Department: Division of Epidemiology

Being a Richmond native and growing up in Mosby Court, allowed me to experience how income, access to care, and behaviors are vital in determining health outcomes. I was also a witness to how programs implemented by the Richmond City, such as the Mosby Resource Center, allowed me to receive affordable reproductive health services. Because of these support services, I knew I wanted to obtain a career that advocated for improving health outcomes for young women like myself. In May 2017, I graduated from James Madison University with a BS in Health Sciences with a concentration in Public Health Education and later became a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) in March 2018. Upon graduation, I completed my public health internship in Ghana where I provided malaria prevention and reproductive health education to youth and mothers in Winneba. After my internship, I was able to obtain a position with the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program at the Virginia Department of Health. While with the EHDI program, I developed a strong interest in infectious disease, such as Cytomegalovirus and HIV/AIDS, and its effects on maternal and child health. In March 2019, I was able to obtain a data support position with the HIV/AIDS Case Surveillance program where I assist the epidemiologists with incidence and quality improvement of data entry for pediatric and adult cases in the electronic HIV/AIDS reporting system (eHARS). These cumulative experiences influenced me to pursue an MPH. After graduating from VCU’s MPH program, I hope to obtain a position working for the state, government, or an organization that aims to reduce infant mortality and improve health outcomes for pregnant women.

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