A Public Health Experience in Texas
Mallika Ajmani
2nd Year, MPH Epidemiology Student
Through MPH courses in epidemiology, applied biostatistics, and epidemiological data analysis using SAS and R, I have acquired an understanding of research techniques for interpreting quantitative data related to the differential prevalence of health conditions and associated risk behaviors. At the School of Public Health, I have worked on fantastic research projects and experienced amazing mentorship from faculty and my peers. University of Michigan School of public health is a place full of opportunities. I got an incredible chance to be a PHAST member and to do public health work in Texas. This would allow me to apply the skills I have learned in the field during the past two years.
I look forward to an amazing field experience in public health in Texas. We would be working on a project - long COVID in Bexar County, Texas. Over the past few weeks, we have interacted with our community partners at South Central Area Health Education Center in Texas. It has been great learning from them about our upcoming project. As a group, we conducted an extensive literature review on Bexar County to understand the community where the project will take place, its demographics, and the problem we will address. Based on this, we made an interview guide for our project. I am excited about the trip as this is my first-time exploring Texas and its community. I am excited about my travel with my peers and mentors, interacting with community and community partners in Texas, and trying the delicious food there! At school, our work seems more systematic and scheduled; however, on the field, work can be different in terms of changing schedules, agendas, and application of our silks as per the community requirements on the spot. This would help me learn how to act in a fast-changing environment, think quickly, and take real action promptly.