Advancing Social and Economic Development in Health and Public Service Internationally
Student Name: Eddie Rosenbaum
Program/Specialty: MPA-PNP, International Policy & Management
Anticipated Graduation Year: 2019
By Mikeala Sparks (MUP, International Development)
“I have committed the last 10 years of my career to public service, and I enjoy the opportunity to build relationships to build communities.” -Eddie Rosenbaum (MPA-PNP 2019)
Providing social and economic development in public service sectors around the world, Eddie Rosenbaum chose to apply for the Master of Public Administration at NYU Wagner.
“I was looking to grow professionally and take my career to the next level. I wanted to gain valuable skills and contacts to help me reenter the job market after graduation,” he said.
Before attending NYU Wagner, Eddie took advantage of service opportunities to solve pressing challenges on an international scale. He previously worked for the Peace Corps as an equal employment opportunity counselor in Oakland, California after volunteering as a community health educator in Cameroon with the Peace Corps. Prior to that he worked as an English teacher in Rio de Janeiro and managed Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) education initiatives in Mumbai.
In summer 2018, Eddie interned at the Pamoja Tunaweza Women’s Centre. Working in Tanzania not only allowed for a fresh experience doing fieldwork internationally, but the experience also gave exposure to a new type of work.
“The project I was working on was related to diagnosing and following through with hypertension. Many people around the world may be diagnosed with hypertension; however, few follow through with treatment or understand what can be done to manage their diagnosis. With noncommunicable diseases becoming one of the biggest public health threats globally, this was an incredible opportunity to gain professional skills working in a research management position,” he explained.
“I was fortunate to have a lot of autonomy in the project and the research. I was able to get firsthand experience on research design and implementation of the project. This was an exciting way to learn more about health challenges in the field and how to best manage fieldwork research. I had the opportunity to work with the lead researcher and meet with the Ministry of Health and other key stakeholders,” Eddie said.
While at NYU Wagner, Eddie has served as the co-chair of the International Public Service Association (IPSA), assisting with organizing events on campus and facilitating public discussions around international service.
In addition to his student organization involvement, several classes were able to prepare him for his time abroad. The NYU Wagner core curriculum offers introductory courses on data set evaluations and systematic approaches to communities and their qualitative and quantitative information.
“[The course in Tanzania] gave me an introduction to some of the skills needed for project management and allowed me to gain an understanding of the cultural climate,” he assured.
As graduation approaches and his time at NYU Wagner comes to a close, Eddie is looking for positions that can tie together his experiences and skills to project him into a new position where he will manage international health initiatives.
Each year, NYU Wagner’s Ellen Schall Experience Fund awards students with stipends to take on unpaid public service summer internships. This allows them to explore professional opportunities to achieve their career goals, regardless of compensation or financial need. In addition, awardees participate in professional development events throughout the summer.