The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Essay Example

First of all, I was immediately impressed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s overall mission which is to basically save lives and prevent injuries related to automobile accidents and other forms of transportation that travel America’s roads and highways every single minute of every single day. This mission also includes ways to help reduce the economic costs associated with automobile accidents which can be lowered by educating the driving public, instituting strict safety standards, and of course enforcing local, state, and federal traffic laws and regulations. I was also impressed by the NHTSA’s dedication to leadership related to creating new approaches to help prevent automobile accidents that tragically often result in serious life-altering injuries and death (“ASPPH/NHTSA Public Health Fellowship Program”).

Because of my lifelong interest in public safety and public health, I feel that if I am selected as a fellow for the ASPPH/ NTSPH Public Health Fellowship Program, I will be able to contribute significantly to helping solve the problems associated with traffic accidents in the United States. I say this because  like the NHTSA, I fully understand the complexities of the relationship between public health, traffic safety, and the prevention of injuries.

I also understand and appreciate how important it is to work for the good of the American public on federally-based projects which in the long-term will affect the lives of every single American, particularly those that choose to drive their own private vehicles on America’s highways (“ASPPH/NHTSA Public Health Fellowship Program”).

As a potential candidate, I was also drawn to some of the position responsibilities that go along with the fellowship. For example, conducting literature reviews on topics related to reducing impaired driving in the United States would be an interesting project, due to the fact that I consider myself to be an excellent researcher. Also, analyzing data related to safety surveys is similar to what I did during the writing of my Master’s thesis paper which focused upon environmental public health.

I was also drawn to the possible opportunity to work with a professional team related to designing, reviewing, and evaluating various research studies that could be utilized in the future to help lower traffic fatalities or to inform the driving public on how to be more safe-conscious drivers. Since I am also quite adept at writing, composing research summaries on various traffic safety topics is especially appealing.

In addition to these opportunities, a few others which I found particularly appealing includes participating in fellowship-related meetings, conferences, and field observations;  participating on teams and working with other NHTSA and DOT offices on “cross-cutting opportunities such as data analysis, program development, and special events;” and especially, training opportunities at the Johns Hopkins University Summer Institute on Injury Prevention, and taking courses on Geographic Information Systems (“ASPPH/NHTSA Public Health Fellowship Program”).

As to my qualifications, I am proud to announce that I hold a Master’s degree in Public Health from —————– University and that I concentrated in Environmental Health which the World Health Organization (WHO) defines as “all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person” that affects behavior and health. It also “encompasses the assessment and control of environmental factors that can potentially affect” a person’s overall  health. Environmental health also makes it possible to prevent certain types of diseases and illnesses that affect a majority of the people, often referred to as being endemic (“Environmental Health”).

Some of the classes I took while earning my Master’s degree includes toxicology which provided some knowledge on how alcohol and drugs help to impair driving; risk assessment in relation to the risks that drivers face when they fail to use a seat belt or some type of restraint device for their young children; environmental health law; occupational safety and health in accordance with the laws and regulations of OSHA; several classes in sociology that discussed why some drivers are so aggressive behind the wheel of a car and why some people insist on driving after going without sleep for several days; and biostatistics which involves designing experiments and tests and collecting and analyzing data and information that results from them. Clearly, having some familiarity with biostatistics is an excellent qualification in relation to researching and evaluating a wide range of traffic issues.

In regards to some of my personal strengths, I consider myself to be an excellent researcher and scholar who enjoys the act of uncovering new information so that it can be used to better people’s lives. I also consider myself to be an excellent writer who can take data and information and make it understandable to the reader. In addition, I work well with other people and seem to have a talent for working within a group setting. In fact, I have been told that I have more leadership qualities than those of a follower. I believe that this is at least partially true because I tend to take the lead when working with other people.

In regards to my long-term career plans, if I am accepted as a fellow into the ASPPH/ NTSPH Public Health Fellowship Program, I am convinced that whatever I end up doing in the future will be tied directly to what I learn and experience in the program. Most assuredly, I will be more like a professional in the field of public health as a result of the program which in my humble opinion is one of the best of its kind in the United States today.

Works Cited

“ASPPH/NHTSA Public Health Fellowship Program.” 2015. Web. Accessed May 22, 2015. <https://fellowships.aspph.org/programs/details.cfm?programID=8>.

“Environmental Health.” 2015. Web. Accessed May 28, 2015. <http://www.who.int/topics/environmental_health/en>.