SLU MPH Students on the Front Lines for COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has affected many lives and that is no different for those in the St. Louis community. Fortunately, many students from Saint Louis University (SLU) have been doing their part to help those that need it most and stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Several students from the Master of Public Health program (MPH) have been working hard as volunteers, interns or through their regular jobs responding to the pandemic whether in St. Louis or elsewhere in the country. Below are a few examples of these exceptional students. 

Armel Setubi, a recent May 2020 MPH graduate, is volunteering with the St. Louis County Department of Health. His main focus involves Covid-19 contact tracing, case investigation and monitoring. Armel finds it a humbling experience of service and although it can be a demanding volunteer opportunity at times, it is worth it to help the SLU and St. Louis communities.

“Above all, my involvement with the Public Health Department stresses the fact that we’re all in this together and that everyone counts.”

Whitney Anderson, a class of 2021 MPH candidate with concentrations in global health and maternal child health has also been assisting in any way she can to address the COVID-19 pandemic. She works full-time as a Public Health Program Representative for the City of St. Louis Department of Health through their Communicable Disease section. 

"While my work prior to the COVID-19 crisis was largely focused on reducing HIV and STI infections in the St. Louis area, my role has now been adjusted to focus on addressing calls for those with concerns regarding symptoms or a potential exposure in addition to disease investigation services for those who test positive for COVID-19.” 

Whitney has had the opportunity to work alongside a team of other investigators to assist with reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the region. Day to day activities including identifying new cases and doing contact tracing. Those who test positive for Coronavirus are interviewed to determine recent whereabouts and provided with guidelines regarding self-isolation. Contact tracing allows for individuals that have been potentially exposed through close contact with a positive case to be informed and placed under quarantine for monitoring of symptoms.

“The process of contacting individuals who test positive and determining potential exposures can occasionally become overwhelming and mentally exhausting, but it is very crucial towards curbing the spread of COVID-19.  I’m extremely grateful to be on a team of hardworking essential employees on the frontlines of this public health crisis."

Ashish Shrestha, another recent spring 2020 MPH graduate with concentrations in Epidemiology and Behavioral Science and Health Education is working with BJC Healthcare at their Center for Clinical Excellence, Evidence-Based Care in response to the current COVID-19 crisis. As a Clinical Epidemiology intern, Ashish is conducting literature reviews, searching for reliable data, and providing valid information to answer key questions and concerns surrounding the crisis. 

“The work of my team helps BJC and its operating healthcare facilities in crisis preparedness and management, clinical decision-making process, healthcare delivery, and resource allocation. The importance of this kind of work is vital more than ever.” 

In addition, recent Spring 2020 MPH graduates Haley Alder; concentration in Behavioral Science and Health Education, and Ashley Underwood with concentrations in Global Health and Epidemiology worked as impromptu Research Fellows at Forward Through Ferguson. Both Haley and Ashley assessed strategies used in other cities and countries to provide critical needs to vulnerable citizens and enable essential personnel to continue working while under restrictions up to and including massive quarantine and shelter-in-place orders. They also performed quantitative and qualitative analyses of data collected from the COVID-19 Regional Response Team critical needs survey sent to stakeholders in St. Louis City/County, St. Charles County, Madison County, and St. Clair County. Additionally, they used information from this survey to craft a COVID-19 Response Directory for organizational leaders to coordinate sharing of assets.

The work these students are doing is vital in the fight against COVID-19 and it’s great to see that many different organizations are able to use student’s skills to assist. Many other students are also interning and volunteering in response to COVID-19. We applaud their work as well and know that these students are gaining valuable experience in the field. 

If you are a current student or alumni engaged in COVID-19 related activities, we'd love to hear your story. Please email Amber Donlan, CPHSJ Communications Project Manager at amber.donlan@slu.edu

About the College for Public Health and Social Justice 

The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities. It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States.

Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the College offers nationally recognized programs in public health, social work, health administration, urban planning, applied behavior analysis, criminology and criminal justice, and outcomes research and data science.