Public Health Club

HONING IN ON HEALTH

Text by AKHIL JOONDEPH Photos by AUDREY JOACHIM CRAFTING RESOURCES FOR PALY COMMUNITY

“ IJUST REMEMBER IN freshman year, there were just a ton of fire alarms,” junior Vienna Liu says. “I remember a good amount of them bemembers encouraging teens to donate to the Community Fund’s COVID-19 relief efforts. Last semester, the club focused its efoptions, the transition to online meetings has opened the door to many others. “Being online has given us opportunities to have a lot more [guest] speakers,” Liu ing attributed to vaping, to a point where forts on HIV prevention and worked with says. “It has been a lot more accessible for it was shown to be an issue at Paly. I think Stanford pediatrician Geoffrey Hart-Coo- them to just pop into a meeting with us.”

that was my first expe“ per throughout The ability to collaborate with experts rience with realizing what a public health This should matter to the semester. “Hart-Coolike Hart-Cooper, as well as public health specialist Marcia M. Zorilla, has helped the issue was.” teenagers as well, not per chose to focus club dive deeper into their areas of focus

Motivated by student-centric public just adults. ... If we’re on HIV in youth because there is a and work on more long-term projects this semester. health issues like vap- thinking about our com- disproportionate- As Liu and Yamashita continue to ing, mental health and sexual safety, Liu and munity in the long run, ly high number of people in our expand their club, they hope to see more youth engagement in public health issues, fellow junior Sam Ya- we have the most to lose.” age group who especially through participation in local mashita founded the Palo Alto High School — SAM YAMASHITA, junior go unprotected, whether it’s just projects and interest in field advancements. “This [public health] should matter to

Public Health Club in because they’re teenagers as well, not just adults,” Yamashi2019. Little did they know at the time that young, or don’t feel like talking about it ta says. “If we’re thinking about our comless than a year later, the COVID-19 pan- because of the stigma surrounding STDs,” munity in the long run, we [teens] have the demic would dramatically alter the public Liu says. most to lose.” v health landscape. After learning about HIV and “It [the pandemic] has just really the preventative pill known as opened my eyes to how big and how im- PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxportant of a field public health is,” Liu says. is) during club meetings, Liu

“Everything involved with public health, and Yamashita worked with including our goals as a club, is amplified club members to create infoat this time.” graphics to spread awareness Inspired by the dire need for public for HIV prevention stratehealth resources, club members are plan- gies through social media. ning a COVID-19-related project for the The club’s infographics spring, and hope to do so by teaming up reached thousands of with the Palo Alto Community Fund, an people online through organization that distributes community partnerships with the donations to specialized institutions in and organizations Pubaround Palo Alto. lic Health For You, “They [the Community Fund] have Teen Health 101 done great work with COVID, but also just and Public Health supporting our community in general,” Ya- Institute. mashita says. Despite the Liu and Yamashita hope to lead their pandemic limiting club in creating short video clips of club some of the club’s

PANDEMIC PASSION — While the COVID-19 pandemic has limited some of the Paly Public Health Club’s opportunities, it has made its founders, juniors Vienna Liu and Sam Yamashita, realize the importance of their work as a club. “Last year we were a little more relaxed,” Yamashita says. “Now we are much more serious about ... teaching our club members and helping everyone spread awareness.”