Presenter: Bersabeh Legesse, Public Health Science, Global Public Health Scholars
In the spring of 2022, I served as an undergraduate research assistant for the PHAB Lab
to recruit student participants for the CRIPT study. The 5-year study researches the causes behind influenza transmission and its effect on infected individuals. The PHAB lab focused on the WhereFlupart of the study which looks at how the quality of ventilation systems on campus correlates with hotspots for influenza transmission. The Public Health Aerobiology and Virology (PHAB) lab in the School of Public Health, run by Dr. Milton, studies virology and epidemiology of infectious pathogens by collecting biological samples from student participants. I was responsible for participant recruitment and enrollment at UMD’s Student Health Center, ensuring biological samples were collected, and transporting these samples to the lab in SPH. Findings from this study can be used to form policy aimed at reducing virus transmission on campus and improving facilities on campus to prevent future infections. As a Public Health Science major and a Global Public Health scholar, volunteering for this study taught me how collaborative research and identifying risk factors for negative health outcomes are essential to reducing the threat of public health emergencies. Being in this program as a college student during the worst pandemic in recent history has exposed me to the link between disparities and negative health behaviors and that forming policies to keep the entire student body safe requires solutions to reduce their impact. As someone who wants to work in a medical setting, choosing this opportunity taught me communicational skills through encouraging and informing my peers about the importance of participating in public health research, learning technical skills in the lab, and receiving valuable mentorship from the research lab’s coordinators.
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