Outgoing HASC James D. Barber Administrative Fellow Rathi Ramasamy says she will continue to focus on social determinants of health and health equity as her career unfolds.

Rathi Ramasamy wraps up her year as HASC’s first James D. Barber Administrative Fellow this week. An Ohio native, she earned a Master of Public Health degree at UCLA before embarking on her 13-month term — which she called “a springboard for career leadership” in the health care field.

Ramasamy sat down with HASC Briefs to share highlights from the experience.

Tell us about the Fellowship and what you’ll take from it.

The idea behind the Barber Administrative Fellowship is to give a recent master’s-degree graduate a taste of the health care industry and provide a springboard for career leadership. One very positive aspect was the opportunity to get involved in any project that interested me. Also, I felt my voice was valued here — despite the fact that I’m relatively young and inexperienced.

I will miss the HASC family. I’ll always be grateful for the chance to make great connections in the Southern California health care community.

What aspect of public health or health care are you interested in?

Social determinants of health are a focus for me. I started out working in the social services field with a community impact agency in Ohio, so I quickly saw how important social services and social supports are for the health of communities. It’s always been — and always will be — a goal of mine to work for a more equitable health care system.

Can you share a Fellowship experience that stands out?

Touring Haven for Hope, the homelessness services campus in San Antonio ­that is a model for HASC’s Communities Lifting Communities initiative that aims at reducing regional health disparities. It was an inspiring thing to see.

Haven for Hope is a trauma-informed model of care delivery. In a nutshell, it’s thinking about what happened to a person instead of just pointing towards what’s wrong with them. It’s a humane and caring approach that’s about treating its clients with dignity. Its founders believe in inspiring people as well as serving them — so it ends up being a center of hope and positive change.

What are your next steps?

I don’t have definite plans, but I know I want to be in the health equity space — and my experience here has definitely prepared me for that!

Ramasamy’s last day at HASC is Friday, Aug. 3.

Ashley Joseph, who recently earned a Master of Public Health degree at Columbia University, is HASC’s next Barber Fellow. An upcoming issue of HASC Briefs will present more on Joseph and her fellowship goals.  

Contact:
Rathi Ramasamy
(213) 538-0752
rramasamy@hasc.org