Stephanie’s first day doing yard inspections and looking for mosquito breeding sites
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.
Long walks on the beach and beautiful sunset views!
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.
Emma working alongside the COPA community engagement team at a yard inspection event in Ponce, Puerto Rico
I knew as an aspiring epidemiologist that I wanted to travel to different communities around the world to better understand communicable disease outbreaks and what public health infrastructures do to prevent and aid in these occurrences. As a first generation college student, I didn’t think this dream career was feasible, especially after living amidst a global pandemic. However, the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill granted me the opportunity to explore my interests and pursue a practicum that allowed me move one step closer in obtaining my dream career. My practicum is working alongside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD) is a sector of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID). The DVBD’s mission is to reduce illness and death from vector-borne illnesses by identifying and detecting vector- borne pathogens that cause disease in people, understanding when, where, how often, and how people are exposed to vector-borne pathogens, preventing exposure and mitigating consequences of infection, and implementing vector-borne disease diagnostics, surveillance, control, and prevention programs. The DVBD leads worldwide in research, prevention, and control in viruses and bacteria spread by vectors including mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas. Within the DVBD are four branches, including the Dengue Branch, which focuses on the four dengue viruses spread by mosquitoes. The Dengue Branch provides global guidance in risk assessment, research, and effective public health practices. The Dengue Branch implemented a project, the Communities Organized to Prevent Arboviruses (COPA), which is a multi-year prospective cohort study that prioritizes identifying leaders, mobilizing communities, monitoring arboviral (dengue, Zika, and chikungunya) diseases, and controlling Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The CDC, Ponce Research Institute (PRI), Puerto Rico Vector Control Unit (PRVCU), and Ponce Health Science University (PHSU) collaborate to conduct surveillance of arboviral diseases through annual interviews and blood collection for COPA participants, vector surveillance through mosquito traps, and implementation and evaluation of vector control interventions, including Wolbachia suppression. The CDC and their partners designed COPA to provide a platform for measuring the community acceptability and effectiveness of a novel vector control intervention in reducing Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and, subsequently, the transmission of dengue and other circulating arboviruses. The project serves the DVBD’s goal by providing a community-based platform for assessing acceptability and uptake of other arbovirus prevention measures (i.e., Dengvaxia dengue vaccine) and for investigating emerging public health threats (i.e., SARS-COV-2).
Enjoying a gorgeous sunset in Dorado, Puerto Rico
My practicum consists of working alongside the Epidemiology Team at the CDC Dengue Branch and assisting in their 4th year of the COPA project. Not only will I have the opportunity to view how a federal government organization functions, but I will also have the opportunity to collaborate with groups internal and external to the CDC in Puerto Rico and observe and, where possible, participate in surveillance and outbreak response activities. My goals for the practicum experience are aligned with the DVBD’s vision in creating a future where vector-borne diseases no longer threaten public health. More specifically, I anticipate active participation in COPA fieldwork, community outreach, and an evaluation involving cleaning and analyses of qualitative and quantitative data to be used to develop recommendations for improving participant retention and engagement activities for the COPA project and for future community-based observational research studies in the region. With my graduate-level knowledge, I am prepared to apply my expertise to real-world circumstances and further build my public health comprehension. I hope to gain from this practicum experience the knowledge and skills necessary for an aspiring epidemiologist, which include international community engagement, evaluation of data collection and study protocols, as well as data management of large datasets.
Visiting the national mall for a picnic after work
Greetings,
The stress of finding and securing a practicum has finally started to fade! The application process itself has been a valuable learning experience. I learned about the importance of building relationships with individuals in public health and also the importance of asking for help. I can say without much hesitation that I would not have been able to secure such a fitting internship without support from the practicum team, TA’s and professors. Reflecting on this has helped me set goals for next semester and the rest of my career.
View from my workspace
I am thankful to be working with a UNC team based in North Carolina and in Hanoi, Vietnam. The pilot program is called VITAL and is funded by NIDA and NIH. The project’s full title is Adaptation of the Friendship Bench counseling intervention to improve mental health and HIV care engagement outcome among people living with HIV who inject drugs. I will be working on two primary deliverables, including an exit interview to assess the acceptability of the program from a provider perspective. Also, I will be working on a targeted review of some of the existing literature on the topic. Both of these projects are things I am only slightly familiar with and especially for the targeted review, there will be a learning curve. However, I am excited to flex some new mental muscles and contribute to an important topic in the field of mental health.
Taking part in the Abortion Rights March in D.C. (I’m on the right)
So far, the practicum has been wonderful! My teammates and the leads have been extremely welcoming and I feel like my efforts are valued. I have been working on the provider exit interviews for the past few weeks and it has been a challenge to nail the right number of questions and also have limitations so that the amount of translation is not overwhelming. I have been examining exit type interviews used in similar projects, which has been very helpful as models. The remote aspect has not been a challenge and I feel we are all getting more used to a hybrid school and work environment. I am looking forward to working more with the VITAL team and getting a chance to gain new skills as I work on the targeted review.
