Hello! My name is Audrey and I am completing my practicum with the NC Department of Health and Human Services, specifically with the NC Tuberculosis (TB) Program.
Project Details: My practicum focuses on the completing the 4-phase project, “Civil Surgeon Educational Survey and Evaluation on Latent TB Infection (LTBI) diagnosis and treatment.” This project focuses on strengthening the partnership with the community to combat active tuberculosis by increasing treatment initiation and completion of latent tuberculosis infection for those at higher risk of LTBI.
One of the groups that is at higher risk for LTBI is immigrants from countries where tuberculosis is endemic. For example, some countries with a high TB burden include Vietnam, Mexico, and Ukraine. Whenever someone is pursuing a change in permanent resident status in the United States, they must be evaluated by a civil surgeon. Therefore, civil surgeons are in a unique position to address tuberculosis care since immigrants and refugees seeking a change in immigration status must complete a medical examination by a civil surgeon, which includes evaluation for tuberculosis. Civil surgeons are valuable partners in identifying individuals with latent tuberculosis and can be the first line of education surrounding treatment and referral to the health department, if necessary.
My practicum project builds off work completed by former students that assessed NC civil surgeon knowledge of tuberculosis care. The last phase of the project (which I will be completing) is the creation of a webinar that provides civil surgeons with the most updated information on TB and LTBI care.
Selection Process: This practicum role was posted in the Practicum Opportunities Newsletter, which is an email sent to MPH students that includes new opportunities that have been vetted by Gillings. I was looking for a role in the infectious disease space, and one that provided me with a new experience to practice my communication skills. I am a dual-degree pharmacy and public health student, and in my future career I want to feel confident when talking to multiple different people about health topics, including patients and providers. This experience provides me with an opportunity to directly talk to providers about infectious disease prevention!
This experience has already allowed me to work and grow independently as I plan the educational materials for this project. We are planning to hold 3 live webinars to present this information to civil surgeons around the state.
Thanks for reading!
-Audrey