Soniya Manju is a first-year MPH student at UC Berkeley in the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program. She completed her undergraduate degree in Public Health at UC Irvine with a minor in Medical Anthropology. With a passion for reducing health disparities among communities of color, Soniya is exploring her many interests within the MCAH field, including childhood development, child mental health, maternal mortality, and reproductive health.
Currently interning with the HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Division of MCAH Workforce Development (DMCHWD), which is designed to educate, engage, and support future leaders in MCAH by expanding and strengthening a diverse workforce that understands the unique challenges of mothers, children, and families from various cultural backgrounds, Soniya is enjoying the opportunity to apply her experience and passion for public health to a professional setting that focuses on MCAH. Her projects are centered around MCHB's Strategic Plan, which includes access, equity, capacity, and impact. Some of her projects have included supporting trainee engagement activities through the Trainee Ambassador Group, conducting a scan of the MCH Timeline and writing new entries for COVID-19 and the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program (PMHCA), analyzing and consolidating performance measure data for PMHCA programs, attending a site visit at UCSF for the Pediatric Pulmonary Centers (PPC) program, working on a health equity project that addresses infant and maternal health disparities, and conducting an interview project on the impact of MCH training programs on careers in MCH governmental public health.
Soniya's internship with MCHB has been a great stepping stone in her personal career trajectory, as it has allowed her to apply what she has been learning in academia into practice in a professional setting. Her passion for advancing community health, advocating for underrepresented populations, reducing MCAH inequities, and diversifying the MCAH workforce aligns well with MCHB's mission. She is excited to complete her practicum with the Title V Internship Program for California this summer and will continue to work with MCHB in the Fall 2023.
Connect with Soniya!
Email: soniya_manju@berkeley.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniyamanju/
Instagram: @soniyamanju