Report #1: Active Learning (SDoH) in the field

Assignment overview:

This assignment will provide an opportunity for you to engage with and learn from agencies, advocates, or efforts in the field/real-world. The idea will be to take what you are learning in the classroom and witness it in real world examples and engage with communities and populations you hope to serve in the future. There will be several options to choose from. You will be expected to write a report of what you learned and experienced. You can select one of the following options to complete the assignment:

Option 1– Interview someone working in the field, who’s mission specifically targets SDOH.

• Create an interview guide to frame your interview. The interview guide should include 5-10 questions that you plan to ask your interviewee. I am not providing a pre-determined set of questions, as I want you to explore and discuss topics that are of most interest to you and relevant to the individual you are interviewing and the work they are doing or the population they are serving. You will need to submit the interview guide as part of your assignment submission.
• Remember to allow time to set up an interview. These do not need to be in-person interviews, a zoom (or any virtual platform) interview would be fine. However, make sure you talk to the professional (i.e., you cannot conduct the interview over email by writing.
• You might know people personally whose work aligns with addressing the SDOH. Alternatively, you might be very curious about a topic and not have any direct connections there so do some research on people locally, nationally, who are working on SDOH topics you are interested in. This is a good opportunity to reach out and make a connection. E-mail people, introduce yourself and the assignment and why you are interested in speaking with them. Below is an example verbiage you might send in the e-mail (you do not have to use this, but it is available if you would like to use it):

Hello [persons name make sure to check if they have specific credentials],

My name is [your name]. I am an undergraduate student in the department of [insert your department] at George Mason University. I am currently enrolled in a course that explores the Social Determinants of Health. Our upcoming assignment requires us to interview someone who is in the field working to address the Social Determinants of Health.

I would like to interview you because [insert reasons why you want to talk to this person]. The interview should not take more than 20-30 minutes and can be conducted virtually on Zoom.

I appreciate your attention to my e-mail and thank you for your considering participating in my assignment. I look forward to hearing from you.

• You might want to record the interview because it will take away the pressure to write everything down. You can then refer to the recording while writing your summary and be more present during the interview. If you do record, make sure you have asked for permission from the person you are interviewing first!
• If there is a certain individual that you would really like to interview and they are not available until after the due date, please let me know. We can make arrangements to extend the deadline. I might ask for some proof that the interview date has to occur after the deadline (e.g., proof of conversation with the interviewee). Just make sure to discuss this with me prior. Do not wait until the last minute to discuss this with me.