I had the privilege of being a St. Joseph County Department of Health intern this summer in South Bend, Indiana. During this internship, I was able to see a wide variety of tasks that are done in a health department. I was involved with food and pool inspections, a free vaccination clinic, and surveillance of vector-borne diseases through mosquitos. Working at the SJCDOH allowed me to interact with diverse groups of people and showed me what the harsh realities of healthcare can be like for some people. During my time, I was able to take part in an IU Med class that focused on the social aspects of health and poverty. I was also able to shadow four Wabash Alumni doctors in the South Bend area. My primary job was focused on environmental health and surveillance of vector-borne diseases. A normal day for me included setting mosquito traps, sorting mosquitoes, and running tests to see if populations were exposed to any diseases. During my time my eyes were opened to just how little funding many health departments have. It showed me that there is still a lot of work to be done to improve the health of each county. There were times when we couldn’t act on an issue in the county due to limited resources. The most impactful part of this internship was the time spent shadowing Dr. Oppman ’88, Dr. Gongwer ’91, Dr. Cassady ’12, and Dr. Brier ’84 at the South Bend Clinic. This time was very valuable
due to the mentorship they gave me. They gave me insight into the work they do and advice on my own journey as I pursue medical school. The ability to shadow Wabash Alumni was a great highlight of this internship. My work and experiences at the SJCDOH helped me understand my passion for medicine and for helping communities through health care. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who made it possible for me to have this great opportunity this summer. I want to thank the Global Health Initiative, Jill Rogers, and Dr. Wetzel for making me aware of this internship and allowing me to apply. I want to thank all members of the SJCDOH who mentored me including Dr. Cerbin, Brett Davis, and Josiah Hartman as well as the Wabash Alumni doctors who allowed me to shadow them. I would like to thank Will Neubauer for being a great coworker this summer. Finally, I would like to thank the donors who made this possible as well as everyone else who played a role in making this great summer opportunity happen.
