Understanding The Epidemiology Of Infectious Diseases

The invaluable skills that I have gained and learned through my after school clubs, Future Business Leaders of America, (FBLA) and National Honor Society( NHS), has stirred up a desire in me to help my community and to make a difference in the lives of people, by majoring in the Public Health field. Through Public Health, I will help those in my community at large to live healthy lives; mentally, socially, physically and culturally. Healthcare is an essential need in life and is a great field that would allow me to make a difference.

At a young age, I grew an interest for Epidemiology. Coming from a family with a history of obesity and diabetes, I have always been curious and felt the need to understand the cause of global diseases and their burden on society. Throughout my life, I lived in fear that those closest to me would soon pass. Given the opportunity to wake up every day healthy, I feel like it is my responsibility to cure the world of diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and obesity. Unaware of what needed to be done to do so, I decided to join the USC Science Technology And Research Program at my high school to get an insight of the science world.

I have been given many opportunities to help others and make an impact in Johnson City through organizations like the Family Medicine Interest Group at ETSU, serving as the coordinator for student involvement in free clinics. I have also been able to make an impact through medicine in Cleveland, TN by way of the Good Samaritan Clinic. This is a free clinic in downtown Cleveland that I have been volunteering at for the past seven years. I have also been directly involved in the start-up of the Just Care clinic in Mountain City, TN, a medical student ran free clinic in rural Appalachia. I was also been able to spend time in rural Guatemala with a medical team from my undergraduate university helping diagnose, treat, and care for patients whom receive little to no regular healthcare. From my own first hand experiences in both Guatemala and my time spent in the Just Care and Good Samaritan Clinics, I have seen the impact that an inadequate health care system can have on a population. I hope to use my medical and public health training in areas that do not have adequate access to health

While interacting with current medical students pursuing the MD/MPH dual degree at a UTHSCSA student panel, I realized that obtaining an MPH would align greatly with my interests and career goals, allowing me to expand the scope of my medical education and enhance my critical thinking skills. I enjoy how public health combines various aspects needed to treat disease and improve health outcomes, and I know that integrating the MPH core concepts with my medical degree, will help me to become a well-rounded and better physician who approaches healthcare through both an individual and population-based perspective. An education in public health will provide me with various opportunities ranging from the creation and development of community health projects, to contributing to the modification of current health policies. I will seize the opportunity to work with professionals from all occupations including educators, clinicians, executives, and I will become an advocate and a credible voice for positive change through a better understanding of the healthcare system that is in place

Since freshman year, I have taken college level health science related courses that taught me the technical aspects of medical terminology, along with the complex questions of bioethics. From a practical aspect, I learned about the values and perplexities of the Hippocratic Oath, while getting CPR/AED/First Aid certified. Through my extracurriculars, I learned the value of synergizing science and compassion. I learned the devastation illness has on family members when I volunteered at the Alzheimer’s Care facility. I danced to Marvin Gaye with the terminally ill residents as their family members looked on with a surreal expression on their face because their mom or dad was enjoying that very instance of their life. At my internship at a physical therapy practice, I learned the importance of patient autonomy from older patients who would forego major operations like hip or knee replacements to preserve their quality of life without facing the potential implications of a major operation. At the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life, I learned how important holistic health care factored into the treatment process as cancer survivors and fighters emphasized the importance of a strong emotional and spiritual support network. These profound insights I learned outside the classroom brought my education full circle. At Georgetown, with the National

Walking through Louisiana in the middle of summer is no picnic. Not only is the temperature sweltering, but the mosquitos are ferocious. Every year my church sponsors a missionary trip down the Tigre Bayou to vaccinate at risk communities, and to educate population centers about the importance of exercise and diet. Although the United States has some of the best doctors in the world, we have many population centers that have little to no access to medical care, which places them at risk. The healthcare disparity in the U.S.A is egregious and unfortunately is a reality in rural America. I am passionate about not only healthcare disparity, but diseases that afflict at risk populations, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The purpose of this personal essay is to communicate why I would like to study public health at Campbell University, how my past education has prepared me to be a public health professional, my reasons and motivation for enrolling in a public health program and my career plans upon completion of the public health program.

My unwavering interest in infectious diseases began in middle school when I read the book, The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston that intricately describes the Ebola virus. While the description of how the virus destroys the human body are unpleasant, this virus fascinated me. Consequently, in my spare time I read about other infectious diseases, such as cholera and tuberculosis, on Wikipedia and other web pages for my personal enjoyment. Years later, I participated in Princeton Model Congress in high school where I first learned about public health. Participants made mock congressional bills to be passed in a congress comprised of high school and college students in order to implement a national change. My mock bill advocated for the incorporation of HIV tests within annual physicals. The purpose of this bill was to ensure that more people became knowledgeable about their status and with this knowledge, HIV positive individuals can receive care faster and take proactive measures to prevent infecting others with this virus. As I researched various facts about the HIV epidemic and how HIV impacts communities in Washington, D.C., my interest in public health evolved even though I did not know of the official name, public health. At the time, I wanted to be a lawyer and averted from anything science or math related. Yet, I cared about my community and I wanted to make a difference. I rediscovered my interest in public health in college as a biology major.

I chose to complete a Master of Science in Public Health for several reasons. First, I have an interest in research and wanted to build on my proficiency of analytical methods in the field of health. Second, the role of prevention in medicine is invaluable, especially as chronic disease prevalence continues to rise. Last and most important – I believe that in combination, medicine and public health can integrate both the individual and systems paradigms to establish an all encompassing approach to health care that addresses both prevention and treatment

During high school, I was actively involved in my local AHEC, which offered a program for high school students in the area to learn more about the health field through various camps and programs. One of the programs that I attended was at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the focus of the program was to expose first generation college students to the various allied health programs at UNC. Throughout the program professors and admission representatives from various departments gave a short presentation to the attendees, but the presentation from the Gillings School of Global Public Health was the one that resonated with me the most. That day I was introduced to a

By the time I had turned 18, I had already travelled to five countries and studied abroad in two, (Nigeria and Japan). During my travels I developed a curiosity in the well being of the people that I came in contact with. I began to notice that I was subconsciously comparing and contrasting the difference in healthcare people had and the possible reasons why some resources were not available to them when they should have been. It was then that I knew that I wanted to research and understand the causes, prevention, and control of human diseases. In order to make a difference in my own way, public health is where I want to be and my past experiences have encouraged me to pursue a career that pushes me to become creative, resilient, and dedicated to my community.

My interest for public health stems from the need to aid numerous people in disease and injury prevention, health protection, and strategies for health promotion. I hope to earn a Master of Public Health with a focus in the area of health care management as well as hospital administration in relation to public health policy development and education. I aspire to develop enhanced intervention policies that can provide the population with direct access to primary health care due to public health preparedness education and strategic planning.

After finishing my Undergraduate, I have seen it wise to purse masters in public health, an area that I have much interest in. Having pursed a Bachelor of Science, Biological Sciences, minor in psychology, expanding my knowledge in the field of public health has been my next option. The vast knowledge that I have gained learning and working can help me while pursuing this program. Given the chance I would be able to fulfill my career goals.

I was drawn to the idea of not only focusing on one-on-one patient care that doctors provide, but also solving problems that affect the health of entire populations. The study of disease and health within populations; for instance, preventing disease, promoting health, and reducing health problems between groups are the main reasons I want to pursue an M.P.H focusing on epidemiology. These are my strongest interests because I believe they are important in improving our world’s health.

During this assignment, I will be exploring the epidemiology of an infectious disease found on the Public Health Agency of Canada website known as Pertussis. This particular disease is also known as Whooping Cough due to the sound made while inhaling during a coughing spell. The information contained in this report will be taken from the Public Health Agency of Canada’s website which can be found at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca.

“Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including disease), and the application of this study to the control of diseases and other health problems (WHO, 2015)”. “Various methods can be used to carry out epidemiological investigations: surveillance and descriptive studies can be used to study distribution; analytical studies are used to study determinants (WHO, 2015)”.This paper discusses about epidemiology of HIV infection, including factors that contribute the development of the disease, epidemiologic triangle, role of community health nurse and the national organization that address the communicable disease.