Carrie Henning-Smith earned her BA in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College and went on to earn her MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education and her MSW and Specialist in Aging Certificate from the University of Michigan. She was a Fellow from 2007 through 2009 with the Milwaukee County Department on Aging.

She has continued her learning as a current PhD student in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health. Her PhD research focuses on the interplay between living arrangements and disability for older adults. As a student, she has been able to conduct research on issues related to long-term care, access to care, mental health, and health disparities.

Carrie took full advantage of every opportunity she could during her time as a Fellow and she continues to draw on those lessons learned and applies them in her current work. She learned a lot from seeing “on-the-ground” implementation of policies and programs. It has stuck with her that “it’s one thing to research population health issues, but it’s another thing entirely to see them play out in real lives.” In addition, she is grateful for the connections she made with other Fellows and staff during the Fellowship.

Carrie has some great advice for current and prospective Fellows:

“Don't wait for opportunities to come to you - seek them out instead. You'll be amazed at how receptive people are to collaborating. The Fellowship presents such a rare and wonderful opportunity to be able to jump into a wide variety of work. Try to get some experience in everything you can, even if it's just observing someone for a few hours and even if it seems unrelated to your day-to-day work and interests.”