Project Manager
NDSU Center for Immunization Research and Education (CIRE)
Fargo, ND

What is your background? 

I grew up in Bottineau, North Dakota. I graduated from North Dakota State University in 2013, where I majored in microbiology and minored in chemistry. I was very involved in student organizations and campus activities, and I knew that I wanted a career where I could combine my interest in microbiology and infectious diseases with my passion for working with people. I thought public health would be a great fit, and I started the MPH program in the fall of 2013.

What did you specialize in at NDSU?

I completed my Master of Public Health degree at NDSU in the summer of 2015, and my specialization was the Management of Infectious Disease.

How did the NDSU MPH prepare you for the workforce?

NDSU’s Master of Public Health program prepared me for the workforce in many ways.

Through a number of in-class activities and course assignments, I learned and honed many of the skills that are needed in the current public health workforce, including critical thinking, effective written and communication skills, and the ability to analyze scientific data for its validity, accuracy, and importance. Our interactive professors promoted professional development and were genuinely interested in our professional aspirations and guided us and provided advice accordingly. The faculty have many years of experience in their respective fields, and they were able to share their experiences, relate them to what we were learning, and they helped us develop the skills that we will need as members of the evolving public health workforce.

The MPH faculty and staff were willing to work with me on finding a practicum experience out of state that not only met program objectives but was also educational, hands-on, and very fulfilling. My practicum experience gave me real insight into the workings of an urban city health department, and my experience was invaluable.

What is your current position or academic pursuit?

Currently, I am the Project Manager at the NDSU Center for Immunization Research and Education (CIRE). I am overseeing a project that we are working on for the North Dakota Department of Health looking at immunization attitudes, opinions, policies, and practices in the state of North Dakota. My research team is conducting focus groups and one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders around the state, and ultimately we will generate a report with suggestions for potential policy, process, or rule changes in North Dakota to try and improve immunization rates.

How are you impacting the health of North Dakotans 

When this project is complete, I hope that our recommendations will help improve immunization rates in the state of North Dakota. Currently, only 89 percent of North Dakota kindergarteners are fully immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, and this is well below the national average. Science tells us that an immunization rate of 95 percent is needed to stop outbreaks of highly infectious diseases, such as measles. Hopefully, our recommendations will help improve North Dakota’s immunization rates and prevent any future cases of vaccine-preventable diseases in our state.