Jansen emphasizes benefits of global health careers

There are only about 150,000 people worldwide who speak Inuktitut, a rare Eskimo language — and William Jansen is one of those select few.

During a Career Services program Tuesday night, the international health expert described how his experience learning the dialect while doing research in the Arctic as a student of anthropology ultimately jump-started his career in global health.

Jansen spoke about his experiences working abroad in locations ranging from Bangladesh to Morocco and gave tips for breaking into the field of global health.

One of the best things about global health, Jansen said, is that there are a number of ways to enter the discipline, as it requires an array of skills, from medicine and pharmacy to economics and sociology.

Above all, he urged students to “exercise opportunities when they come knocking,” citing the fact that he began his career as a medical anthropologist but is now known as a global-health expert.

Pre-graduate adviser Anne Reedstrom, who organized the event, agreed that Jansen’s strength lies in his view of global health as an interdisciplinary profession. “There is no one pathway. You can come at this from very different angles,” she said. “I like that perspective that he can offer to students.”

Jansen also recommended that students can gain firsthand experience in another country.

“Once you get involved in a given developing country, that becomes a springboard to work in other developing countries” and shows aptitude in working cross-culturally, he said. Furthermore, he added, working abroad provides an opportunity to contribute to the common good.

And he would know. In 1987, Jansen was a part of an investigation of Jordan’s high fertility rate, which ultimately led to the availability of contraceptives in health centers throughout the country. Currently, he is stationed as a technical advisor in Zimbabwe, seeking to mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Jansen also advised students to focus on making connections in the world of public health. “As with any career, contacts and networks are an integral part of launching a career pathway,” he said.

College senior Sohani Amarasekera, a Biology and Sociology major who hopes to pursue a masters in global health, said she found the mechanisms Jansen described for entering the sphere of international health very helpful. “These are definitely things I will think about after graduation,” she added.

Finally, Jansen encouraged all interested students to pursue public health careers, telling them, “It’s a type of work that I think is one of the most rewarding careers on the planet.”

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