What I'm Doing

I know I've been back in Albuquerque for over a month now, so talking about my internship is kind of old news, but I know some people are still wondering exactly what it is I am doing with myself these summer months. So, here we go...

One of the requirements for completion of my MPH program is participation in a 3 month (480 hour) internship. For a number of reasons, I decided to come back to New Mexico for my internship. I googled all sorts of people and places and sent out who knows how many emails in my search for anything that would satisfy the requirements for my program. I eventually got a hold of a few people who work for the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After being passed around departments, I found a position with the Hepatitis and HIV Epidemiology Program in the Epidemiology and Response Division (ERD). The picture above is of my building.

For the summer, I'll be focusing on Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a disease caused by a virus - cleverly named Hepatitis B Virus (pictured here) - that attacks the liver. It can potentially cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death. Hepatitis B is vastly underreported, so it's hard to say exactly how many cases there are in the U.S. We do know that there are more cases than there should be considering there is a safe and effective Hepatitis B vaccine available. We are still working to understand Hepatitis B, and it was only with the introduction of the vaccine in recent years that people really began to take notice of the extent of Hepatitis B infection in the U.S.

So, what am I doing with Hepatitis B? My main job is to research the quality of surveillance of chronic Hepatitis B cases in NM. I will look at old chronic Hepatitis B case files and determine whether or not proper surveillance techniques were applied when these cases were investigated. The Hepatitis Program hopes to learn from past mistakes and use this knowledge to improve current surveillance methods and case management practices.

In addition to this project, I will get experience in other areas of infectious disease management and surveillance. I participate in daily discussions about current infectious disease cases and am gaining perspective on how things I am learning in school are applied in a real-world setting. Some interesting cases we've had so far this summer include: hantavirus, plague, hepatitis A, rabies (beware of bats), legionella, mumps, and a couple of norovirus (gastrointestinal nastiness) outbreaks in old folks' homes. It seems like every day a new and fascinating problem is presented to the ERD staff and everyone gathers to discuss how to deal with it.

So how do I like my internship, you ask? I love it. Is there anything I don't like? Well, yes. One downside to this internship is that I commute each and every day from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and back, a total of 120 miles round-trip. On the way to work, I pass through four reservations and go up and down countless hills. In the afternoons, I drive through high winds, thunderstorms and dust storms. I'm spending an arm and a leg on gas, and my truck does not have cruise control so driving an hour each way sucks.

There is one redeeming factor to the commute, however - the drive is beautiful, and I have seen some interesting sights to and from Santa Fe.


I've seen thunderstorms roll in...


...and, after living in crowded California, I've enjoyed the emptiness of the New Mexico desert.


I've also seen a lot of cars on fire. In my first two weeks I saw five different cars that burned to a black shell in the New Mexico summertime heat. Sights like these never fail to remind you that no matter how empowered you may feel, nature will always find a way to knock you down.


Overall, I think my internship experience this summer is worth the miserable drive. I am making a lot of contacts, and I feel like I am learning more each day on the job than I did when I was taking classes. I look forward to my next month and a half, and am definitely enjoying my time in NM.

With that, I will leave you with a picture of Albuquerque beneath the Sandia mountains that I took one day on the way home from work.

I do miss the Bay Area, but beautiful New Mexico is doing a good job of tiding me over until I get back!