Student Spotlight: Khatia Martinez

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Headshot of Khatia Martinez

Meet Khatia Martinez

Khatia Martinez—a student in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society's MSPH in Health Education and Health Communication program—reflects on the transformative power of honoring her interests and pursuing a newfound passion for health policy through her work with CDC Washington.   

What sparked your interest in public health? 

As is a common experience for all children, when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I immediately answered, “Doctor.” I believed this career was the epitome of helping others and held onto this professional goal until high school.  

During my junior year, I realized I was not passionate about the majority of hard sciences and observed how doctors had substantial power in producing change on an individual level. Knowing that I would be applying to colleges soon, I looked for majors that aligned with my newfound interests. I found a deep interest in the goals of the public health sector, which focuses on improving the health of populations. 
 

What’s an academic highlight you’ve experienced as an HBS student?  

At the Bloomberg School, three of my favorite classes have been: Program Planning for Health Behavior change with Dr. Vanya Jones, Critical Issues in Health Disparities with Dr. Roland Thorpe, and Policy Interventions for Health Behavior Change with Dr. Joanna Cohen.  

I have enjoyed these classes not only because they cultivated my interests in intervention development, health equity, and health policy, but also because it was incredibly clear that the instructors were passionate about their work and were dedicated to engaging students in the material to increase their knowledge and skills. 

What’s a practice highlight you've experienced during your time as an HBS student? 

I’m currently a CDC Washington intern.

My journey to the Hill meant stepping a bit off the beaten path. Initially, my professional interests were not aligned with health policy. When entering the MSPH degree program, I was more interested in community-based research as well as program design, implementation, and evaluation. 

During my undergraduate career, I planned to dedicate myself to creating sustainable change on a local level by building meaningful relationships with communities to develop effective programs to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals.  

After enrolling in the Policy Interventions for Health Behavior Change course (where I did research on the intersection of intimate partner violence prevention and gun control laws), I became interested in how public health professionals can translate data to advance policy action. By the end of the course, I recognized a new road in the public health sector I could go on, and I altered my ten-year career goal. Now, I want to engage in community-based work for five to seven years and then – after gaining the trust of communities – move into the policy world to change restrictive structures that are impeding on cultivating healthy communities.  

This year, I initially wanted to involve myself in a Baltimore Community Practicum (BCP)—a for-credit field experience with a local public health agency or community based-organization. However, as I was reading through the BCP openings, I realized that there were other opportunities outside of BCP open to the entire Hopkins community. While reading through them all, I found there was an opening with CDC Washington, and as I read through the office’s mission and the prospective intern responsibilities, I became more and more excited and started preparing my application.  

Full transparency, I did feel under qualified for the position since I had no real-world introduction to the policy sector, and I knew only the basics of the inner workings of the U.S. government, but I cultivated enough confidence to apply due to my involvement in the policy interventions course. I started my internship in January 2024. I have learned so much and solidified my interest in pursuing opportunities to be a bridge between the public health sector and Congress. 

Outside of public health, what are some of your hobbies, interests, and personal passions? 

Outside of school I can be found either reading, stress baking, making niche titled Spotify playlists or exploring new bookstores, cafes, museums, and thrift stores! 

What are some of your favorite places in Baltimore? 

Baltimore is such a vibrant city. There are so many: Dooby's, R-House, Greedy Reads, Ottobar, Ceremony Coffee Roasters, Mt. Vernon Marketplace, Enoch Pratt Free Library (Central Library), Charlotte Elliott & The Bookstore Next Door, doubledutch boutique, and Strawberry Fields (Hampden)! 

This interview has been edited and compressed. Views expressed are the subject's own.