#InsideAPE: Noah Mancuso and Coptic Hope Center for Infectious Diseases

Meet Noah Mancuso! Noah is a second-year student on track to obtain a Master of Science in Public Health in Global Epidemiology. His primary research interest is HIV treatment and prevention. For his APE, Noah is working with one of our faculty members in Kenya!

Tell us about your academic history/where you went to school.

I studied both Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Global Health at Duke University as part of the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program.

What are your primary research interests?

I’m interested in studying infectious diseases, specifically HIV treatment and prevention.

Tell us about your APE project.

I am working with Dr. Michael Chung and the Treatment, Research, and Expert Education (TREE) Program at the Coptic Hope Center for Infectious Diseases in Nairobi, Kenya. We are looking at cervical cancer recurrence among a large cohort of women living with HIV. My job is to help inventory biospecimens in the lab, to link them to patient electronic medical records, and to create an epi database for analysis.

How did you find your APE project?

Dr. Chung was a guest judge at the Global Health Case Competition I competed in, and his feedback/knowledge was super helpful. I then saw him listed as a faculty member attending the Epi Interactions event that the department hosted, and I decided to ask him more about his work.

When did you start looking for an APE? When did you start working for your APE organization?

I started looking for my APE over winter break and into the spring semester. I did not secure it until March. I started working on my APE in Atlanta in May, and I arrived in Kenya in June.

Are you pursuing/interested in any certificates? If so, was it difficult to meet your APE requirements?

I am doing the infectious disease epidemiology certificate, which is available for people across different departments to do. Since I am working with women living with HIV, it was not difficult to meet the certificate APE requirements.

What has the experience been like so far?

The experience has been great so far! The transition to Nairobi was very easy. My colleagues have been very welcoming of me and easy to work with, and there has been lots to explore and discover.

Any advice for people looking for an APE?

Don’t be afraid to ask your professors AND classmates if they know of any opportunities or faculty working in your field of interest. And don’t stress if everyone else around you appears to have their APE already figured out. 🙂

If you’re interested in working internationally, I’d also highly recommend looking into the Global Field Experience (GFE) Financial Award early on in your APE search, so that you can be prepared to apply for funding.

How have you been spending your free time this summer? Anything interesting that you’re doing?

So far, I have been able to do a lot of hiking and camping around Kenya, which has been super cool! I also connected with the Jump Rope Association of Kenya and have been jumping with local teams at their practices and community performances around Nairobi.

What are three fun facts you want people to know about you?

1. I am a professional jump rope athlete.
2. I love to cook for friends.
3. My cat, Penelope, is cuter than yours.

Thanks for talking with us, Noah! Tune in next week to see who we speak to next!