#WeAreEmoryEpi: Meet the 2022-23 Communications Team

This week on #WeAreEmoryEpi, we’re introducing the new communications team for the Epidemiology Department! Erica Schipper is an incoming student in charge of The Confounder. Chisom Okereke will be running our @rollinsepilife on Instagram, and the Twitter account, @EmoryEpi, is run by myself, Tosin Olojo.

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

Erica: I graduated from the College of William & Mary in Virginia this spring! I majored in Kinesiology & Health Sciences with a concentration in Public Health and a minor in math.

Chisom: I went to Johns Hopkins University where I majored in Public Health Studies. I graduated in 2019.

Tosin: I graduated in 2018 from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. I majored in Microbiology and had a minor in Science, Technology & Society.

What are your primary research interests?

Erica: I am most interested in studying chronic disease and social determinants of health at Rollins. 

Chisom: I am interested in infectious disease, primarily in youth populations as well as correctoinal healthcare epidemiology. Juvenile Correctional Healthcare is a major interest of mine as it combines both of my major interests.

Tosin: My primary research interests include infectious disease, specifically in disease surveillance. Surveillance allows us to get a true understanding of a disease and its trends, and it helps to monitor the control, elimination and potential eradication of disease. It can also help to prevent outbreaks.

What is your role on the communications team? What is something new you are looking forward to in regard to your new communications position?

Erica: I will be the Communications Associate, and my role will mostly be to update the Confounder. I am really excited to get started and to start connecting with people within our department.

Chisom: I will be taking on the role of the Social Media Associate. More specifically, I will be running the Instagram page for the Epidemiology Department.

Tosin: I will be a Social Media Associate, working primarily with Twitter. I am excited to help share all the great things people at Rollins are doing.

What are you most excited about for this coming fall semester?

Erica: It will be my first year at Emory, so I’m most excited to get to know the area and become part of the Rollins community.

Chisom: I am excited to continue working on my thesis and to further engage with work that I am deeply passionate about.

Tosin: I’m excited to learn more about topics that I love and to see more of Atlanta!

How have you been spending your summer?

Erica: I’ve been spending the summer living and working in my hometown of Alexandria, Virginia.

Chisom: I went abroad to Jamaica for my APE as a Health through Walls volunteer. I worked, in person, at various correctional facilities across the island to provide healthcare that would strengthen the already-present disease prevention and control protocols. Upon returning to the states, I also have been working remotely to establish a peer-education program within one of the adult facilities.

Tosin: I’m participating in a project with the Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health to investigate the burden of antibiotic resistance among Atlanta residents through wastewater surveillance. I’m also helping to conduct a meta-analysis on gastroenteritis associated with adenovirus, which has been recently associated with severe pediatric hepatitis. I will also be doing some things in my home state of Michigan and doing some travelling over the summer.

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

Erica:

1. I really like crafting hobbies like cross stitching and sewing.
2. I love cooking and baking, and always love trying new recipes from the Food Network. 
3. I’ve lived in the DC area for my whole life, and I am a big Washington Nationals fan.

Chisom:

1. I was born on Christmas.
2. I have a chaotic little dog named Obi. His name actually means “heart” in my native language (Igbo), and it’s not at all Star Wars related.
3. I was a teacher before coming to Rollins.

Tosin:

1. I am a huge sports fan. I actively root for the Yankees, but I genuinely love sports. I will do work with sports as background noise.
2. I love watching movies and TV, but I’ve never seen Harry Potter, Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. I haven’t even watched the Star Wars shows on Disney+, probably won’t watch the Lord of the Rings show, and have only seen one of the Fantastic Beasts movie.
3. I was born at midnight. The nurse asked my mom whether she wanted me to be born January 11th or January 12th. She chose the latter.

Thanks for checking out the latest #WeAreEmoryEpi! We can’t wait to return in the fall, and we can’t wait to share with you our next guest for #WeAreEmoryEpi.