Nandini Rangan
Specialization: Veterinary Public Health
Agency Name: Clarke Mosquito Control
Agency Location: Roselle, Ill.
Every year, Public Health Buckeyes take what they learn in their Master of Public Health programs and put it to practice. These applied practice experiences help students meet educational and professional development goals.
“My APE not only allowed me to explore a potential career path in public health, but also pushed me to apply concepts I learned in the classroom, helped me gain invaluable skills and empowered me to create and implement projects that may not relate directly to the job description but still have a profound impact on the workers and general public.”
Question
Tell us about your applied practice experience.
I really wanted to get some field experience to see if that is potentially a path I wanted to take with my future career in public health. This APE had both laboratory and field work, which allowed me to sharpen my lab skills while gaining new skills in fieldwork.
I assisted with West Nile Virus surveillance through mosquito trapping and collecting, prepping samples/running PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and identifying mosquito species, developed a lab intern guidebook to streamline training during peak season, crafted Illinois-specific educational materials surrounding safety in the field and lab to improve employee safety and education and created West Nile Virus infographics to increase public awareness of the disease and risk.
Question
What advice would you give to students completing their APE?
Definitely don’t limit your options. One of the purposes of the APE is to explore different careers in public health to help you get a better idea of what you may want or may not want to do in the near future.