right) is the PMHCA Coordinator.

Two graduates from the Office of Public Health Studies, Eden Sun, MPH (Social Behavioral Health Sciences, 2023) and Renzymeir (Renzy) Baloran, MPH (Health Policy and Management, 2022), have found meaningful roles at the Hawai‘i State Department of Health. Both Eden and Renzy are part of the Family Health Services Division focused on pediatric mental health care access (PMHCA). 

Their positions are funded by a five-year Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) grant aimed at increasing access to pediatric healthcare via workforce capacity-building for pediatric providers. 

In addition to looking at policies and systemic challenges to building the public health and healthcare workforce, the two are working on a statewide teleconsultation line. The teleconsultation line connects pediatric providers directly to child psychiatrists to consult on mild to moderate behavioral health cases.

Renzy and Eden credit their public health training at OPHS for their ability to look holistically at issues related to pediatric mental health. In their roles, they analyze how patients navigate healthcare systems and the capacity of providers to bring cultural humility to their exchanges with patients.

As recent students, they offer insights into how they prepared for life after graduation and what they love most about their careers. Read more in the Q & A below.

---

***Minor edits have been made to this Q & A for clarity and brevity***

What drew you to a career in public health?

Renzy: Prior to my MPH, I worked as a medical assistant (MA) in a gastroenterology clinic in Kalihi (my community). As an MA, I encountered the multitude of barriers that patients faced when accessing healthcare. These challenges ranged from finances to navigating health insurance to work scheduling difficulties, transportation limitations, and language barriers. Prior to being an MA, I saw my own family struggle with accessing healthcare. Then seeing that these problems existed beyond my family and that there are pronounced health disparities within my Kalihi and Filipino community, I felt compelled to learn more about possible solutions to address these needs. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic increased the severity of these pre-existing problems. Working as an MA during early COVID-19 motivated me more to seek knowledge in how to better address these situations and an MPH aligned with this next step. 

Eden: What drew me to a career in public health was the opportunity to approach health through many different perspectives. When I started taking public health classes in undergrad, I was so fascinated by social and community-led initiatives that are just as important as clinical work to promote the wellbeing of communities. I wanted the opportunity to work with communities and embrace all perspectives of health, and a public health career seemed like the perfect way to do that.

What helped you feel most prepared for the work you do at the DOH?

Renzy: I found that both my coursework and the capstone really prepared me for my work at the DOH. My classes covered a wide range of topics, including health systems, program planning, and leadership and management, equipping me with essential tools for my role. Additionally, my capstone project allowed me to further develop my writing, public speaking, and presentation skills, all of which are crucial in effectively communicating ideas and initiatives.

Eden: What helped me feel most prepared was going through the MPH program at UH Mānoa! Not only did the classes help me build the knowledge and skills that prepared me for my job at DOH, but it was also invaluable to learn and connect with the professors that work in public health and my peers, who are future public health professionals. This has really helped me as we continue to connect and collaborate with organizations and community partners to achieve the goals of our program.

What drew you to apply for your job?

Renzy: I completed my practicum with the Family Health Services Division (FHSD), providing support to our Title V planner, and my current position is actually under the FHSD’s Title V program. I thoroughly enjoyed my practicum experience, so when I learned about a job opening within the division, I was eager to apply. The position aligned with my passions and interests. I've always been deeply passionate about mental health issues, and I was particularly drawn to the job's focus on integrating primary care and behavioral health services to address mental health needs.

Eden: I always wanted to pursue a career that centered around the health and wellbeing of children, and when I was sent the application for the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Specialist, I was immediately interested in the job. Not only was this position focused on my topic of interest, but it was also applying a lot of skills I learned about program implementation and management. I was also excited to apply because I knew I would be working with a fellow MPH grad!

What advice would you give to students, recent graduates, or anyone looking to work at DOH?

Renzy: It would be valuable to gain a better understanding of the hiring process and the various types of positions available at the DOH. If you happen to know someone currently working there, it would help to reach out and connect with them as they can provide insights into the positions, the hiring process, and what to expect. We're always happy to share our own experiences and, if needed, connect you with someone who can offer further assistance! 

Eden: When applying for positions at DOH, check out both the civil service and non-civil service jobs! The process and the open positions are a little different, but both types of jobs get your foot in the door at DOH. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us!

Can you share with us a project or activity that you’re excited about or feel proud of?

Renzy: I'm really proud of an event we organized last November called Mental Health Snapshots. We brought together various organizations working on mental health projects or services. The goal was to gain a clearer picture of the collective efforts across organizations so we could all better understand the available resources and connect with potential partners. Our aim was to foster greater collaboration among pediatricians, government entities like the Department of Health and Department of Education, and nonprofit organizations. The idea was to prevent duplication of efforts and maximize the impact of our initiatives.

Eden: I am really excited about attending our All-Awardees meeting this June! We will have the opportunity to meet our fellow PMHCA grantees from other states to learn, share, and collaborate on our programs. At this meeting, we also have the opportunity to present with our fellow grantee from the CNMI about health equity in the Pacific. It’s exciting that we have the chance to share unique culture of Hawai‘i and how health and healthcare are different for communities across the state.

What hopes or outlook do you have for the field of public health, more broadly, in Hawai‘i?

Eden: To have a fully integrated system of care where we no longer work in silos. Being able to bring connections between government, community, and other partners to work towards a collaborative system of care. Not only would this be ideal to bring in more public health workforce directly from our public health academic programs, but I also hope more people will know and understand what public health is!

Renzy: I totally agree with Eden! It would be awesome to see more collaboration across different sectors and organizations in Hawai‘i, all working together toward common goals to improve people's health. I hope that we continue to emphasize doing more community outreach and that the community's voice should be front and center in everything we do to address the needs of the people in Hawai‘i.