“[Phoebe’s] work is driven by the desire to ‘ensure people have resources to be healthy, safe, and whole.’ For [her], public health is the best way to do that.”
The last time we interviewed Phoebe, it was June of 2017. Phoebe was serving as a Board Member of CCI, a biomedical engineering undergraduate student, and a self-professed TV-person with a foodstagram.
Since then, lots has changed. While Phoebe still enjoys sitcoms like Abbott Elementary, TV-watching isn’t quite as big of a personality trait, and while still a foodie, their foodstagram is not active. Phoebe has also graduated from her undergrad and masters; she holds a masters in Epidemiology with a certificate in Health Equity from the University of Pittsburgh. Today, Phoebe works as a research project coordinator at Pitt Public Health. Specifically, her work examines structural racism and inequities and their impacts on sexual and reproductive health. Her work is driven by the desire to “ensure people have resources to be healthy, safe, and whole.” For Phoebe, public health is the best way to do that.
Phoebe is no longer a CCI Board Member. Instead, their time today is centered around the Asian American community. She works part-time for the AAPI Pennsylvania Power Caucus and the Asian American Women’s Political Initiative (AAWPI). They also volunteer on the Board of Directors for the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) and with the APALA Pittsburgh Chapter. However, when asked about their time with CCI, Phoebe credits it as where she “got her start” and was first introduced to nonprofit work. Being involved with the adoptee community was pivotal to their understanding of transracial and transnational adoption within both a larger and more personal context. Today, Phoebe’s identity as an adoptee is just one of the many things that make her who she is. At some point, they hope to travel back to China. Until then, she’ll continue to keep busy and, when free time allows, explore Pittsburgh.
Humans of CCI profiled on Facebook in 2023.