Upon graduation I worked with Indian Health Service in Washington State for about 3.5 years. While on the reservation I had the opportunity to care for patients across the lifespan during routine visits to the clinic as well as during urgent and emergent situations. As you can imagine while working on the reservation I observed and treated both intentional and unintentional injuries. This experience shaped me as a nurse and influenced me to continue my education in public health.

While pursuing an MPH from 2008-2010 at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, I worked at UNC’s Hospital. This time caring for adults seeing a variety of both surgical and medical patients in what is best described as an ER overflow unit. During the summer between my first and second years of grad school I had the opportunity to work with UNICEF India, in Hyderabad. As part of this I worked with a small international team of graduate students to evaluate/ document a case study of a statewide Adolescent Education Program. Upon return from India I responded to H1N1 assisting the county health department with mass vaccination clinics.

I began the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Public Health Prevention Service (PHPS) Fellowship, in the fall of 2010. During the first year of the fellowship I did a 6 month stent in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s, Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation. The second 6 month rotation I was placed in the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Response, working with the Division of the Strategic National Stockpile. In other words, the people you want to know if there is ever a biological terrorist attack. Now rounding out my fellowship rotations I am beginning my two years with Safe Kids GA.

I’m looking forward to a wide range of experiences over the next two years and am excited to be working with the local coalitions and making an impact on communities within Georgia to save lives and decrease unintentional injuries to children across the state.