v-INSPIRE Intern, FHTS
Rebecca Daniel, a Biotechnology Engineer turned Public Health aspirant. Currently, pursuing her Master’s in the field of Public Health with a focus in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from The Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Her areas of interest are inclusive One Health, Antimicrobial Resistance, Environmental Influences on Health and Diseases, Genetic Origins of Disease, Global Environmental Health, Infectious Diseases, and WASH.
As an intern at FHTS, I hope to contribute to projects with my varied background, providing a thought process and ideas that bring technological aspects into the world of public health, providing solutions that improve the health of all interconnected health systems, human, wildlife, and the environment. Thus, working to reduce disease progression by tackling the pathogens present at the roots of the epidemiological triad.
Highest Education: B.Tech Biotechnology - Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Date of Joining: May 17, 2022
My days in the biotechnology department often made me wonder if I could contribute enough to the general public's welfare this way. Could I possibly make a significant impact and administer change as a biotechnologist?
These were my thoughts a year ago, now as I am midway through my MPH program, I aim to acquire the professional skills and knowledge required to excel in this career path. While improving my analysis skills, understanding the genesis and propagation of diseases, and finally knowing the best method to prevent them.
My immediate goal is to complete my degree and accumulate all the available learnings possible during this time frame. This, in addition, to streamline my thought process and work toward my area of interest which is One Health.
Immediately after the completion of my degree, I plan to gain some experience in this field by working in the research sector. My work would largely be focused on global environmental health issues and projects to tackle the roots of disease propagation and other aspects of the one health concept, additionally, my interests also lie in the applications of genomic surveillance and how that method allows us to build a picture of the ways pathogens constantly evolve. Thereafter, I hope to pursue my Ph.D.
Life in a pandemic has shown me that maintaining hope among the people of the world is essential. Lack of a good enough infrastructure and medical equipment to tackle pandemic level situations, in addition to unreliable testing methods that yield more false negatives, only worsen the overall situation. As an observer and a future health care worker, I aim to spend my days trying to improve these situations and boost the effectiveness of our standard protocols.
This internship has allowed me to gain practical and on hands experience in aspects of data analysis and scientific writing and various other insights in the field of Public Health that I am not always able to learn in the classroom. My internship has given me a greater understanding of what it is I have learned in the classroom and allowed me to apply it to real situations. For that, I shall always be grateful to the team and mentors here at FHTS.