Making Lasting Changes in the Community

Meet Erikka Gilliam, Data Manager for the West Philadelphia Promise Neighborhood

Erikka Gilliam, MS, MPH, is the data manager for a large, multi-sectoral, data systems project as part of the larger United States Department of Education-funded Promise Neighborhoods grant in West Philadelphia.

The West Philadelphia Promise Neighborhood (WPPN) is a place-based initiative that aims to provide comprehensive supports to children and their families living or attending school in an approximate 2-squaremile area surrounding Drexel University.

“This particular job is very near and dear to my heart because I’m from the neighborhood in which we serve,” said Gilliam, who is on staff at the Dornsife School of Public Health. “I grew up within walking distance of Drexel. I understand how important it is to have support from the time you are born to the time you are ready for a career. I didn’t have those supports. It is very important to me to be able to give back to the community that helped to mold me into the person I am today.”

Gilliam supervises data collection, sharing, and storage for the project, making sure it is done in a secure manner. Most important, her work focuses on developing strong relationships with community members and community leaders. These relationships are fostered by getting community feedback on needs and engaging them in all aspects of the research project.

This particular job is very near and dear to my heart because I’m from the neighborhood in which we serve. I grew up within walking distance of Drexel. I understand how important it is to have support from the time you are born to the time you are ready for a career.

An example of this collaboration is how WPPN appoints community members as surveyors for neighborhood survey distribution. The project ensures that community voices are heard by consistently acquiring feedback and disseminating findings back to the community.

“One of the things we identified early on was that there were some issues with children feeling unsafe going to and from school,” Gilliam said. WPPN responded by working with schools and community organizations to develop safety programming.

As the pandemic unfolded and schools closed their doors, it was discovered through conversations in the area that many students were missing the two free meals they usually received at school. In response, Gilliam and her team set up meal sites throughout the community where families could pick up those free meals. Additionally, Gilliam and her team developed communication materials to educate the community about the risks associated with COVID-19.

Another COVID-19 related project that was implemented by Gilliam and her team is the development of a COVID-19 survey to understand how families are impacted, determine the community needs, and to connect them with resources to address those needs.

When asked why she pursued a career in public health Gilliam stated, “I started out as a scientist. I worked in laboratory research, and while it was a very rewarding career — I’ve always enjoyed research — I found I was much more interested in making lasting changes in the community. I wanted to do something that would impact people in a more personal way.”

Her work at Dornsife through WPPN has allowed her to do just that, Gilliam said.

“I think public health is different [from other fields] in that it incorporates so many other fields,” Gilliam added. “It’s one of the most interdisciplinary fields that impacts health.”

Learn more: at drexel.edu/uhc/research/projects/west-philadelphia-promise-neighborhoods.