After AMIGOS, Jon moved to London to get his M.Sc. in Health, Community and Development from The London School of Economics and Political Science, where he won the Himmelweit Prize for getting the highest grade in the program. He now juggles his career (managing health promotion projects in 37 countries for the FDI), his work with Digital Roots (an NGO that he founded to empower communities around the world to investigate, document and share their culture and history by using digital technologies), editing a magazine (Developing Dentistry), and promoting his new book (The Oral Health Atlas).  

 

AMIGOS: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you’re up to today.

 

John: After leaving my RD job in Houston with AMIGOS, I moved to London where I got my M.Sc. in Health, Community and Development from The London School of Economics and Political Science.

 

I currently work as Manager, Public Health and Advocacy Projects at the FDI World Dental Federation based in Geneva, Switzerland.  I have worked for the FDI for nearly two years, the FDI relocated to Switzerland from France a few months ago.  At the FDI I helped to manage a Public Private Partnership with Unilever, working with a small team to manage and evaluate  40 health promotion projects in 37 countries. We are currently in the processes of designing the second phase of this project. I also represent the FDI and oral health at international organizations such as the World Health Organization, and the World Economic Forum. I am an editor for Developing Dentistry (magazine) and a co-author of The Oral Health Atlas (a book published this September).

 

I am also the founder and director of Digital Roots, an NGO that seeks to empower communities around the world to investigate, document and share their culture and history by using  digital technologies to create physical and virtual exhibitions and museums.

 

AMIGOS: Tell us about what you have accomplished or what you are currently working on that you are proud of.

John: 

 

AMIGOS: Tell us how AMIGOS affected your life. Did it help you get to where you are today?

John: AMIGOS opened me up to the world outside of the US, and got me interested in public health and community development. It is where I learned Spanish, and where I gained self confidence and many other invaluable life skills. It  made the difference in my attending Kalamazoo College and getting a scholarship, and influenced my choice to study aboard in Oaxaca, Mexico. 

My RD job with AMIGOS provided me with the on the ground, grass-roots project management experience I needed to get my place at LSE and my current job at the FDI.  Many of my best friends and memories are from AMIGOS.