PHEC 203: Online Exposure And Public Health, With Omari Richins, MPH

Omari Richins, founder of The Public Health Millennial, joins us on this episode to share his public health journey. Omari currently holds the position of health improvement program officer for the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, prior to which he worked in Alaska for 14 months during the COVID-19 pandemic as a community health fellow for the Mat-Su Health Foundation.

In our conversation, Omari shares why he decided to pursue a master’s in public health after realizing that he could have a much broader impact on communities than if he were a medical doctor, and how he first discovered the field of public health philanthropy.

We discuss how public health philanthropy differs from other public health initiatives and why it’s so important for more individuals with a master’s in public health to work in the field of public health philanthropy.

We hear from Omari about how he started The Public Millennial blog and how he gradually grew his online presence and gained more followers. He explains how his online presence has helped him build relationships and why it’s important to be motivated by something other than gaining followers.

Finally, Omari shares valuable advice and tips for students and graduates, most notably the importance of not getting too comfortable and how to build a network. For all this and much more, tune in to the full episode!