Mentoring matters
M.P.H. alumnae benefit from career support and empowering future therapists through alumni mentorship
Two generations of M.P.H. alumnae benefit from career guidance and support
Twenty-one years ago, Margo Riggs, Ph.D., walked across the stage at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for the conferral of her Master of Public Health as a member of the inaugural UF M.P.H. cohort. Fast forward to the spring of 2023 when Riggs found herself returning to Gainesville for commencement, this time as a proud spectator. Riggs came to cheer on her mentee, Lacey Wilkerson, as she received her own UF M.P.H. degree.
Mentorship has always served as a pivotal influence in Riggs’ life. She was pursuing a Ph.D. in pathobiology and immunology from the UF College of Veterinary Medicine when an introductory course in epidemiology sparked her interest in public health. She credits her dual degree, and guidance from a mentor who encouraged her to pursue the M.P.H., with ultimately altering her career path and opening new doors to scientific and health interests. She completed a postdoctoral research fellowship with the National Institutes of Health before being selected as an Epidemic Intelligence Service, or EIS, Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“While in EIS, I trained to be a disease detective, conducting boots on the ground field epidemiology out in communities, helping to investigate outbreaks and prevent the spread of disease. That’s where I finally found my calling,” Riggs said.
Riggs, who enlisted in the U.S. Army out of high school, continued her service by commissioning as an active duty officer in the United States Public Health Service, serving a 17-year tenure at the CDC. Now retired from the service, Riggs works as a regional health liaison for the Kentucky Department for Public Health and as an adjunct professor at the University of Kentucky and University of Pikeville. Additionally, she continues a legacy of mentorship through her connection with Wilkerson, an epidemiologist charting her own course.
Lacey Wilkerson and Margo Riggs at Wilkerson's spring 2023 commencement ceremony.
Wilkerson knew from early on that she wanted to pursue a career in health In high school, when a teacher asked her class to write down their career goals, Wilkerson only had one profession in mind: epidemiology. Riggs was instrumental in showing Wilkerson the different avenues she could take to accomplish her dream.
When Wilkerson did a weeklong internship in Atlanta at age 16, she stayed with Riggs and had the chance to meet her CDC colleagues. “She was a bright, eager learner,” Riggs said. “Her passion for science and research at such an early age was insatiable. She had all kinds of questions which led me to keep challenging her.
She was working hard on assignments to learn about epidemiology, infectious diseases, and how to do research and read scientific manuscripts.”
Wilkerson is now employed by the Kentucky Department for Public Health, where she works in quality improvement for HIV prevention and treatment programs.
Riggs and Wilkerson have some valuable advice for connecting with mentors. “Don’t give up when the first 10 people don’t respond,” said Wilkerson. “Reach out to anyone who will lend an ear. Some people would really invite the opportunity to be a mentor.”
Both Wilkerson and Riggs recommend leveraging your network, including faculty advisors, past bosses and social networking sites like LinkedIn to foster connections with professionals and experts in your field or role of interest.
“Look for a mentor who can help you develop some new strengths and overcome obstacles you need guidance with. Try to get to know someone who you respect, who’s heading in the direction that you want to be going and is a little further along in their career than you are. Take initiative to reach out and set up time to meet with them,” Riggs said. “Mentors have been crucial to my career progression and success.”
– By Katarina Fiorentino Klatzkow
Empowering future therapists through alumni mentorship
Clinical education experiences are key for helping Doctor of Physical Therapy students build the skills and confidence they need to be effective clinicians at the time they enter the workforce. When clinical mentoring comes from UF College of Public Health and Health Professions alumni, that’s an added bonus.
“Since the alumni have been through the UF educational program they have an appreciation for where the student’s knowledge is and that makes it a more seamless transition between the academic and clinical environments,” said Mark Bishop, Ph.D., P.T., a professor of physical therapy and director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. UF-alumni owned Kinetix Physical Therapy in Gainesville has provided a training ground for many UF physical therapy students, including Michelle Warner, P.T., D.P.T. ’11.
“Having someone who has been through school and is in the field practicing is immensely helpful to students as they can provide insight and advice that is valuable to students with little experience,” Warner said. “It is especially invaluable when it comes from someone who has been in your shoes and understands the stress and challenges of physical therapy school and patient care.”
Dr. Melissa Cere
Kinetix co-owner Melissa Cere, P.T., D.P.T., a 2002 UF PHHP graduate, has enjoyed the challenge of mentoring.
“Mentoring forces you to think about the right way to do something and then explain the why,” she said.
While students learn technical skills in the classroom, the clinical setting provides a broader perspective, Cere said.
“Working with therapists in the clinic helps students learn to adapt and modify treatments, based on that individual patient’s needs,” she said. “Students learn we don’t just treat the condition, but the patient as a whole.”
The clinical portion of physical therapy education is critical, Bishop said. “A lot of our craft is developed through mentorship,” he said. “Good mentorship requires a lot of feedback, and a trusting relationship between whomever is modeling and guiding behavior.”
UF graduate and Kinetix Physical Therapy clinical director Scott Eddins, D.P.T. ’16, uses a collaborative approach to mentoring.
“I try to encourage the students to ask the questions they need to ask to have the experience they want to have. Their clinical internship goes by fast, so they need to make each day count and challenge themselves,” Eddins said.
Dr. Scott Eddins
The clinical setting also gives students experience in building relationships with their patients and seeing the impact they can have on their well-being and lives, Cere said.
The relationship between physical therapist and patient inspired Cere early on. She knew she wanted to be a physical therapist since she was in high school, when her sister was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. She watched therapists working with her sister and liked the way her sister developed close relationships with her physical therapists, many of which her sister still maintains today.
Relationships built in the clinical setting aren’t limited to therapist-patient. Often, the role of mentor and student lasts far longer than the eight-week internship, as Warner, who was mentored by Cere, discovered.
“She helped guide me in so many ways, but the most impactful was the advice and support she provided throughout PT school and even more so once I began my first job,” Warner said. “What started as an internship developed into a lifelong friendship I cherish!”
– By Anne Riker Garlington
