For Anamara Ritt-Olson, Ph.D., our newly appointed associate professor-in-residence of health, society and behavior, entering the field of public health was the best possible path for her to achieve her goals.
I wanted to improve the mental health of adolescents, so I began by studying what contributes to our mental health and well-being and what detracts from it. My research and work focus on trying to create interventions to promote well-being.”
Anamara Ritt-Olson, PhD, Associate Professor-in-Residence
Early in her career, Ritt-Olson was managing a before and after school program for Catholic Charities in Burbank, Calif. There was a student in the program who was suffering from abuse and was sharing their experiences through drawings. The family was already in care but providing additional resources and support with school counselors was transformative.
“I wanted to understand how children experience trauma, how people process trauma, and how traumatic experiences impact their lives,” Ritt-Olson said. “I like the idea of how we can create positive outcomes in large groups of people while understanding that it may not be enormous shifts, but smaller ones that bend the arc towards positivity.”
Ritt-Olson entered the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine where she completed a Ph.D. degree in preventative medicine. Prior to coming to UCI Public Health, Ritt-Olson was an assistant clinical professor at USC where she taught in the undergraduate program, the MPH program and the PhD program. She served as the track director for Community Health, was the director of Community Engagement for the Institute for Addiction Sciences, and the research cluster leader in psychosocial factors for the Center for Young Adult Cancer Survivorship, a role she continues at UCI. In addition to her appointment at UCI Public Health, she serves as the Executive Director of Training and Engagement for the CERES Network. This translational effort will be to craft a consortium of
international experts and aims to reduce disparities in learning, development, and well-being.
In the following Q&A interview, we get to know Ritt-Olson a little better to see how she plans to make waves at UC Irvine:
Q: What do you hope to achieve in the first five years of your UC Irvine tenure?
A: My main goal is to build collaborations with the incredible researchers, staff, teaching faculty, and students at UCI. I hope to help assist our program and soon-to-be school grow as a national leader in research, education, and community engagement without losing the warmth, intimacy, and faculty-driven nature that it currently exemplifies.
My other goals are to listen and understand what the educational programs need in order to grow, what they need to retain, and where they most need to innovate. I would then focus on exploring programming, curriculum, training, and any other opportunities that will help our educational programs achieve their goals. I aim to be a supportive conduit of information and support for the members of the UCI Public Health community.
Q: What are the crossroads that have come up between your work and the pandemic?
A: The pandemic turned everything upside down and for many, that was devastating and filled with loss. For myself, it served in part as a crucible. It helped me reconnect with why I chose this path and what is most important to me. Adolescent mental health was the reason I started as a researcher and that area needs our attention and focus more than ever.
Q: The pandemic has put the public health field on center stage. Where does public health go from here? And how can higher education and institutes of learning help so we are in a better place moving forward?
A: Yes, public health is on center stage, but we are not always shining in the spotlight. We must revisit our communication, our connection with our communities, and build better trust. We need to shift to consistently addressing the systems that put our fellow community members’ lives in danger. A perfect example is that many people without insurance or a true medical home didn’t seek out help or advice at the start of the pandemic.
Public Health must train new leaders to better span the needs of our communities with care for those repeatedly marginalized, to alter unjust systems, and maintain clear respectful communication. The biggest thing is to create a level of trust again
Q: What do you enjoy most about teaching? What has been the most
rewarding part?
A: I love teaching. I love learning what the students have to teach me. I love sharing what I have learned and finding that it may no longer hold true. I love feeling like I can share a nugget of information or a way of thinking about something that might stick with someone for the rest of their life. That might provide a positive ripple effect that could possibly make a whole lot of people better.
When a student decides to focus on public health, the public’s well-being, I know that I am training a very special person. They prioritize others over themselves. I will do what I
can to support their efforts. I train my students in part selfishly so that they will make a better world for my own children. I support their journeys because each of their contributions will in turn change the world slightly for the better.
Q: How has health equity overlapped with your work?
A: A lot of my work centers on resiliency. I had a Ph.D. student last semester who frustratingly asked why should we ask an individual to stay strong in the face of crushing
inequality? They were right. I still find value in helping a person navigate the rough waters of their lives, but I must in all I do never forget to understand that the systems are literally killing people. I saw a quote that said: “while we travel through the same storm, we are not all in the same boat.” Many of us are given secure vessels to weather these storms and too many have nothing but a board.”
