Catheryn McDowell
Class of 2022
Major: Medicine, Health, and Society
Catheryn McDowell is a junior in the Medicine, Health, and Society program with a political science minor. In the fall of 2019, she was making plans to do her Immersion project in Italy. Unfortunately, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, her study abroad was canceled and the possibility for international travel in the near future seemed unlikely. Despite the initial disappointment of not getting to spend time immersed in another culture, McDowell still wanted to have a valuable immersive experience.
After an internship search on Chegg, McDowell identified and eventually accepted a position with Our National Conversation, a startup that seeks to address major public policy issues in the United States. In her role, she worked with the CEO and oversaw both her direct healthcare policy team as well as a team of 50 policy interns. Her goal for Immersion: produce 42 policy proposals, a website, and conduct virtual interviews in order to explore her personal and professional passion for making change at the policy level.
Like all Immersion projects, McDowell’s is being overseen by a Vanderbilt faculty member, Professor Alan Wiseman. McDowell had Professor Wiseman as an instructor and enjoyed his Politics of Public Policy course. The course had a direct influence on McDowell seeking a policy internship, so she felt he would be a good fit as a mentor for her Immersion project. McDowell reached out to Professor Wiseman with an outline of her plan via email, and then they finalized details and responsibilities over Zoom.
In addition to Professor Wiseman’s course, McDowell has been able to apply knowledge from her other MHS courses, such as Politics of Health, Economics, and Medicine, Law and Society. “Politics of Health has been most beneficial,” she says. “It taught me how to approach the dynamics of health and about the interconnectedness of fields that provide care to the nation.” McDowell’s internship has complemented her academics through valuable leadership experience and experience in health policy, all the while expanding her professional network.
Despite her plans being upended, McDowell was determined to pursue an Immersion project that would push her comfort zone, expand her knowledge and experience, and offer her invaluable skill development. To other students who may be struggling to identify immersive opportunities, McDowell recommends: 1) give yourself multiple options to fulfill the requirement, 2) build strong connections with the professors who have most influenced you, and 3) do not being afraid of trying things or accepting positions you may not feel fully prepared for—you were picked for a reason!