Alumni Interviews
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Baishali Chaudhuri, 2020
Baishali Chaudhuri attended the 2020 outbreak camp. She especially liked the epidemiology case studies and emergency preparedness exercises. And was surprised to learn about all the career opportunities in public health. When Baishali returned to the outbreak camp in 2021 as peer mentor she enjoyed working with the team, the speakers and leading group discussions. Her advice to new students is “Keep an open mind about everything, all subjects were interesting.” Baishali’s outbreak project was Racial Disparities in Exposure to Air Pollution. Baishali has several research papers published in the International Student Biology Journal. |
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Laura Kostos, 2015
Laura Kostos attended the 2015 outbreak camp and keeps in touch with the friends she met via Instagram. She especially liked the epidemiology and the public health nurse presentations. During the pandemics exercise, she and the other students thought that would never happen today. Five years later she was working in occupational health on the front lines of the COVID pandemic. She is an experienced emergency medical technician (EMT) and majored in biology at UMASS Lowell. Currently, she is enrolled in the Tufts University Physician Assistant and Master’s in Public Health Programs. Her advice to outbreak students is, “Keep your eyes and mind open, take all opportunities the outbreak camp offers, and find a professional to shadow.” |
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Teri Clover, 2013
Teri was not only a participant for the first ever Outbreak! program, but a peer mentor throughout the years as the program has evolved. As a peer mentor, Teri was able to continue to participate in the program by offering guidance to students, and also helping shape the program into what it is today. Teri also is credited with many of the early photos and videos of the program as photography is one of her many passions. Thank you Teri! |
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Molly Robertson, 2013
Molly Robertson’s friend asked her to come with her to the first outbreak camp in 2013. The experience led to Molly’s decision to major in immunology and infectious disease at Penn State University and obtain a Master of Public Health in Global Health Epidemiology and Disease Control from George Washington University. She is currently working as a lab tech at the National Institute of Health Vaccine Research Center and likes research. She co-authored the article: Development of an accessible and scalable qPCR assay for Monkeypox virus detection published in the Journal of Infectious Disease. Her advice to outbreak students is, “Public health professionals are very welcoming since they want the next generation to enter the field.. public health intersects with many fields like environmental health…visit a laboratory in your area to learn about their research.” Molly’s friend, who also attended the camp, is a nurse and was on the frontlines of the COVID pandemic. |
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Outbreak! 2020
Outbreak! 2019
H I G H L I G H T S
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"Attending Outbreak! 2019 has been a week full of useful information that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Before coming to this summer program, I had only a vague idea about what public health was. However, it was when I came to this program that I really learned about what the field is about by learning from real-world professionals. I am proud to say that I am an alumnus of Outbreak!, and I will be continuing to contribute to the continuation of this rare opportunity through my work in graphic design/promotion." |
A C T I V I T I E S
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Monday
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Registration, Introduction, Icebreaker, and Tour
Disease Outbreak with Alexandra DeJesus from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Health Disparities with Rodrigo Monterrey from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Outbreak Alumni Leadership Program, Student Project, and Lab |
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Tuesday
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Lab – Mosquito Traps!
Mosquito-borne illness, Food-borne illness, and Bioterrorism with Matt Osborne and Tracy Stiles from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Public Health Celebrity Panel Rabies in Massachusetts! with Glen Gallagher, PhD |
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Wednesday
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Environmental PH Database with David Naparstek from the Newton Public Health Department
CDC: What does the CDC do for the USA and globally? with Susan E. Manning from the US Public Health Service/CDC Emergency Preparedness, Global Health, Community Health Centers, and Ethics |
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Thursday
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Lowell Community Health Center with Melanie Priestly, Jeanmerli Gonzalez, and Carla Caraballo
Substance Use Disorder, HIV and STI, Asthma Healthcare Professional Panels Presentation – Director of Infection Prevention and Safety, Clinical Pharmacist, Project Coordinator, Grant Worker, Social Worker Drug Crisis with Donna White, RN |
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Friday
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Occupational Health Nursing, Epinephrine, Anaphylaxis, and Narcan with Nancy Clover from Occupational Health Connections
Stop the Bleed Certification with Nancy Burns, EMT Jeopardy, Projects, Student Exhibit, Presentations |
P R O J E C T S
STUDENT WORK
S P O N S O R S
Outbreak! is generously funded by a grant from the National Library of Medicine. The National Library of Medicine (NLM), on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, has been a center of information innovation since its founding in 1836. The world’s largest biomedical library, NLM maintains and makes available a vast print collection and produces electronic information resources on a wide range of topics that are searched billions of times each year by millions of people around the globe. It also supports and conducts research, development, and training in biomedical informatics and health information technology. In addition, the Library coordinates a 6,500-member National Network of Libraries of Medicine that promotes and provides access to health information in communities across the United States (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/index.html, 2019).
Outbreak! 2017
H I G H L I G H T S