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Inspired to serve

JMU alumna Amanda Woodfield (’05) is a Presidential Management Fellow and works at the National Cancer Institute. In this interview with Jessica Lewis ('08) for MadisonOnline, Woodfield talks about her Madison Experience and how it sparked her desire to make a difference.

Amanda Woodfield

Amanda Woodfield currently works at the National Cancer Institute.

MadisonOnline: What was your educational focus?

Woodfield: I graduated JMU in 2005 with a B.A. in communication studies. I minored in technical and scientific communication and had a strong focus in health sciences. In 2007, I graduated from the University of Minnesota with my Master’s of Public Health in administration and policy.

MadisonOnline: What part of your Madison Experience most inspired you to follow your current career path in public health?

Woodfield: I would have to say that it was my Madison Experience that inspired me to embark on a career defined by service. The culture of JMU breeds a spirit of service. Through my involvement with the community service-learning office; REACH, Reality Educators Advocating Campus Health; Alternative Spring Break and the Student Government Association, I was surrounded by student mentors who taught me the value of service. Because of this experience, I can’t imagine having a career that does not fill me with the same motivation that I felt every day at JMU.

The “Be the Change” student spirit was evident during spring 2003 when students and alumni banded together to protect the health of JMU women.

Controversy and change

The JMU Board of Visitors changed a health policy that affected women students. Because of political pressures and misinformation, the board voted to prohibit the emergency contraceptive pill from being distributed at the university health center. It enraged me that political pressures could come in the way of the health of university women. A fellow member of the Student Government Association and I knew we had to take action. We crafted a bill of opinion requesting the board of visitors reverse their decision. I sent an e-mail to leaders of JMU organizations asking them to collect signatures endorsing the bill. This movement spread like wildfire. Within an hour students were making speeches and collecting signatures in lecture halls, D-hall, the Commons and the Quad. It was remarkable. The movement garnered 2,714 signatures within 36 hours. Alumni and parents quickly got on board and sent letters expressing their opinion. This movement caught the attention of the press and resulted in coverage by TIME, The Washington Post and MSNBC. After nine months of subsequent efforts, the students were victorious and the board of visitors reversed their vote — distribution rights of the emergency contraceptive pill were returned to the university health center.

I wish I could say the controversy ended there, but it did not. Soon after the decision was reversed, a Virginia state delegate submitted a bill that would prohibit the distribution of the emergency contraceptive pill from all public university health centers in Virginia. Representing Planned Parenthood and REACH Peer Educators, sponsored by the University Health Center, I lobbied against the bill and attended the legislative hearing. Again, we were successful, and the bill failed.

Now the emergency contraceptive pill is available nationwide at pharmacies without a prescription.

MadisonOnline: What is your most memorable experience from your work in REACH Peer Educators Program?

The culture of JMU breeds a spirit of service. ... Because of this experience, I can’t imagine having a career that does not fill me with the same motivation that I felt every day at JMU.

Woodfield: My most memorable experience with REACH was being able to represent JMU, Virginia and five surrounding states to the national peer education organization, The BACCHUS Network, as a Student Advisory Council member. REACH is an award-winning peer education program, and I was honored to be able to represent JMU students.

A Presidential Management Fellow

MadisonOnline: Tell us more about the Presidential Management Fellowship you received.

Woodfield: I was honored to be selected for the federal government’s Presidential Management Fellowship. So often you have a dream about what you want to do in your lifetime and the level of change you want to create, but you have not figured out the path to make it happen. Towards the end of graduate school, I had a dream, a degree from JMU and a Master’s in Public Health, but did not know the next step to take. I felt like I did towards the end of high school — about to wander into the unknown.

The day I learned I had been accepted into this fellowship felt like the day I learned I had been accepted into JMU — I was inspired, honored and excited. Just as 100 years of JMU alumni had paved a path for me once, 30 years of PMF alumni were now showing me the path to federal service. You know how people at JMU hold doors open for each other? I felt as if this program was holding the door to federal service open for me. Now I’m walking through it and working with leading scientists to create a world less hindered by cancer.

MadisonOnline: You have a history educating people about smoking cessation, safe sex practices and cancer prevention. What do you believe is the most important current issue for public health services on campus?

Woodfield: I actually don’t believe that there is one health issue that is most important for public health services at JMU. Different students have different needs, and I believe that JMU provides wonderful resources for assisting students in their time of need and preventing health crises. For example, One in Four and CARE work to prevent sexual assault, Safe Rides works to prevent drunk driving, Varner House provides counseling, the University Health Center can help students quit smoking, and REACH educates students on alcohol, safer sex, tobacco and body image.

The value of peer education

MadisonOnline: What advice can you give to students who are attempting to influence the health awareness of their peers?

Woodfield: Being a peer educator and trying to encourage your peers to make healthy decisions is not always easy. You can find yourself in difficult situations where you have to make tough judgment calls. Being a part of organizations, like REACH Peer Educators, can help you gain the confidence necessary to be a resource to your peers. Organizations like REACH also teach you the health knowledge necessary to be a trusted source for health information. The knowledge and skills that I gained from being a peer educator motivated me to pursue my master’s degree in public health and embark on a health promotion career.

MadisonOnline: In your current career, what do you feel is your most significant role?

Working at National Cancer Institute

Woodfield: I am an employee of the National Cancer Institute where I assist scientists in communicating the results of their cancer studies to doctors, patient advocates, and the public. I also help to create and implement policies that improve the effectiveness of cancer prevention and treatment research. One set of public health policies that I have assisted with in grad school and in my current job is smoking bans. The National Cancer Institute is part of the federal government and conducts or funds cancer prevention or treatment research.

About the interviewer

Jessica Lewis ('08) interned for JMU's "Be the Change" communications campaign and is now a writer.