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In this episode, Sujani sits down with Shaniece Criss, an associate professor at Furman university and community leader. They discuss how Shaniece’s passion for media and performance led her to public health and how to incorporate your own interests in order to create a job that is fulfilling for you.

You’ll Learn

• Shaniece’s three spheres of influence and how they have affected her career 
• How Shaniece found her way into public health through an interest in media and performance
• Shaniece’s experience going into an MPH straight from an undergraduate degree and the differences she saw between those who had previous work experience in the health field
• What made Shaniece decide to pursue further education after her MPH
• What the “golden handcuffs” are and how to take and incorporate aspects of certain professions/interests that bring you happiness to create your own perfect career 
• What made Shaniece interested in academia and where she hopes to progress to in the future
• The importance of being involved in boards and councils and how that can further public health in your community
  • How you can start to get involved in various boards and organizations
• What a day in the life of an associate professor looks like

Today’s Guest

Dr. Shaniece Criss is a multifaceted, enthusiastic leader who works in the areas of higher education, research, government, and health media. In academia, she is an Associate Professor in the Health Sciences Department at Furman University and a community-engaged qualitative researcher addressing health equity and health communication. As a founding member of the Big Data for Health Equity Research Collaborative, she works with university researchers from across the U.S. to investigate how societal issues impact health. At Furman, she partners with the Institute for the Advancement of Community Health and serves as a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.

Dr. Criss is an elected official on Travelers Rest City Council and serves on the board of directors for Prisma Health and South Carolina Hospital Association. She also serves as a community advisor for the Jolley Foundation and Greenville County Schools. Most recently, she created the Dr. Shaniece Instagram account to educate others about public health. For her professional and community endeavors, she was recognized as one of eleven leaders from across the state with the “Women Vision SC” Award from ETV. In addition, she was named a “ChangeMaker” by Multiplying Good, inducted into the Greenville County Schools Hall of Fame, and received the UNCF Mayors’ Ball Community Award. 

With a passion to implement effective interventions and policies, she earned her doctorate from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she was awarded a Presidential Public Service Fellowship. She has a Master of Public Health from Emory University and an undergraduate degree in communication from Oglethorpe University. As a public health practitioner, Dr. Criss served as producer and host for a national television show for the Ministry of Health in Guyana during her Peace Corps service. She also held positions at ICF International, Centers for Di

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