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What are we doing now?

You’ve read our email courtship and now you are wondering…what are they doing now? 

We have settled into life as Mr. & Mrs. Laflamme on E. Pratt Street in the Butchers Hill neighborhood of Baltimore. 

David is ending his third year of a ~4-year Ph.D. program at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. His studies are within the Department of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

David is interested in learning how the Internet can be used as a health education tool, particularly with underserved populations. He has successfully completed his departmental and school wide oral qualifying exams, and is now "ABD" (all but dissertation).  His dissertation will likely examine health effects associated with a new Digital Village project in the East Baltimore Empowerment Zone.  He is currently seeking funding, and is optimistic that it will come through soon.

He continues on the training grant he was awarded from the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Through this award focusing on Cancer Epidemiology, he is provided with full tuition, health insurance, and a modest stipend for 3 years. In return, he is concentrating his training and dissertation on cancer-related research.  The cancer communication implications of his interest in how the web can be used in health education meet this requirement.

Working with his advisor, Barbara Curbow, David is the Study Coordinator for a three-year study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This work studies the effects of workplace monitoring and supervision on alcohol and drug use/abuse and stress among communications workers.

June 3rd marked not only David's birthday, but one year since Kelly moved from her apartment in da Bronx.  It's been quite a year!  

She is greatly enjoying her work at The Annie E. Casey Foundation.  As a Program Assistant, she is working on the Foundation's 22 city initiative called Making Connections.  Her work focuses in two cities -- Baltimore and Washington, DC.  The initiative is based on the belief that strengthening families will strengthen communities (and vice versa).   It is a place-based strategy, that focuses on certain neighborhoods within these large cities.  Quite coincidentally, Making Connections is focusing on East Baltimore and neighborhoods just north of Butchers Hill (where Kelly and David live).   

In DC, Making Connections focuses in low-income neighborhoods East of the Anacostia River.  Kelly's current work is the development of a Local Learning Partnership (LLP) for DC.   The LLP brings together data experts like the Urban Institute and community intermediaries like DC Agenda  with residents for the "democratization of data."  This means making data and information accessible for community organizations and residents so that they can advocate for change in their community.

In Baltimore, Kelly is helping to launch the Stronger Families, Stronger Neighborhoods Baltimore Small Grants Program for East Baltimore neighborhoods.  She also just led a delegation of over 20 East Baltimore community leaders to the National Community Building Network Conference.  This group of neighborhood leaders will become key partners in moving Making Connections forward in Baltimore.

Now that we have both been here in Charm City for nearly a year, we have settled into our new married life.  We've gotten involved with the Butchers Hill Neighborhood Association and have a regular column in the neighborhood newsletter.  Our apartment has been transformed, with enough room for visitors now.  Visitors are welcome!!  We enjoy our proximity to Patterson Park, the Inner Harbor and Fells Point for morning runs and romantic evening walks.

Inspired by our honeymoon adventure to the Canadian Rockies, we have begun to take advantage of national and state parks in the area.  We have been backpacking in the Shenandoahs, and David has started flyfishing on the Gunpowder River just north of Baltimore.

We're looking forward to many adventures this summer - including a trip to Ireland for Irene and Jay's wedding.  While we are in Europe, we'll visit Amy and Jason in Geneva and Kelly will celebrate her BIG 3-0 in London.   In August, David will join Kelly for a Casey Families Count Conference in Aspen, Colorado.