Kristen Mitchell

Secret shopper study highlights student research experiences

Long waits for appointments, out-of-date information about health care providers and the risk of discriminatory treatment are just a few of the hurdles facing Americans seeking adequate, accessible health care. A “secret shopper” project co-led by College of Public Health Associate Professor Wendy Xu aims to quantify these challenges and expose students to research designed to better understand and, ultimately, improve health care.

Reporting on infectious disease a ‘dream internship’ for MPH student

Master of Public Health-Epidemiology student Rachel Saadey went into the summer thinking she might be interested in a career focused on infectious disease. Now, she’s sure of it. 

Saadey spent her summer interning with Columbus Public Health’s Office of Epidemiology where she worked on their 2022 summary of reportable diseases. The annual report summarizes data on infectious diseases that must be reported to state and local health departments, illnesses such as Lyme disease, measles and sexually transmitted infections.