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Aman Chopra- Folks, have you ever been curious about how grants work or wondered about how to make a career pivot in public health or even thought about the world of tobacco? Well, today's guest is gonna be a gem for all those areas. Jackie Saltarelli. Jackie is the program manager for New York City Treats Tobacco, a New York state funded grant that works to improve tobacco dependence treatment approaches at health systems in New York City. Prior, Jackie was a development coordinator in the corporate and foundation relations at NYU Langone where she worked on managing a portfolio of grants for various departments throughout the hospital. Jackie holds a Masters of Public Health in Population and Family Health and a Bachelor's with Honors in Sociology and Peace and Conflict Studies from the College of Holy Cross. With that said, Jackie, a warm welcome to the I Am GPH podcast. We're glad to have you here.
Jackie Saltarelli- Thank you very much. I'm excited to be here.
Aman Chopra- So the most, the one of the things that I was curious about was how you pivoted from sociology into public health. We have had a few people on the podcast that speak of pivots but a lot of people come from the healthcare industry. Is there anything you'd like to share with regards to how students that are interested in the public health space in today's world can pivot into the area from a completely different background?
Jackie Saltarelli- Sure, so when I was in undergrad, I decided to study sociology. I really loved thinking about how groups of people work and why people are the way they are. And I think I did not know how to apply that into a job after I graduated, but I knew I wanted to use it to try to help people and think about ways that I could make an impact on the people that I had studied throughout my degree. So after I had graduated, I went to work at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and then I've also worked at NYU Langone both in fundraising. So healthcare fundraising. And as I was working in both of those jobs, what I realized was it was great to be fundraising, but I really wanted to be actually coordinating the programs that I was fundraising for and thinking about ways that I can actually support some of those programs. So that's why I decided to pivot and go get my Master's degree in public health so I could learn more about kind of programs, program management, intervention design, and then apply what I've learned into a career. So now I'm working at New York City Treats Tobacco as the program manager, so it's a New York state funded grant within the Bureau of Tobacco Control that works with healthcare organizations throughout New York City to improve their tobacco dependence treatment policies and procedures.
Aman Chopra- So Jackie, we all know that smoking kills, but how did your GPH path come to the juncture of the world of tobacco? And since you've been all over the place, right, you went from sociology, then you went into all these different experiences, how have you ended up at the path of smoking right now?
Jackie Saltarelli- So after I, as I was in my Masters of public health, I obviously learned as most Masters of public health students do, about the serious impacts of tobacco dependence in the United States and also globally. When I studied public health in my Master's of public health, I was really focused on health promotion, research, and practice. So thinking about effective interventions to work with different populations and improve health. So when I saw this opportunity at New York City Treats Tobacco, I was particularly excited because I was able to apply some of those program management pieces into making effective health systems changes and improvements in relation to tobacco dependence.
Aman Chopra- Love it. Love it. So there's this area that you can help, I'd say the general NYU world, and even anyone else that's watching this podcast. It's a world of grants. And the word grant when it comes to me is, there's so many cool things, but I have no idea how to do it or navigate it. Could you just tell us about the fundamentals of grants and then we could go specific into your journey of grants after that?
Jackie Saltarelli- Sure. So there's a lot of different components to grants and there's many different ways to get a grant. So a lot of people know about NIH research grants, which is through the government. There are also different state funded grants which is actually what New York City Treats Tobacco is. Another really big route is to work directly with foundations or corporations which might open requests for applications or proposals for grants as well. So there are a bunch of different ways to apply and the application process varies depending on the different types of grants you're working on. So my experience has mainly been with foundations and corporate grants as well as this New York state grant.
Aman Chopra- So tell us more about those grants. What was your process like? How did you, what was the whole path of getting the grant? What does one have to do in this entire process?
Jackie Saltarelli- So typically what happens is an organization or entity will put out a request for applications. So they'll say, "we have a grant opportunity. Here's the different criteria. Please apply either with a proposal," or sometimes they go straight into an application. So you typically will work with your team to address all of the different components that they are trying to address in their grant. And there are grants for a lot of different topics, so ideally, you'll make sure that whatever your project is really aligns well with what the organization or entity is looking for. So then after you kind of go, sometimes you'll write a letter, and if you get moved to the next process, there's sometimes a more thorough application. That can vary, Each organization or foundation or New York State, for example, all of them kind of have a lot of different requirements, but typically it involves a narrative component where you really go in depth about what you would like to address, what you're working on, and your budget. So those pieces, I think one of the biggest, important components is to make sure that you are as thorough as possible, because they want to know that you've really thought through what your project will look like and how it will be budgeted. So the stronger those pieces are, the more likely that they'll get pushed through because of your credibility.
Aman Chopra- Hmm. This might be a little bit of a question that maybe you do have the answer to, maybe you don't have the answer to. What you mentioned is the aspect of budgeting. And when someone gives a budget, then there's a lot of discovery throughout a process once a grant has been received. So I'm more curious about, there seems to be a lot of risk as well when a grant ends. Projects might just add up, and then how does someone go about that? How can someone position themselves at the end of a grant if they're interested in this whole journey?
Jackie Saltarelli- Yeah, So I think one of the most important pieces is, obviously you start with a really strong budget and you just stay very organized. So you keep an Excel spreadsheet of what you've been spending, you keep, you know, an Excel spreadsheet of the budget, et cetera. Then as time goes on, like you mentioned, budgets will change, maybe you didn't hire someone, so there's extra funding from that salary, or maybe a certain component of the project didn't pan out, so you have extra funding and you are able to typically apply for a budget modification, so you let the sponsor of your grant know that you would like to modify your budget and typically go that goes through an approval process. So that's kind of how you work around with that. Depending on the grant, certain grants like our grant, the funding does not roll over into the next year, but it's often, sometimes with foundation grants, your money might roll over or there might be some flexibility at the end of the grant, but it really depends. Other foundations are very strict about their spending, so it just kind of varies. But yeah, staying on top of your budget and knowing what you're spending is pretty critical.
Aman Chopra- And then what made you take the path of a grant? There's many options in the public health world. Why have you chosen the path for a grant in this world?
Jackie Saltarelli- When I was looking at different jobs as I was finishing my Master's of public health, I was really thinking about different types of programs or projects that I could get involved in that would make a difference. So when I was seeing this opportunity to work on this grant, it's a five year grant, so it's kind of exciting, because you can think about in the span of five years what can be accomplished? And by limiting yourself to a timeframe like that, a lot of change can happen. So that's kind of invigorating to me to think about, you know, in the span of five years, what can be improved, what can change, how can you kind of modify and adjust as time goes on to make the program as effective as possible? So that's kind of what excites me about working on a grant.
Aman Chopra- So this is a five year commitment in your world right now. And what are some great things that have happened since you have started the journey in the tobacco world right now?
Jackie Saltarelli- So in, we just started finishing our first year of the New York City Treats Tobacco grant, and it's been a really exciting year in that, in the first few months, me and one other staff member, we just kind of dove in and we tried to understand the tobacco landscape, understand the different components of the grant, and what our deliverables were, et cetera. And as time has gone on, we've developed so many different materials to help support our staff in this different health systems changes that we're working on. So we've created a variety of tools, a training, and we've also started getting into relationships with healthcare organizations which is what our grant is really focused on. So we've been able to accomplish a lot. And then over the next four years, what we're hoping is that by creating that infrastructure that we did in our first year, it will really help us in the different achievements and accomplishments we plan on in the next four years.
Aman Chopra- Wow. So what's coming next in the world that you're operating and what are next steps? What are some things that we can focus on from the outside as well for more awareness or discovery in this area that we might not know about?
Jackie Saltarelli- So what we are mainly focused on, as I've mentioned, a little bit is working with healthcare organizations to make sure that they are incorporating tobacco dependence screening and treatment policies and procedures into their organizations. So what's coming next for us is we're planning on working with a lot more organizations to make sure that their policies and procedures are up to date. That being said, research has shown from New York state that people are twice as more likely to quit smoking if they go to talk to a doctor and receive help from their doctor. So it's a really important area to think about, because we see doctors all the time. So if doctors are increasingly screening their patients, offering them treatment, we'll be able to significantly target more people in New York City and New York state to help them quit smoking.
Aman Chopra- Is there a way for other students, not only NYU, but many students get involved in the New York City Treats Tobacco?
Jackie Saltarelli- Yeah, so starting in the fall, we're planning on opening some volunteer opportunities to students. So our plan is we, as part of the grant, we have a policy component. So we reach out to legislators throughout New York City and New York state to kind of let them know and educate them about the different opportunities, rhe different things going on in our grant, and also the tobacco landscape in New York City in general. So we're hoping to open that up to student volunteers, so if they're interested in connecting with legislators about different policies and different things that are happening with our grant, that's an opportunity for students to get involved.
Aman Chopra- Wow, all right. Well, students, for those of you that are interested, play that on repeat again, because there's a lot of cool stuff happening in that world for the fall if you're interested. So for students, and this might be, you might have had had a similar experience in this area. There's this huge importance in the world when you're going out into the grant world or even applying for a job of selling yourself. And how does it apply to your role and your current work, the concept of, you know, how do we show up, how do we sell ourselves, how is that important and what are some strategies that you have applied to land up where you are?
Jackie Saltarelli- I think it's really important to feel confident in the topic area that you're working in, especially when you're meeting with various stakeholders. So for example, in our grant, we're involved, we have a lot of different New York City partners and stakeholders. So we're not only working with leaders at different healthcare organizations, but we're also working with members of the New York City Department of Health Bureau of Tobacco Control. We're working with a lot of different stakeholders throughout New York City. So just knowing your topic area and feeling confident about it will really help you stand out professionally when you are engaging with different stakeholders throughout your career.
Aman Chopra- All right. Well, we leave these few questions for the end. They're more fun questions, and some people don't find them so much fun. So let's see how they work with you. If you had a magic wand and you can eradicate or get rid of one issue that is in the public health world, which one would it be for you?
Jackie Saltarelli- Wow, that is a really difficult question, and it's hard to narrow down. Obviously tobacco would be one of them as someone who works with New York City Treats Tobacco, because it does impact 14% of New Yorkers, but I'd have to think more broadly to fully answer your question.
Aman Chopra- That's fine. And what keeps you going? Why do you do what you do every day? It's very, it's something that is very compelling that I've noticed in all the guests there. Like you said, there's knowing what you know in your area, as for as you suggested to the other students, what is it for you that that keeps you going every day in this field?
Jackie Saltarelli- I think that's something I have had to learn throughout my career is public health requires patience. So often you really want something to change quickly. You just see a solution and you want it to happen, and it takes a lot longer than you would think for change to happen. So what motivates me is the fact that I've kind of become comfortable with that and knowing that over time change can be made is really invigorating to me. So even in the last year, seeing the small changes that have been made I know will lead to an impact on our grant five years down the road, so that's kind of what motivates me. But it can be really challenging, especially for people who are just in their MPH thinking about all the different amazing opportunities to make positive changes. I just think it's important to remember to be patient and if you can use that kind of patience your advantage, a lot can be done.
Aman Chopra- Love it. Well, folks, please do check out New York City Treats Tobacco. If you're interested, there's stuff opening up in the fall, and you can always, we'll have everything in the description for sharing everything that Jackie is working on right now. So make sure to check that out. Jackie, thank you so much for coming on this podcast. It was lovely having you.
Jackie Saltarelli- Yes, it was great to chat and everybody, please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or you're interested in kind of working with us in the future.
Aman Chopra- How could people reach out to you? What's the best place to reach out?
Jackie Saltarelli- So you could check out our website, which is on the GPH website, or you could reach out to nyctt@nyu.edu for more info and one of us will follow up.
Aman Chopra- Cool folks, that's nyctt@nyu.edu. Thank you so much, Jackie, and we'll talk to you in another one in the future as well.
Jackie Saltarelli- Sounds great. Talk to you then.