When Andrea Davis does follow-up interviews with heart program patients, she’s not just working at a job, she’s living her purpose. “My mother died of heart disease at age 42, and that’s a very young age to die,” says Davis, who was 15 at the time. “It made me want to learn more about cardiac disease research and public health.”

Reaching that goal, however, required navigating a winding career path. Davis majored in psychology as an undergraduate and then went on to a job at a bank. “I knew that was not my dream, my goal, or my vision,” says the Raleigh, N.C., resident, “but the hours were the same every day, and I was able to take classes at night.”

Her family history and volunteer experience with the American Heart Association had given Davis an interest in community health, so she began with two non-credit classes in medical terminology. “I found that I loved learning about health and medical issues,” she says.

The next step was Walden University’s Master of Public Health program, which Davis started in September of 2004. “I loved the master’s program,” she says, “and I decided that I wanted to keep on going forward at Walden.” At the end of 2005, while in the last quarter of her master’s program, Davis began her doctoral studies in public health with a personal focus on heart research.

“When I went to the first residency, that’s when I knew, ‘This is going to be great,’” she says. “The faculty tries to help you in any way they can.” She also had the support of her godmother, a heart-attack survivor, with whom Davis had lived after her mother died. “She’s been a blessing, and she came with me and my husband for the last residency and graduation,” says Davis. “I have self-motivation, but she encourages me along the way.”

While earning her degrees, Davis pursued her goal of working in public health. In addition to her full-time job at the bank, she began working part-time with RTI (Research Triangle Institute) as a field interviewer on an environmental study. The experience gave Davis a love of working on studies, so she applied for a contract position as a researcher and gave notice at the bank.

“I wanted to take that leap of faith, because I couldn’t see myself retiring as a banker,” she says. “I see myself as a community health educator.” A contract job doing clinical research for a pharmaceutical company ended after just six weeks, but Davis had also applied for a job at Duke University, and they soon brought her in for an interview.

In April 2007 she started her job as a data technician for Duke’s clinical research institute. She works on various follow-up cardiac studies and interviews people around the world about medical treatments affecting patients’ lives. “I’d always wanted to work for Duke or the University of North Carolina, and I ended up going from the last class of the master’s to a position at Duke,” she says. “It just fell right into place—I went from banking to where I wanted to be.” And she believes that her Walden education made the difference.

In addition, Davis says, “I think the Ph.D. is going to help me get further along at Duke, and will help me gain more from my experiences. I have so many long-term goals—including implementing a health promotion and a stress program for the community and hospital workers. The Ph.D. will help me promote social change in the community.”

To learn about special benefits for Walden graduates who return for additional programs, call 1-866-492-5336.

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