Cortland Nesley

Briefly describe your current role as a public health practitioner.

As Traumatic Brain Injury Services program manager at the West Virginia University Center for Excellence in Disabilities, I manage the state's designated lead agency for the coordination of free services to West Virginians with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Our team of social workers assesses people's needs post-injury and connects them to proper resources.

In addition to direct client work, our program helps build capacity for TBI service systems in the state. For example, we engage in education and training to ensure neurologically informed providers; build partnerships with other organizations and agencies for smoother system handoffs and data and information sharing; and conduct needs assessments so program activity is oriented towards the perspectives of the TBI community.

Why did you choose WVU for your public health education?

I began working for the TBI program before starting my master's degree program. My supervisor at the time recommended public health for me, because she knew I loved to think in systems and thought my interests would be well-suited for the program. She was spot on! Being a part-time student while engaging in my studies became this beautiful bi-directional experience. My work informed what I did at school, and what I learned at school refined what I did at work.

How did WVU and your experiences in the School of Public Health prepare you to be a public health professional?

It gave me the necessary tools to explore my existing impulses through a specific lens and structure. I went into the program with a strong sense of who I was as a practitioner. I knew what issues mattered to me and had a clear sense of my values. What I didn't have was a way to channel those thoughts and values into precise and actionable frameworks. I came out of the program far more confident in my ability to put ideas into action. Now, I know how to better communicate, plan, and conceptualize my thoughts.

What advice would you give today’s public health students?

Stay curious. Curiosity is your best friend as a public health practitioner. Don't fret "getting it right" in your schoolwork. Take this time as a student to explore and practice your critical thinking skills. Dare to be wrong -- and dare to ask questions about things you normally might not. No issue exists in a vacuum, and as such, your attention cannot be directed all in one place. You have to talk to people, read things that may not be in your wheelhouse, and get to know how our systems work from a myriad of perspectives. Good public health work comes from marrying careful planning with fluidity and serendipitous discovery.

What does public health mean to you?

To me, public health is the process of how people work together to shape systems so they can heal from as much harm as possible. This happens not only by finding ways to protect and promote people's health, but also by working to find out what health means to people in a given system. Public health is about communication, consensus-building, and trust.