Do The Change: Challenging and Reimagining OEHS

Do the Change: Episode 10 - Bhavya Joshi, MA (Part 1)

• Season 2 • Episode 10

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Dive into Episode 10 with Bhavya Joshi, a UC Berkeley Doctor of Public Health candidate from India! A Global Public Health Fellow and Human Rights Center Fellow, she researches reproductive needs in crisis areas, focusing on South Sudan and Ukrainian women refugees in Croatia. Bhavya advocates for global women's rights, leveraging her 6+ years of experience in public health project management in South Asia. Her research covers sexual health, empowerment, and more.

See full transcript here: https://www.coeh.berkeley.edu/do-change-bhavya-joshi-ma

Tyra Parrish:

Hi everyone welcome to Do the Change podcast where we're challenging and reimagining OEHS, and so in this podcast we are focusing on upcoming and current and present leaders in their field and how they got to where they are today with a special focus on the field of Occupational Health and Environmental Health Sciences. But we do focus on topics outside of that because they do overlap and intersection a lot of ways. So we're going to be talking about the hills and valleys of their journeys and also get some insight into some non-traditional paths into the field. So my name is Tyra Parrish and I'm a recent graduate here from the MPH program at Cal and our guest for this episode is Bhavya Joshi. Did I say your last name correctly?

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Yeah.

Tyra Parrish:

Perfect, okay I was like I know how to say it. Okay, so Bhavya is a Doctor of Public Health candidate at the school of Public Health at Berkeley, she hailed from India and as a global Public Health fellow, senator for African studies fellow, and alumni of the Bixby Center Summer Fellowship class of 2022, and she's also a human rights fellow class of 2022. Her research focuses on understanding the reproductive needs of marginalized populations in low and middle income countries in times of crisis. She'll be conducting her doctoral research with refugee and internally displaced women and girls in South Sudan. In 2022 she worked with Ukrainian women refugees in Croatia to understand their unmet reproductive health needs. As a woman, human rights advocate, and educator, Bhavya supports women's rights defenders from across the globe to build their capacity to use international human rights mechanisms for advocacy and activism at National, Regional, and International levels. Before starting this program Bhavya managed, implemented, and evaluated Public Health projects in South Asia for more than six years. Her research has been in sexual and reproductive health, wash, waste management, market facilitation, health finance, health systems, economic empowerment of women, and using user-centered design to improve health outcomes in marginalized communities. Bhavya received her MA in international law and human rights from the United Nations Mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica and her bachelor's is in political science from Delhi University in India. Did I say that right?

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

You did.

Tyra Parrish:

Awesome, okay, just checking in. So we are so happy to have you on this podcast. I'm super excited because I know you have a lot of amazing things to share.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Thank you for having me today.

Tyra Parrish:

Of course we're so, I'm very happy to have you here and so we're going to start with the check in question first which is: if you could share a surprising or unexpected moment that made you smile this week.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Wow, there were a few to be honest because-

Tyra Parrish:

Okay, share them all. Bhavya Joshi, MA: I was actually on a vacation Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

all of last week, and I did have some very special moments, some of them also surprising and unexpected. But the one I'll mention was about an experience that I had doing snorkeling and this was the first time I was doing it in the second largest coral reef of the world and you know how we speak about the corals being damaged and how you know, the- our actions are kind of impacting you know their health.

Tyra Parrish:

Mhm.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

It was very interesting to see that live and so that was the more like a surprising kind of element where I did not expect it to be that impacted despite hearing so much about that discourse, right? But it was definitely something that made me, the whole experience was something that made me smile because just kind of experiencing that beauty was, I think it was one of my best trips and my most favorite trips of my life. But it was, it was surprising and glaring also. It was a very interesting experience because I kind of came out of that trip feeling a lot of things but also big component of surprise and disheartenment in some ways.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah, yeah and I think that's that's such a, that's such an awesome experience to have in the sense of like what you were sharing about how you're seeing, you said it was like the second largest like coral reef ever and then also the other side which is just like okay the reality of like it is what people are saying and if not probably like more stark when you're like looking at it.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Exactly.

Tyra Parrish:

But that's, that's really cool that you got to see it, yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Yeah, it was a brilliant experience but, but yeah, came with its own, yeah it's own pluses and minuses I would say.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah. I think, I'm think- oh something for me that made me smile this week was I've started shadowing a doctor that's a whole other separate thing, but shadowing in Pediatrics and like really loving it and I think seeing from like, from a non-patient side now of trying thinking about where like what specialty kind of aligns with me and like being able to Shadow this really amazing pediatrician Dr. Perlman. I love her and I'm so glad I was recommended to her. But seeing what type of doctor she is, how she shows up in the space, and also seeing she has bears around her, what's it called? I think, I don't know if it's called a stethoscope, it might be. The thing that doctors wear around their neck.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Yeah it is.

Tyra Parrish:

I shouldn't- yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Yeah.

Tyra Parrish:

She has little bears around it and for the longest time-

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

That's awesome.

Tyra Parrish:

Right I was like oh it's cute, for a moment I was like why? Like does it help with your neck? Like I thought it was like a comfort thing, so it's not hurting her neck. No, she got it so that when she's trying to listen to a kid's heartbeat they have something to focus on, for those kids who like are kind of antsy a little bit.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

That is so sweet.

Tyra Parrish:

And it made me smile to see like a little kid, oh like the bear and she's like great, let's read all your vitals and stuff.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

That's adorable.

Tyra Parrish:

Right? And it made me smile because it's just, being a pediatrician requires a lot of patience, a lot of kindness, a lot of like- she's so good at like empowering like the kids because it's like from age zero to when they're I think 22. But seeing how she empowers them in their health is super amazing and it just made me smile to be, to be like oh, if I can be at least half of what she is, it'll be good.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Yeah, definitely an inspiration, definitely an inspiration but how thoughtful of her to do that?

Tyra Parrish:

Right?

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Yeah, especially with the population that you know would be I mean just the age that they're at these experiences shape so much of what they become in the future and I think that that's very thoughtful of her.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah yeah so that's-

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Thanks for sharing that experience.

Tyra Parrish:

Aww thanks. I appreciate that. So speaking of just pediatrics and health can you walk us through how you got into public health and specifically kind of the field of reproductive health, how did you like- what was that journey?

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

For sure. I'll take a few minutes on this one, it's been a while.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes, please.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

I think my interest in this topic comes a lot from my experiences of living in India as a woman. India has many things it's a country of rich culture, you know colorful textiles, spicy curries and so much more but it is also a country of frigid patriarchal structures and gender inequalities where I unfortunately faced the plight of toxic masculinity and misogyny all through my childhood and adolescence. And due to the cultural context that I was growing up in I was deprived of any preparation for puberty, particularly menstruation and that was a big life-changing event for me in my life obviously as an adolescent, or of any bodily knowledge that I should have had as an adolescent who was experiencing puberty. So once I hit puberty I was actually swimming pretty deep into these stereotypes and taboos that are associated with menstruation or women's reproductive health which snowballed very quickly into me being exposed to abuse, harassment, and toxic relationships during most of my adolescence. And to be honest Tyra, under these circumstances if one is not determined and focused on what they want it is a very swift, quick and swift barrier into the social and cultural weights and so I always thought if in my privilege bubble I could undergo these experiences, I shudder to think about thousands and millions of women and girls who live in settings who do not have the resources to either access reproductive health services or you know express their autonomy or you know decision-making authorities to access these services or just kind of be aware and knowledgeable about them. And so I think my journey into reproductive health started pretty early on. And I was interested from the very early on like I said to understand especially the challenges that women face in marginalized communities and what else and how does some of these gender inequalities that exist very inherently in a culture like India how do they then impact woman's reproductive health journey across her reproductive health cycle. Right?

Tyra Parrish:

Right.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And so I pursued my Masters in international and human rights which might seem a very different subject but honestly health is a human right.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And when I did get training into human rights I automatically took the route of women's human rights and the movement related to that and then from there into sexual reproductive health and rights. So it was actually a very organic path that I took up Masters and then I went ahead and did another academic training in peace and conflict studies and how that kind of almost impact women's reproductive health like-

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

In different spaces and that again organically if I amalgamated both my academic trainings it kind of created the topic that I'm focusing and working on for my doctoral research. I also in the process obviously worked in India and South Asia region for about six years or so and so I think all of that together came into creating my doctoral research proposal and the space that I'm working in which is women's reproductive health access for primarily refugee and internally displaced women being in conflict and crisis settings. And really the heart of my work is reproductive empowerment, promoting women's rights, reaching the furthest behind first.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And addressing health inequalities in those communities.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah and I think I really love that, that last part you said where you're like kind of reaching to those that are furthest in the back and helping them because I think that there's like a misconception of like you help the ones who are kind of the fore front facing ones and that helps everybody but really there's been a lot more studies and conversations about if you help those who are the furthest back or the ones who are like quote unquote the furthest like at the bottom for lack of better phrasing that when you help those folks you help everybody.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Exactly.

Tyra Parrish:

And yeah and I really love that like your focus is like no I'm not going for quote-unquote low-hanging fruit I'm going for the fruit all the way at the top because that person or those groups matter as well.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Exactly. And like you rightly said unfortunately because it's not the low-hanging fruit those populations are automatic marginalized even further by the system itself because we don't reach them.

Tyra Parrish:

Exactly.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Because they are the most difficult to reach.

Tyra Parrish:

Right.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

We have so many barriers and challenges in even accessing those propagations-

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

That a lot of times because of resource constraints or you know because of decision making in these higher levels or you know by even researchers in global health-

Tyra Parrish:

Right. Bhavya Joshi, MA: They opt for a more easier path- Right.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

For a lack of better word and a more feasible path if I may say so, because yeah it is extremely challenging a lot of times to reach these populations and a lot of these forcibly displaced populations in particular are very dynamic.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

They are not right at one place so it's tough to kind of follow them and work with them and with respect to reaching the further behind it's actually a human rights principle which is a principle on which the sustainable development goals are also grounded. The purpose of sustainable development goals from a human rights lens is to reach the furthest behind first and I think that because of my human rights training that that is very central and key to my work as well.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah, and I think I wanted to follow up of because of your background in human rights and your background also in like you talked about like peace and conflict like resolution or just that kind of that topic what drew you specifically to Berkeley public health for that like doctoral kind of now like addition on top of like what you've already like got training and if that makes sense like what about Berkeley Public Health was like this is the extra thing that I need?

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Yeah, I mean I do think the faculty is great and I found an advisor who was in alignment with my interests and the research that I wanted to do and I needed that. I didn't want my doctoral journey to be dictated by a research that I am not passionate about.

Tyra Parrish:

Exactly.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

I got that space at Berkeley Public Health even in my initial conversations with faculty members at Berkeley because even before I applied right I started contacting faculty members they got in touch they were invested they were supportive of the topic and there was almost a component of individuality in this research where I was carving my own path in a way and I was getting the support that I needed when I needed it.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And having at the age that I'm at with the experience and you know the direction that I want my future to take, I felt that is the sort of dynamics I needed with that.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And I found that so I think that was extremely key, the second important I think a component for my decision making was the formation and the structure of the cohort itself.

Tyra Parrish:

Okay.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

I'll be very honest some of the most prestigious schools their DRPH cohorts look very similar to one another with a very similar background and profile it's almost like they've fit a certain template and they are in. Like I think Berkeley Public Health especially the DRPH cohort it was diverse, it was representative of various communities, of various identities and it had people from across the globe and I felt that as a doctoral student I fit better in a cohort like that. I will learn better, I will be exposed to more experiences and learnings in a space and a cohort like that.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And that was the component of my decision making to get at Berkeley Public Health as well and finally to be very honest there needs to be a practical part to it. I did have a good funding offer from Berkeley public health and in addition to that I could also see a visible road map to seek additional financial support and find opportunities to sustain myself for a period of three to four years which this program takes.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Before it is wrapped up and that visible roadmap was probably not as visible in several other institutions that I applied at and so I think these were three key key components for me to to make that decision to come here.

Tyra Parrish:

Awesome and I think if I want to kind of step out a little bit of like so in general what what pushed you to get just like a doctorate in public health so before you chose Berkeley what was kind of the thought process of like okay I'm going to pursue a doctorate in public health and then if you can also, you kind of touched on it but also the research that you're doing in South Sudan I believe that's what you shared.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Yeah, sure so I think the first part is that DRPH is a professional track doctoral program.

Tyra Parrish:

I see.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

It's not an academic track like the like a PhD right? And typically people who come into these programs come with prior work experience and so it almost creates a space of like-minded people who have already made impact in the world or in the spaces that they come from in various ways, right? And I think that is what that is one of the things that stood out for me for a DRPH program versus a PhD, right? The second thing is DRPH is an interdisciplinary program right and Berkeley somehow nurtures that interdisciplinary nature of it in a very beautiful way. The opportunities that come with it being interdisciplinary is beyond the scope of School of Public Health. You can collaborate with faculty members with centers from across the campus and as you just mentioned while you were introducing I've been affiliated with the human rights center with the center for African studies for centers that are also placed outside the school and I I have advisors on my committee who are not from the School of Public Health and it kind of was fitting very naturally with my academic background which is also very interdisciplinary but very still in tandem, right? It's not it's not all very different from each other. We kind of these fields kind of coexist and I think that is the beauty of Public Health in general as a field that it is very interdisciplinary and so to do a doctoral program that facilitates that interdisciplinary nature was very important for me and it was very crucial for me in my next you know academic steps that I was taking. And probably related to this because I had a background in human rights and law, peace and conflict studies, gender studies, etc. I was working actually in sexually reproductive health for most most of my career, most of my professional life with this interdisciplinary academic training also. So at the end I kind of wanted to end with an academic training that is more rooted in public health so that I also get the academic exposure that public health professionals get.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

When they get public health degrees or a program so I think for me it was almost again very organic in the sense that it was, it was a marriage made in heaven kind of a situation where I was like oh all these fields kind of work really well I understand how my work fits in all these three fields and it amalgamates these three fields together in some ways and doing a doctor of Public Health at this juncture in my life in my career would make complete sense and I think that's what made me pursue a DRPH. And this specific research that I'll be conducting to be honest it's a process you kind of-

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

With that topic as a part of the program and that's again like I said the beauty of it that you go through that process and you learn in that process. For me there was some like I said natural connection with my previous academic backgrounds but also I've been in Reproductive Health all my life I've not worked in many other spaces, right?

Tyra Parrish:

Yes. Bhavya Joshi, MA: And so it was almost, when I spoke to my advisor we almost knew this is the sort of research we're doing. We mostly honed in on it and defined it better once I got into the program. Gotcha, okay. And I think if you can, just for folks who don't know the difference between refugees and internally displaced people do you mind just defining it because I feel that sometimes they get kind of like conflated and like no they're interchangeable and they're really not.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Absolutely, no they're not. You're right exactly. So so both populations are defined as forcibly displaced.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Meaning people who've been forcibly displaced from their homes. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee, UNHCR, which is the key UN body that kind of focuses on these populations and work around them defines refugee as people who've been displaced from their homes but they leave their homes and countries and cross borders into another country.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

So to get a refugee status you have to cross border into another country. Internally displaced persons are also forcibly displaced because of a crisis or a conflict or any of that but stay within the borders of their country. That's why they are internally displaced and so externally displaced almost becomes like a refugee so that's the difference between the two.

Tyra Parrish:

Right, okay thank you so much for defining that because I think that's it's very important it's a, I wouldn't say it's a, it's a important distinction when you're using these words and for folks who are interested in doing human rights work those distinctions are important.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Absolutely, and thank you for pointing it out because a lot of times when we're working in the field we use these jargons almost as if everyone gets it. And I appreciate you kind of asking me to break it down, please continue to do that if I-

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

I use any jargons that, that needs to be broken down further.

Tyra Parrish:

No, it's okay and honestly you're the best person to ask, right? Because this is work that you're doing so I was like actually let's just ask, you're an expert let's ask-

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Thank you.

Tyra Parrish:

Like what, yeah. Yeah so before moving on to the next kind of topic shift in your journey to Public Health and into reproductive health and into the field of reproductive health were there any mentors or role models who kind of pushed you there and or kept you there in those moments where you're like oh my gosh like what is going on? Yeah so how did they contribute to kind of your growth and development in the field.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

No that's a great question, thank you for kind of adding it into this conversation. I genuinely from the bottom of my heart think that I am a product of support and sacrifices of many people in my life, it is really difficult to say that. I'm going to name like top three, right? Because I know what has gone into the process for me to get here.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And I'm not even any big short or anything, nothing, right? But still even for me to get here it's been a journey and it has been an input from many many many people. Having said that my role model is definitely my mother. She has been that rock for me like you just said, in every situation I have cried, I have howled, I have failed, I have succeeded, I have had you know good moments, happy moments and through all of it she's been my rock. And in the recent years, my husband as well.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

But, but I think while I was growing up and I started to work on this topic, like I said it's a very taboo subject, right? And I was coming from a family or from from a background where women's rights were not the way, were not the same as they are today, right? And from that era, right? And so I had restrictions like be back home before dark, you know report every time you leave, and I understand a lot of that comes from a safety perspective from a parent as well but I think it was my mom who said, who kind of started pushing some of those boundaries with me because I was obviously rebelling, right? But if there's no one to listen to that rebellion, accept that change, that rebellion is of no use and I think it was my mom who started doing that first. She's always been a working woman, she's a working woman till date. She told me the importance of economic empowerment she told me the importance of education, she got married really early on, she finished her graduation while she was pregnant with me and I'm a second child. And so she's she realized that if I do not educate myself to the extent that I want to, there will be something that I'm missing out on in my life and so she kind of imbibed that importance of education in my life to an extent that I was the first person in my family, extended family even who left my country as a woman to go abroad and study and yeah. And she, I remember the first time I proposed this idea my dad was like no, this is not happening and I got a lot of pushback. But it was her dream along with mine that made it happen and I remember how that year we turned so many people in support of fulfilling this dream and from there there's not not been any like, we've not looked back, right?

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

But I think it was those crucial moments where, where her support and her vision helped me turn the tables that I could not have done at my own, on my own basically and in that journey I think I would like to name a mentor her name is Alda Facio. She's a very renowned feminist jurist and human rights activist, advocate from Central America, she's served in the United Nations human rights systems in several positions, she has drafted many many documents with pertaining to women's rights and advancing them, and she was one of my mentors in my master's program. So imagine a 22 year old girl in the other part of the world who's not stepped out of her home in darkness until now, literally and she's living in another part of the world and there is this woman who comes and says let's make what you want to achieve happen. And it's that date into date that I work with her and we work closely on advancing women human rights for women across the globe and advocating for their rights at the United Nations human rights systems. So while there are many people and I do acknowledge their support throughout my journey I think these two people will always stand out for me because they were there with me when no one else was.

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah, and I think I want to pause and just say thank you for sharing that because that is I felt like I was hearing someone tell my story, because that's who my mom is to me where it's like-

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Yeah.

Tyra Parrish:

And also I totally relate with it, it's very hard just to name top three or top five because you realize it's those, it could even be those people who are really kind to you or someone in passing who just told you hey have you heard blah blah blah topic and you never saw them again. That's someone in your journey, you know so I just want to pause and uplift that because that's very real where, you're- I'm gonna start to get teary-eyed but it is, it's like you are the reflection of 30 or something people who decided to show up for you in a really important moment and for people where it's like your parents or like your mom when you shared, where that's my relationship with my mom or if my mom wasn't telling me like no you're right like the way you're feeling is right or encouraging me to push when I was like I'm not sure if this is something I should push on, my mom was like no you can do it and here's why. That's really amazing and it's really amazing to hear how your mom showed up for you and also pushed you and even the fact that she was supporting a dream of yours and giving you that space too, if you did want to do it she's like I'm here for you but if she doesn't want to do it she's still here for you and that's sometimes all a person needs.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Absolutely.

Tyra Parrish:

And I just shout out to your mom I've never met her but she sounds like an amazing woman.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

No, she is and shout out to your moms and all the moms right because they made sacrifices in their generations as well and they do recognize that they need to support us to kind of not let that history repeat itself for this generation.

Tyra Parrish:

Exactly that.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

So, and it's not been easy for them they've kind of stood up against their loved ones as well for us, right?

Tyra Parrish:

Right.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And I think it takes a lot of strength and courage for everyone to show up for someone else and they did and many other people did and I can only be thankful and grateful for them in our lives.

Tyra Parrish:

Exactly.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And the impact that they've made subtly for our generation.

Tyra Parrish:

Exactly. And so with that I'm gonna do a topic shift kind of because we've actually been talking about human rights a lot so this isn't really that big of a topic shift but now specifically can you talk about this human rights fellowship that you've mentioned. For those who may not know first time hearing it and if you can talk about, what just overview of what the fellowship is about and what that like process is like applying, interviewing, and getting that fellowship.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

Sure, so the human rights fellowship is offered by the human rights center at Berkeley which is just by the law school, it's a very sweet archaic kind of building, rustic and lovely and it's a great team there. But primarily Alexi is someone who works on the fellowship part of it and with respect to you know just the process of the applications, etc., so it's offered every year and the stipend for the year that I got it, received it, was about eight thousand dollars. I know it it changed, it was different for a year before me it's probably the same for this year but yeah it kind of changes depending on the funding. But the applications are typically due around February and you are expected to provide I think three letter of recommendations. You're, you are supposed to have a partnership with an organization that works on a human rights issue that you are interested in and that you're proposing to work with in the summer. So you need to have that collaboration almost set so if you are proposing to start working like May or whatever then in February you should have that letter of support. So it I think one of the key things is that you've got to start working early for this Fellowship and like I said the applications are due in February but they do some information sessions in sometimes in December but typically in January and early February as well and I think those are very helpful to seek more information more detailed information, etc. I personally found out about it because it was one of the centers I was actually interested in, so I knew about it even before I got into Berkeley. I looked it up and I saw their work and they do some incredible work, so it was a center I was always interested in but I also knew of a few people who were fellows before me and so I also heard the first-hand experience of going through this Fellowship, etc., so I think that kind of strengthened my resolve of kind of applying and trying to get this Fellowship. Once you receive it the process, so- okay so let's, so this is pre-deadline so say pre like Feb, this is the sort of thing, there's info sessions deadlines typically in Feb you want to have LOR's, you're going to have a lot of support you have to have a whole SOP, you have to focus on the human rights element, so like I said health is a human right for all those people who are working in public health can place their work from a human rights, Health as a human rights lens.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

And you do have to show some human rights sense-

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

In your application, it cannot be a very public health heavy application you have to say how you are kind of approaching it from a rights based lens.

Tyra Parrish:

Right.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

So you got to bring that out in your application. That's one of the tips I would give. In my case I submitted the application we did have a few calls back and forth they were not necessarily interview calls they were more calls to elaborate further on the sort of work that I would do, how I can switch it. The Ukraine crisis had just started, so the application deadline I remember was 20th February and 24th February is when the Ukraine crisis kind of started and so I was proposing to work with this organization in Croatia it's called Ruda and we were, we had another plan and but when this crisis happened a lot of people started moving into countries in Eastern Europe and Central Europe, etc., and so there was a refugee population that was also coming into Croatia and a lot of- and the government wanted some of these organizations to divert some of their resources in supporting these refugees.

Tyra Parrish:

Yes.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

So my partner organization decided to do that and so I sent them an email saying that while I submitted my application with this, you know with this proposal there might be a change given you know the change in the situation in the region, etc., and so we had a few calls and conversations around that and how that shift is going to happen in the work that I was proposing, yeah. And then I got in, after I got in there's typically one pre-meeting that happens which is like almost like an introductory meeting where you introduce all fellows, I introduced, they go through some of you know the protocols and yeah and you kind of talk a little bit about the summer work you're doing. Then you are on the field, you basically work wherever in the world you're working. You come back, there's a meeting post field work, which is where you know people typically kind of report back in some way, share their experiences and then the final part of the- I mean there's obviously a lot of feedback, evaluation pieces that goes in-

Tyra Parrish:

Right.

Bhavya Joshi, MA:

When you're on field you are supposed to you know submit some paperwork, reports, etc., of like how your fieldwork is going, all of that. And then it ends with a TED Talk style presentation which is kind of almost like a conference that is held and all the fellows are presenters and so they divide panels throughout the day and then there are about three to four presenters, so you do your own individual presentation and then you sit on the panel and have a Q and A with the audience. And so that post field work meeting basically starts preparing you for that TED Talk. And it ends with a TED Talk and finally with some evaluations and feedback and stuff but that's how the year kind of looks like with respect to the fellowship. Yeah and I think that's, if there's anything else you want to ask specifically but I think that's broadly how the process-

Tyra Parrish:

Yeah. Hi guys, this is Tyra Parrish your host for this episode and we have reached the end of part one of this conversation with this amazing speaker don't click out yet because part two of this conversation has already been posted, so go ahead and click over to the next page and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and Spotify page.