Meet Alyssa Pochkar: CDPHP Scholar and MPH Student

ALBANY, N.Y. (March 23, 2022) – CDPHP Scholar Alyssa Pochkar is pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology and a Graduate Certificate in Maternal and Child Health at the University at Albany. She is gaining experience in principles of epidemiology, data management, and maternal and child health, which she will use to augment her career addressing disparities in newborn and early childhood development.

Pochkar chose her academic program after completing a service-learning trip to Haiti that allowed her to witness first-hand the stark contrast in health and access to health resources. This shifted her career interest from providing individualized care in the medical field to addressing health at the population level.

“I learned that achieving absolute health is not simply a matter of decision-making and biology but is influenced by many interrelated social and environmental circumstances,” Pochkar says. “As a public health professional, I hope to contribute to reducing the disparities that different populations face as we work to achieve health equity.”

Pochkar works as a Graduate Assistant for the Maternal and Child Health Program at the School of Public Health, where she creates the weekly e-newsletter, promotes and evaluates program events, and manages data related to federal grant reporting objectives. She has also interned (and continues to work) with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Bureau of Community Chronic Disease Prevention, where she assisted researchers in a statewide breastfeeding health disparities report. She helped to conduct a literature review and collect and analyze breastfeeding data, which will be used to inform policy and practice in New York State.

Pochkar has also performed surveillance and outbreak investigations of infectious diseases, including COVID-19 tracing, across New York State as a part of her work with NYSDOH.

“These mechanisms to monitor an increased number of cases and common exposures directly benefit the public's health by identifying potential outbreaks before they begin, determining the cause, and preventing the public from putting themselves at risk,” she says.

Pochkar has found that the most rewarding experience from her graduate school career has been the support and guidance she has been able to provide through her internship positions to those in need, particularly when the work addresses health disparities.

After graduating with her MPH, Pochkar plans to pursue a career that includes a focus on early intervention and newborn and childhood development, and expresses gratitude towards CDPHP for helping to fund her education.

“It is fulfilling to know that CDPHP and members of my community recognize my passion for public health and are confident in my abilities and future,” says Pochkar. “I am motivated to pursue a career in public health, specifically epidemiology, because I want to solve health problems; not just treat them.”