MPH Alumni Ryan Douse: Where Is He Now?

The Master of Public Health program’s series titled “Where Are They Now?” dives into each individual’s time as a student and how those experiences shaped their current professions. If you are interested in taking part in the series, please contact mph@ewu.edu. Catch up with Ryan Douse here!

Name: Ryan Douse

Graduation Year: May 2018

Job Title: Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Coordinator

Organization: Spokane Public Schools

Describe your career path. Why public health?

As an undergraduate student at Eastern Washington University, I studied Sociology, which opened my eyes to the inequities that individuals and communities face in the United States. I became very interested in issues associated with socioeconomic status and decided that upon graduation, I wanted to work to combat some of these issues. For a short time, I worked for three local nonprofits, and then took an Intervention Specialist position at Rogers High School. Since that time, I have worked in the public school system with high risk students who are at risk of not graduating high school. Several years into this work, I realized that many of the barriers my students were facing to graduation were systemic societal issues and that not graduating was a symptom of these issues. I wanted to learn more about combating these issues and somehow stumbled across the Master of Public Health program at Eastern Washington University. The parallels between Sociology, Public Health, and what I was seeing at work made the decision to apply for the program an easy one.

What are you responsible for in your current position?

In the simplest of terms, I am responsible for the graduation of my students from high school. I case manage just under 300 students and will be working with these students directly for the next 5 years. In my current role, I wear many hats. I manage an academic intervention room, work with students on behavioral interventions, recruit volunteers, leverage community resources, and partner with stakeholders from across the city of Spokane to improve the chances for my students to graduate high school.

What is your favorite part about your job?

My favorite part of my current job has to be building relationships. With students, this is the most important skill to have because it is extremely difficult to change behaviors without first having shared trust with a student. I also get to build relationships with families, educators, and community organizations to ensure that my students receive the support they need to thrive. Seeing these relationships benefit my students and my school is very rewarding.

How did the MPH program prepare you for your current position?

The professors in the program come from a variety of backgrounds and each brought their own skill set to the classes they taught, which made the program very holistic in terms of what we learned. I worked closely with Professor Ekundayo my first year and was able to learn skills that allowed me to build a framework for working with migrant families at Shaw Middle School. In my second year, Professor Hoss taught leadership courses which I immediately put to use as I stepped into new leadership roles in my position. Professor Tresidder taught program evaluation courses which are invaluable as I run several different programs in my current role that require constant planning, implementation, and evaluation. The diverse skill set I gained from the program has prepared me to handle most situations I run into in my current role.

What was most memorable to you about your experiences in the MPH program?

The most memorable part of my experience within the program was watching as my final project positively impacted a local community that faces severe health inequities.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering pursuing an MPH?

I would say that you can’t go wrong with an MPH. The diverse set of skills that you will learn and develop throughout the program will be of benefit to you in any career field you choose.