Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 2023: Meet Sapphire Correa

This month, we’re spotlighting some of our community’s Hispanic Americans, Latinos, Latinas, and Latinx-identifying people, who are committed to improving the health of the communities around them and making a difference in the field of public health.

Sapphire Correa is the School of Public Health’s program coordinator for the Undergraduate Public Health Program and the Maternal and Child Health Program, is also an alum of the Master of Public Health program. We sat down with Sapphire to learn more about her and her interest in public health:

Where is home for you and how has home influenced your interest in public health?

I consider my home to be Brentwood, Long Island. I was born and raised in this predominantly Hispanic community. Growing up in an environment where access to resources was limited drove my passion for public health.

What areas of public health are you most passionate about and why?

Reproductive rights are my unwavering passion along with health education and health communication. In my experience of having parents who predominantly spoke their native language, I was responsible for communicating all health information. Being responsible for something so important from a young age made me wonder how this can be easier for others who experience the same thing, which has driven my passion for creating equitable access to health information.

Can you tell us about your work as a bilingual volunteer?

I actively demonstrate my interest and commitment to reproductive rights through my volunteer role as a bilingual case manager for the New York Abortion Access Fund. By providing critical support and guidance to individuals navigating the complexities of reproductive healthcare, I ensure that every person can exercise their right to make informed choices about their own bodies, regardless of language barriers or other obstacles they may face. I facilitate a positive caller experience in all of their actions and decisions and am committed to undoing abortion stigma.

Why did you choose to pursue public health education?

I decided to pursue a degree in public health to be able to understand how to work with different populations, but most importantly to give back to my community. Working at UAlbany School of Public Health has allowed me to continue to learn about my various different interests and topics within the public health field. I am extremely fortunate to learn about the research my colleagues are doing and any exciting and fun projects they have previously worked on, currently working on, and projects they hope to work on in the future.

What were some of the standout opportunities you had when you were a student at SPH?

While at UAlbany School of Public Health pursuing my MPH, I was able to participate in two internships. One with the Birth to Five initiative at New York State Council on Children and Families (NYSCCF). I was able to work on their app "NYS Parent Portal" creating notification messaging for parents. The other was with the NYS Academy of Family Physicians. Here I got to work on policy efforts to get the NY Health Act in motion, this act was to establish a single payer health care system in New York.

To any student who has not gone through this internship process yet, I recommend really getting to know your mentor! I still grab lunch/text with my mentor from NYSCCF. She has provided me with a lot of guidance in navigating life post-graduation and even sends me job openings that may be of interest to me.