Izzy Kates is a second-year student in the Global Epidemiology program interested in infectious disease epidemiology. This week we caught up with him to learn more about his background, how he’s spent time during the pandemic, and more!
Tell us a little bit about your academic history/where you went to school.
I majored in Behavioral and Community Health at University of Maryland, College Park, and minored in International Development and Conflict Management.
What are your primary research interests?
I am interested in infectious disease epidemiology, One Health, and immuno-epidemiology.
How have you been navigating the work (& learn) from home experience during the COVID-19 outbreak?
It’s been difficult, not going to lie. But it helps to have my dog and a constant supply of chocolate!
Are there any exciting projects that you are currently working on that you’d like to share with us?
I work with a team out of UC-Berkeley screening pre-prints related to COVID-19 for rapid review by subject matter and methodological experts. It’s been a great way to learn about new research and get involved!
What is your favorite part about earning your MPH at Emory?
Definitely my favorite part of earning my MPH at Emory is the student community, which is so strong and supportive.
What advice do you have for 1st year MPH Students?
My first piece of advice is to make relationships with faculty. Email them and ask about their projects.
What books are you currently reading, or what podcasts are you currently listening to?
I’m currently reading 1491 by Charles Mann, which is all about the Americas before Columbus. I’m also reading Truman Capote’s true-crime classic In Cold Blood. My favorite podcasts right now are all sports-related, but I also love epi podcasts, like Casual Inference and Free Associations!
What are three fun facts that you want people to know about you?
1. I was highly allergic to milk until I was ~20, so the first bite of pizza I had was in my 20s
2. I grew up Orthodox Jewish (no phones on Saturdays!)
3. My father started a new career in his 60s and now teaches English to high school and college students in Ukraine.
Thanks to Izzy for taking the time to share about himself! We’ll be back next week with another #WeAreEmoryEpi Spotlight.
Lauren Chase is a second-year Epi MPH student interested in public health preparedness. She has been directly involved in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic by contact tracing for the Georgia Department of Public Health!
Tell us a little bit about your academic history/where you went to school.
I graduated in 2019 with my B.S. in Public and Community Health from Ithaca College.
What are your primary research interests?
I am primarily interested in emergency preparedness and disaster response.
How have you been navigating the work (& learn) from home experience during the COVID-19 outbreak?
I have definitely made sure to give myself free time and time away from my computer throughout the day whether I am taking a walk or getting a snack. I think going for walks and getting out of my apartment is great way for me to reset and spend time outside.
Are there any exciting projects that you are currently working on that you’d like to share with us?
What is your favorite part about earning your MPH at Emory?
My favorite part of getting my MPH here is the connections that Emory has and the quality of the professors. It is amazing to get taught by experts in their fields who have real-life experiences that they share with us.
What advice do you have for 1st year MPH Students?
My advice for first year students is to remember grad school is hard and doing it in a pandemic is harder. Don’t underestimate yourself. You got this!
What books are you currently reading, or what podcasts are you currently listening to?
I am currently reading “Where the Crawdad Sings” by Delia Owens but I just finished the book “Tear Me Apart” by J.T. Ellison and thought it was great.
What are three fun facts that you want people to know about you?
1. Halloween is my favorite holiday. I have decorated my whole apartment and am very excited to show off my Halloween costume this year (even if just virtually).
2. One quarantine skill that I have mastered is finding discounts to Hello Fresh.
3. A few months ago I spontaneously bought an Xbox and I have no regrets.
Thanks to Lauren for catching up with us and stay tuned for more #WeAreEmoryEPI next week!
Alexander Webber is a second-year MPH student in Epidemiology who researches planning and response to parasitic diseases. We got a chance to ask him more about his academic and personal interests!
Tell us a little bit about your academic history/where you went to school.
I received my B.S. in Biology with a minor in Biomathematics from SUNY Geneseo in Western NY.
What are your primary research interests?
I am interested in parasitic disease, and the applications of network modeling in planning and response.
How have you been navigating the work (& learn) from home experience during the COVID-19 outbreak?
It’s not ideal, but I always prioritize mental health over coursework when trying to balance the two. Most importantly, I talk to my friends. I have wonderful friends here at Rollins and I speak to my friends from undergrad almost every day.
Are there any exciting projects that you are currently working on that you’d like to share with us?
I’ve been working as a case investigation team lead with the Fulton County Board of Health since June. It’s been very fulfilling to be involved with local COVID response.
What is your favorite part about earning your MPH at Emory?
The people, hands down. I’ve learned a lot from coursework, but getting to know my peers has been an incredible experience.
What advice do you have for 1st year MPH Students?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and work together. If you’re struggling, chances are your classmates are too.
What books are you currently reading, or what podcasts are you currently listening to?
I recently finished reading “Mythos” by Stephen Fry. I highly recommend it for any other mythology fans out there.
What are three fun facts that you want people to know about you?
1) I have a healthy obsession with Greek mythology…all mythology, really. 2) My idea of a fun night is coding and playing video games (whiskey optional). 3) I love to travel. As soon as it’s safe, I’ll be returning to England and Iceland.
Thanks to Alex for taking the time to introduce himself to us. We’ll be back with another #WeAreEmoryEpi feature next week!
Megan Mileusnic is a first-year Global Epidemiology MPH student and was kind enough to talk to us about her research interests, experiences at Emory, and hobbies!
Tell us a little bit about your academic history
I graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. in 2017, where I studied Communication, Spanish, and International Business
What are your primary research interests?
I’m interested in the social determinants of health, reproductive health, and environmental health.
How have you been navigating the work (& learn) from home experience during the COVID-19 outbreak?
Establishing boundaries in regards to my work/study/relax time has helped me start grad school in a healthy way. Capitalizing on time when I feel productive to get things done – and letting myself relax when I feel like I’m at my limit – helps me stay positive and on track.
Are there any exciting projects that you are currently working on that you’d like to share with us?
I’m so excited to join the hands-on AISH hotspotting program, which connects students with interdisciplinary teams at Grady Memorial Hospital to identify high healthcare utilizers and work with patients to address factors contributing to their frequent hospitalization.
What is your favorite part about earning your MPH at Emory?
I love being surrounded by peers and experts who are passionate about public health and have their own unique interests and focus areas.
What advice do you have for people who may be interested in getting their MPH?
Just go for it, and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!
What books are you currently reading, or what podcasts are you currently listening to?
I just started “Women Don’t Owe You Pretty” by Florence Given, and I recently finished “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande – highly recommend!!
What are three fun facts that you want people to know about you?
1. I used to work in human rights and sustainability consulting for leading consumer brands (and could talk about this forever)
2. I studied abroad in Madrid for a year during undergrad and am looking forward to living abroad again someday
3. I love gardening, hiking, and doing almost anything in nature
Thanks to Megan for her time and thanks for reading this week’s #WeAreEmoryEpi spotlight!
Daniel Milan is a second-year MPH candidate in Epidemiology with research focused on outbreak response and Latinx populations. He was kind enough to talk with us more about his academic and personal interests!
Tell us a little bit about your academic history.
I graduated with a B.S. in Public Health in 2019 from Georgia State University. There, my academic career in public health began with research in tobacco cessation.
What are your primary research interests?
My primary research interests are now in Outbreak Response and Latinx Populations.
How have you been navigating the work (& learn) from home experience during the COVID-19 outbreak?
Continuously connecting with my friends and organizations I am involved with via Zoom has kept me motivated during this online semester. Additionally, when I struggle to focus at my desk, I will take my laptop and go outside to work.
Are there any exciting projects that you are currently working on that you’d like to share with us?
Though I just began, I have started working on thesis related work. I am utilizing COVID-19 data obtained through my APE with Emory’s Outbreak Response Team.
What is your favorite part about earning your MPH at Emory?
My favorite part about earning my MPH at Emory is meeting other students who come from different academic backgrounds and are in different parts of their careers that have provided valuable perspective into classroom learning.
What advice do you have for 1st year MPH Students?
My advice for 1st year MPH Students would be to create a study group, friend group, or meet anyone with similar interests as you. Make connections. They will help you succeed in and outside of the classroom.
What books are you currently reading, or what podcasts are you currently listening to?
I am currently reading Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendal. Though I have not finished, I highly recommend based on what I have read so far.
What are three fun facts that you want people to know about you?
I love baseball, fishing, and eating Korean BBQ!
Thanks to Dan for taking the time to chat with us! Check back with the Confounder next week for another student spotlight!
The Emory Outbreak Response Team has been hard at work since our August feature, continuing to raise awareness about prevention strategies and bringing free COVID-19 testing to underserved communities in Georgia. Since then the team, led by Vice Chair Dr. Jodie Guest, has grown their community partnerships to include the city of Milledgeville and the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta.1
The rate of COVID-19 among the Latinx population in Georgia has been more than three times the state average,2 so their efforts this summer have provided critical access to testing services. The Outbreak Response Team tested over 500 people at the Mexican Consulate in early August, along with other Emory researchers who conducted additional testing events in Cumming and Warner Robins to address these COVID-19 disparities among Latinx communities. Over the past few months this team of students and faculty has engaged in crucial response activities and expanded their reach, all while maintaining their core focus on supporting communities affected by long term health inequalities and disproportionately burdened by COVID-19.
We recently spoke with two more members of the Outbreak Response Team about what they have learned and reflections on their experience this summer working on the frontlines of the pandemic.
Molly McAlvaney
Molly McAlvaney is also a second year in the EPI MPH program. During her undergraduate degree, she studied public health at the University of Tampa. Afterward, she worked at the American Lung Association for a year before coming to Rollins.
“Our team started working in Hall County, where we also helped deliver lunches and public health messaging about staying safe during the pandemic to school children. Since then our testing events have expanded to other counties and we will continue to offer COVID-19 tests to underprivileged communities throughout Georgia. We’ve also worked on different testing methods to determine which testing methods are the most accurate, as well as testing for antibodies.”
“The most challenging part of this experience has definitely been my struggle to effectively communicate with the primarily Hispanic/Latino population we have been working with. I do not speak Spanish, so I am very grateful for our bilingual team members and the community leaders we work with. It has also been challenging to work outside of epidemiology and having to focus on the health education and communication aspects. It has been a bit of an adjustment, but I have learned a lot about all that goes into providing public health messaging to various communities. It is a very eye-opening and rewarding experience.”
Kyle Lester
Kyle is a second year EPI MPH student, before starting at Rollins he worked as a paramedic for Grady Memorial Hospital. While working as a paramedic, he went back to school and earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University.
“One of the major challenges we have dealt with this summer is the extensive amount of preparation that must be done for each event, which can take weeks leading up to the actual testing event. The planning and coordination between multiple different agencies and municipalities, IRB approvals, and logistics with paperwork, staffing, and supplies has proven to be a multitude of moving hurdles. Yet, when these issues are resolved, and the testing events are successful, the weeks of work behind the scenes are worth it.”
“Coming from a medical background, I have been involved in sample collection at our testing events. I have also been working heavily on inputting and cleaning data so that it can be stored and analyzed. My biggest takeaway from these events is that I have found my place in the community engagement aspect of public health work. I enjoy the theory that we learn in our courses, but I have always felt that I wanted to take that a step further and see the faces representing the numbers on those slides and SAS outputs. While working as a paramedic, I gained an affinity for interacting with people at the individual level, and I enjoy representing Emory and public health to our participants.”
Thank you for following the Emory EPI Responds series this summer, it has been a pleasure and an inspiration to witness how so many of our students rose to the challenge and contributed to COVID-19 response, applying the skills they have learned in their MPH so far, and developing countless new ones as needs arose. The Confounder Team is looking forwarding to continue highlighting the great work our students do in the coming year to address the pressing public health needs of today!
Following up on our July feature, the Confounder Team is excited to highlight the great work of more students who spent their summer assisting with COVID-19 response at the Fulton County Board of Health (FCBOH). As you may recall from our first article on the FCBOH, a number of Emory EPI students have been hard at work conducting surveillance activities and contributing to Fulton County EPI reports on changes in COVID-19 trends. While public health as a field has certainly taken on a renewed sense of national importance in the wake of the United States’ struggles to control COVID-19, the multitude of actions that compose local public health work, from collaborations between multidisciplinary response teams to person-person interactions in case investigations, are more vital than ever.
Our latest @FultonHealth–@EmoryEPI Fulton Cty epi report is out. Gladly, case counts continue to trend down, as have test positivity rate. Areas of concern remain, including that 0-19 year olds continue to have highest test positivity rate (purple line). pic.twitter.com/2ZrMThXLOL
Check out the most recent Fulton EPI report shared by Dr. Neel Gandhi.
I recently spoke with two Emory EPI students who reflected on how challenging frontline public health work can be, especially in the current context, yet how these difficulties have also reinvigorated their passion for this field and commitment to bolstering local response efforts.
Sarah Hamid
Sarah is a fourth year PhD student who studied Human Biology at Brown University and History, and earned her MPH in Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Global Health at Yale University. Before coming to Rollins, she worked as a regional epidemiologist at the CDC’s Global Disease Detection Center in Egypt, then worked in the Philippines with the Emerging Disease Surveillance and Response unit at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific.
“I have mainly been working on case investigations and epidemiologic analysis. Doing case investigations gives you an appreciation for how surveillance data are generated and the limitations of various data points, which is important to understand when analyzing the data. In terms of analysis, I have been working with a couple of other PhD students to investigate the impact that missing data on race and ethnicity of COVID-19 cases has on our understanding of the disease burden in specific groups.”
“The pandemic hit suddenly so there was little time for training and preparation before diving into case investigations. Relaying quarantine instructions to case patients can be particularly hard when they make clear that they cannot afford not to go to work. Initially, cases had needs and questions that I, as an epidemiologist, felt unprepared to address, such as how to access unemployment benefits. The FCBOH helped us work through these issues as they came up and found local resources that we could pass on to people in need. It has been very rewarding to support the response in my community.”
Sarah also spent time this summer supporting the COVID-19 response with WHO Africa’s Health Emergency Information and Risk Assessment Unit. She has primarily been working on COVID-19 epidemiologic profiles and risk assessments to guide countries in the relaxation of lockdowns and reopening of economies through evidence-based decisions.
Daniel Thomas
Daniel is a second year MPH student in the department. Before starting at Rollins, he studied Microbiology at Auburn University where he also worked in an entomology lab that studied integrated pest management techniques in the rural southern US.
“I have had the good fortune to work alongside excellent MPH and PhD-level students and professors at Rollins who have all volunteered their time to Fulton County’s response. As a part of this team, I function largely as a case investigator, reaching out to individuals who have recently tested positive for COVID-19 in order to collect more information about their disease experience as well as elicit their close contacts for further investigation.”
“I wake up each day to an email from our team lead, and Fulton liaison, containing call assignments. After logging into the state’s notifiable diseases surveillance system, I start making calls. The enormous range of responses from the community to the pandemic have been fascinating to witness. By speaking with all of these individuals, I have been fortunate to get a glimpse into understanding the struggles people are going through. Many of the calls I have made have been incredibly draining and taken an emotional toll. However, the strength with which individuals face these challenges has been equally moving.”
Daniel’s experiences this summer has opened his eyes to the many shortcomings that exist within the government and preparedness space and also increased his admiration for local, public health professionals who work tirelessly, often without recognition for their efforts.
Thank you for following along with the Emory EPI Responds series, and next week stay tuned for the final installment in our summer features. We will be revisiting the Emory Outbreak Response Team and hearing from a few more of their members about what they have learned from their experiences conducting field work in Hall County.
Laken Smothers is a rising second-year Epidemiology MPH candidate who spent her summer as a COVID-19 contact tracer for the Georgia Department of Public Health. Her academic interests lie in clinical epidemiology, racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare, and infectious diseases. We asked her a few questions about her summer project and her overall experience at the GDPH.
1. Tell us about your project
This summer I worked remotely as a COVID-19 contact tracer with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) for one of my APEs. I served within the Rome district which covers several counties in Northwest Georgia. As a contact tracer I interviewed known contacts about their symptoms and tried to enroll them in DPH’s symptom monitoring program, which allowed the public health department to find out if any contacts had a change in their symptom status during the 14-day monitoring period.
2. How did you find your APE?
I found this APE through Rollins and Handshake. This opportunity was presented to us because many students found it difficult to find APEs after the pandemic began.
3. How was the experience? What were some of your highlights and some of the challenges you faced?
In our classes, we often talk about how to communicate our findings to our peers and colleagues within the public health field. We haven’t really covered how to communicate public health information to the general public. This job allowed me to utilize these skills and try to present rather complicated information in a way that most people can understand without a degree in epidemiology. I also learned how to be adaptable while working in an environment in which the fluidity of the pandemic caused me to have to absorb new recommendations or guidelines weekly.
The highlight of this job for me was being able to help out with the COVID response in a tangible way. At the beginning of the pandemic, I felt a strong urge to find ways to get involved despite the fact that I am a student and only recently entered the public health field. For every challenging call where someone hung up on me or spouted conspiracy theories, there were 20 calls in which people were grateful that we were reaching out, providing resources, and answering their questions. This job also motivated me to revive my Spanish language skills from high school. I covered counties with large Spanish-speaking populations and needed to know more than “Hola” in order to do the job well. I am grateful to be able to say that I have had the opportunity to view public health from the perspective of the local health department and the CDC in my public health career so far.
4. How did you survive lockdown this summer?
I have been surviving this lockdown by running and walking outside. Before the pandemic, I would always say that I hate running but now it helps me stay fit and motivated throughout the day. My other secret to surviving this summer has been cooking even though grocery shopping is its own challenge these days. Meal prepping good meals over the weekend is what keeps me going through the week.
Thanks again to Laken for taking the time to share with us! Stay tuned to The Confounder for more student spotlights.
When the announcement first came in March that Rollins, like many other educational institutions in the US, would be transitioning to distance learning, a group of EPI students came together, spurred by their desire to better understand the pandemic and maintain connections among their cohort, to form a COVID-19 journal club. With the support of Department Vice-Chair Dr. Jodie Guest and Dr. Anne Spaulding, the group was able to develop their idea of a virtual journal club and turn it into a reality. The journal club provides a space for students to learn more about different facets of COVID-19 response that align with their areas of interest, and practice their presentation skills in a comfortable environment.
The student leaders look for volunteers every week to lead discussions on thought-provoking articles on any topic of their choice. Each week a different member is able to showcase their unique background knowledge and experiences through their presentation, which makes for new and lively discussions every time they meet. Several of the student leaders have described how being a part of this journal club has not only given them a creative outlet to apply their epidemiologic knowledge and helped them to stay current on the latest COVID-19 literature, but also granted them a great opportunity to socialize and support one another during these often isolating times.
This week I spoke with three of the student leaders of the COVID-19 journal club, Lisa Chung, Clayton Carmon and Nellie Garlow, to learn more about their experiences this summer, what they have enjoyed most about being part of it, and what their plans are for the future of the journal club.
Left: Lisa received her degree in Physiology from Seattle Pacific University. After graduating in 2013, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. This summer, Lisa was also a member of the Hall County Outbreak response team.
Middle: Clayton began his bachelor’s degree in 2008 at Texas A&M but decided to take some time off in 2009 and worked a variety of jobs, including interning with a non-profit in Haiti, before returning to school in 2015. He graduated with a BS in public health from Texas A&M in 2019 before starting at Rollins.
Right: After earning her bachelor’s degree in public health, Nellie worked for a health policy research firm for 5 years where she specialized in qualitative research on maternal health and substance use disorder. Nellie is also a member of the Hall County Outbreak response team.
Q: What was your favorite article or discussion so far and what did you learn?
Lisa: I have thoroughly enjoyed every single discussion so far! We reviewed such a wide range of topics on COVID-19 from genetic/molecular background of the pathogen to One Health, racial disparities, risk factors, social distancing, and so much more. We had two presentations on social distancing—one focus on global comparison and another on systematic reviews and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed articles. It provided more tangible results that I could communicate with my friends and family on the importance of maintaining physical distancing.
Clayton: I think the best discussion we had was on an article concerning social distancing and the differences across countries. We had a very good discussion on the challenges of social distancing measures in low-income countries as well as the challenges here in the US across different states.
Nellie: Tough one! We’ve had a lot of great articles, but if I had to choose one, I’d say the one that I can’t stop thinking about was on race and COVID-19 (led by Hillary Bonuedie ’21). It is so critical that we understand how data on race is collected and the extent of missing data when looking at COVID-19.
Q: Has being a part of this journal club or any of the topics you have discussed impacted your academic and professional interests?
Lisa: More so than anything, reading the articles taught me how tightly the work of public health is intertwined with every aspect of our lives and existing infrastructure. As an epidemiologist in training, I hope to carry this perspective forward with me.
Clayton: I wouldn’t say it’s changed my academic interests but, it has very much opened my eyes to the vastness of the field of Epidemiology. It has really been fascinating to see in more detail the many different paths and areas of research one can follow in Epidemiology as well as how impactful Epi can be in the wider world of science, healthcare, and policy.
Nellie: Definitely! Staying up to date on the pandemic has strengthened my interest in infectious disease and has made me more interested than ever in helping out with the response after graduation. On a personal note, I use a lot of the information I learn during journal club to answer questions from friends/family about the pandemic.
If you are interested in joining the COVID-19 journal club this fall, click here to sign up for the list serve and follow the instructions on the flyer below!
Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Emory EPI responds! We are excited to continue to highlight the great work our students have been doing this summer to continue learning about public health work in action and stay engaged, both inside and outside of the classroom. Stay tuned for upcoming features on more students who have been essential contributors in the Fulton County Board of Health’s response efforts and the Emory Outbreak Response Team!
The Emory EPI Outbreak Response Team, led by Department Vice Chair Dr. Jodie Guest, has been working diligently this summer to support Hall County’s COVID-19 response through a variety of initiatives. Their efforts have centered around bringing free COVID-19 testing to communities at higher risk of transmission, including Hispanic & Latino poultry plant workers in northeast Georgia and Black communities in rural parts of the state.
Earlier this summer, Dr. Guest wrote a PROspective article in which she explained how relationship-building, actively listening to community members, and intentionally soliciting feedback have been essential strategies throughout her career to successfully engage in community partnerships. Despite having no prior connections to Hall County, when the call for assistance came in, she was able to build a successful partnership based on her work in similar communities by finding a shared goal. They are striving to, “change the course of the COVID-19 epidemic in a hard-hit community that already was struggling with generations of disparities and inequities.”
Click here to listen to an interview with Dr. Guest on WABE about the ‘generational Inequities’ the pandemic has exposed across rural Georgia.
The Outbreak Response Team also includes eight EPI MPH students. They have spent this summer assisting with testing events at poultry plants in Hall County, doing community outreach to increase COVID-19 awareness, and providing support for families who are struggling during this time. Testing events involve a consenting process; conducting lab tests like nasal swabs, blood spots, and blood draws; and providing educational resources to participants. In May and June their team also worked with the Gainesville City School District to deliver meals and masks to children from lower income families. While delivering meals they also distributed educational flyers and activities for parents and children to learn more ways to stay safe and healthy during the pandemic.
Outbreak Response Team Top Row (left to right): Dr. Guest, Alicia Jaramillo-Underwood, Kyle Lester, Molly McAlvaney, Saarav Patel; Bottom Row: Zoe Schneider, Nellie Garlow, Danny Milan, Lisa Chung
Despite the challenges of working and communicating with participants in full PPE outside in the hot Georgia summer, this group of students has thoughtfully considered ways to engage with the community and use their public health skills to effectively teach people about prevention strategies. For example, in the last few months many of them have gained a new appreciation for the importance of eye contact and body language when trying to connect with participants while wearing masks.
This week we spoke with two members of the outbreak response team about their experiences working at the front line of the pandemic and what they have learned about community-engaged public health work.
Alicia Jaramillo-Underwood
Alicia graduated from Georgetown University in 2010 with a psychology major and Spanish minor. After undergrad, she worked a variety of office jobs in Washington DC and Denver before coming to Rollins.
“I’ve been most involved with Spanish interpretation at our testing events, which has been an amazing way to keep in touch with my Colombian heritage. I have also been providing the team with weekly updates on COVID-19 case counts in specific counties of interest around Georgia, giving me basic insights into presenting epidemiologic data.”
“My biggest takeaway about doing community-engaged public health work is how humbling it is. There is a big difference between being in the classroom learning about bias, SAS, and risk ratios and being in the field interacting with people who rely on us for our public health knowledge and skills. It’s a responsibility I never took lightly, but this has brought it to a whole new level.”
As the summer is concluding, Alicia is looking forward to diving into her second year EPI courses and applying what she will be learning about epidemiologic modeling to COVID-19. She is excited to learn about how models are made so that she can better educate her family and friends about the changing trends and predictions surrounding the pandemic.
Saarav Patel
Saarav received his Pre-Med Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Global Public Health, with a minor in Spanish, from New York University in 2019.
“Conducting participant-based, in-person research is one of my passions because of how it allows me to directly connect with the communities we are aiming to help. Participants are able to see me as a friendly face, and I can see them as a human rather than just a row in a spreadsheet. Seeing children excited to pick out a mask in their favorite color or watching friends learn how to properly social distance is what validates our hard work at the end of the day.”
“Working long hours in full PPE on extremely hot days does get difficult, but the impact of our work keeps morale high. I am always excited for another testing day because of how well our team works together, even in the face of the pandemic. This work has solidified my intentions to continue working in community-based research.”
In his second year at Rollins, Saarav is looking forward to starting work on his Capstone and beginning the job search process. In the future, he is hoping to combine the skills he has gained through the field-work this summer with his experience working with urban LGBT populations in sexually transmitted infection prevention.
Thank you for reading this week’s edition of Emory EPI responds, stay tuned for another feature on members of the Emory EPI Outbreak Response Team later on in this series, and for more highlights of the incredible work our students have been doing this summer to put their epidemiology skills to use responding to the pandemic and supporting the most severely affected communities.
GCDTR Seminar Series Presents: "Utilizing Genomics to Study the Role of Ancestry in Racial Disparities" May 6, 2024 at 12:00 am – 1:00 am
Guest Lecture
Event Type: Guest LectureSeries: HybridSpeaker: Melissa B. Davis, PhDContact Name: Wendy GillContact Email: wggill@emory.eduRoom Location: RRR_R809Link: https://tinyurl.com/Melissa-Davis"Utilizing Genomics to Study the Role of Ancestry in Racial Disparities"
2024 Charles C. Shepard Award Symposium May 8, 2024 at 12:00 pm – 1:15 pmzoom.us…
Online Location: https://zoom.us/j/96537866614The Charles C. Shepard Award is given to thegraduating masters student who is deemed bythe faculty to have prepared the most scholarlyresearch paper. Please join us to recognize andcelebrate this year’s finalists who will present aposter of their work.
RSPH Staff Council Presents: Cheers and Beers - Schoolhouse Edition May 16, 2024 at 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Networking and Special Event
Event Type: Networking,Special EventContact Name: Staff CouncilContact Email: rsphstaffcouncil@emory.eduRSPH staff and post-docs are invited to an evening of camaraderie and delicious bites, presented by the RSPH Staff Council. Space is limited. Watch your email for a link to RSVP.
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