NEVBD-TEC Summer Internship Program

Here's my update on weeks 7–10 working at the Virginia Department of Health under the supervision of the Epidemiology team! Week 7: This week, we had the amazing opportunity to shadow a local health department's tick and mosquito surveillance efforts. It was exciting to compare the surveillance methods used at the state and local health department levels. We also observed how the team responded to a positive test for West Nile virus, including treating local waterways with larvicide to help prevent further mosquito breeding and reduce the risk of further positive tests. Week 8: This week brought a lot of rain, which made it difficult for me to complete my tick drags. Instead, I spent time analyzing data and continued meeting with leaders from different departments within the Epidemiology team. These meetings have allowed me to expand my professional network while gaining a broader understanding of the many areas and initiatives within epidemiology. Weeks 9 and 10: During my ...

Here's my update on Weeks 4–6 working at the Virginia Department of Health under the supervision of the Epidemiology team! Week 4: Now that I have gotten the hang of conducting tick drags and have completed multiple drags on my own at the site I selected, I had the amazing opportunity to conduct a drag with the local health department's Epidemiology lead for the county where my site is located. The experience was incredibly informative because I was able to learn more about the relationship between the VDH and local health departments, as well as how responsibilities are divided between the two. Week 5: While I have continued conducting tick drags, my mentor also set up informational sessions to teach us how to organize our data using R so our findings are easier to visualize and analyze. We also had the opportunity to meet with the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ELC) grant team to learn more about the grants t...

For the past three weeks, I have been working at the Virginia Department of Health under the supervision of the Epidemiology team. It has been an incredible learning experience so far! Week 1: I completed initial training modules and attended state epidemiology calls and joint meetings with the Department of Forestry on invasive species. To support our upcoming field work, we learned about Wavyleaf grass and Beech Leaf Disease so that if encountered we know what it is and to report it! This week we have also gotten into tick basics and practicing microscope identification. This was hard for me since I don't have a lot of practice in insect identification but the keys and trainings have been incredibly helpful for me! Week 2:  This week we transitioned into the field to conduct our first tick drags! After a group training session to learn the technique, we did a second drag at a location I selected. I have been assigned the task of finding a site in which I can conduct routine drag...