Epidemiologist/Biological Scientist III(Bioterrorism and General Surveillance), Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade, Miami, FL
What did you like most about your MPH/MSPH program?
The University’s MPH program encourages its students to work in a public health setting in order to complete their capstone projects. I had the opportunity to work with the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at the Florida Department of Health. While there, I gained first-hand experience working in public health and disease control.
How did your MPH or MSPH prepare you for what you’re doing now?
As part of my job at the Health Department, I attended a statewide epidemiology seminar, which included a hurricane preparedness exercise. During this training, we were taught how to use Epi Info 7 to create data collection surveys. I was already one step ahead of my colleagues as I had learned this software from UM professor, Dr. Andrew Dean, one of the original creators of Epi Info.
What advice would you give to prospective and current MPH/MSPH students looking to do something similar to you?
I recommend pursuing an internship in areas of public health. After interning at the Department of Health, I quickly discovered my passion for Epidemiology. From there, I began the job search early on, worked with career services and chose classes that filled sought after skills in the field.
