I am currently an MPH student in the Leadership in Practice concentration at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and I am a veterinarian by training. This summer, I am completing my practicum with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Specifically, I will be working with COPA (Communities Organized to Prevent Arboviruses), which is a locally-led project designed to organize and mobilize communities to prevent diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. The CDC Dengue Branch provides global leadership in dengue risk assessment, research, and effective public health practices.
One of my main goals during my practicum is to practice the data analysis skills I gained during my MPH coursework and be able to apply them in real life. I am assisting the CDC epidemiology team with data analysis of various projects, including perceptions and acceptability of the implementation of Wolbachia suppression in communities. I am also involved in the Caguas AGO Project, which is a community-based study in Caguas, Puerto Rico to measure the impact of autocidal gravid ovitraps (AGO) in reducing Aedes mosquito density and human infections with dengue.
So far my practicum has exceeded my expectations! I have really enjoyed living in San Juan, spending time on the beach, and exploring all of the amazing things Puerto Rico has to offer. During the second half of my practicum, I’m looking forward to being able to assist COPA with more of their fieldwork activities, including home visits to collect blood samples from patients and administer surveys assessing their health status and perception of various mosquito-control methods. I also hope to work more closely with the entomology team and learn about how they conduct arboviral research.
-Stephanie