Ally Wagner

Ally Wagner, MPH

Class of 2020
Major: Biobehavioral Health
Minor: Global Health

Why did you choose to pursue the Global Health Minor?

I was interested in the health field since high school, but I knew the traditional 9-5 office job wasn’t for me. I’ve always loved traveling, meeting new people, and learning about other cultures so the Global Health Minor felt like the perfect fit and provides a nice introduction to many career options beyond a traditional healthcare setting or a government position.

Is there a particular memory from your fieldwork experience in Tanzania that had a lasting impact on you?

Early in the program, my cohort experienced a power outage at one of the dormitories that we were staying in and spent the whole morning complaining about the lack of power and inability to take a warm shower. Later that afternoon, we visited a nearby hospital for one of our scheduled talks and was informed that the hospital had also lost power – this is when I realized the broader impact of the power outage. The hospital did not have a working generator, and a neonatal baby had passed away since there was no way to power the oxygen machine keeping her alive. This is the first time I really understood the need to see all the factors that influence someone’s well-being and health outcomes.

What did you do after graduation, and how has it led you to your current role in Perth, Australia?

After graduating, I moved out west for a fieldwork experience on the Blackfeet Native American Reservation in Montana, worked as a Nanny in California, took a role at an outdoor school in Texas, and went to the British Virgin Islands to help facilitate cultural exchanges. Now I live in Perth, Australia and work as a Health Promotion Trip Lead for Fair Game Australia, a nonprofit providing access to unique health and fitness programs in underserved, remote Aboriginal communities across Western Australia.

In my role, I plan and execute all remote programs, spending about 70% of my time traveling to the most remote regions of the state. I lead a variety of sports programs to get kids moving; engage kids in health messaging around topics such as ear/oral health, nutrition, and smoking prevention; and build relationships with community elders who teach about bush foods, medicines, and culture. When I’m not on the road leading these programs, I spend my time in the Perth warehouse coordinating the provision of needed sports and health equipment for the communities I work with, developing sport and health programs, and handling all logistics for the next visits.

Although I’ve had many different jobs before joining Fair Game Australia, my experiences really helped me gain a unique combination of skills.

How have you found a sense of community while moving between different places?

Despite being away from my family and friends back in the US, I’ve found like-minded colleagues in each role. There was even a time that I found a surprising sense of community when visiting a village with a population of 40 in Western Australia. When I arrived, someone came up to me and told me that there were two other American’s conducting research in the village. They were from Penn State! The next morning, in one of the most remote regions and one of the smallest communities in the world, I woke up to the whole community wearing Penn State shirts.

What did you gain from the Global Health Minor?

I’ve come to realize that global health is not just a single field of study that leads to a specific career. Instead, global health is an all-encompassing perspective that can and should be applied to any health career, especially when working with diverse populations.

The Global Health Minor has not only expanded my awareness to numerous career possibilities, but it has also connected me with like-minded individuals that played a crucial role in broadening my network and introducing me to opportunities I previously didn’t even know existed.