Student Experience

In a year like no other, DEOHS faculty, students and staff quickly pivoted to tackle new threats posed by the pandemic. We contributed to Washington state's COVID-19 response, showed the effectiveness of self-sampling for the virus and assessed impacts on essential workers—not to mention our furry friends.

DEOHS Teaching Professor Martin Cohen How do you lead 20 students on a field trip during a pandemic?

Gilbert Omenn and Martha Darling are longtime benefactors of the UW School of Public Health. Photo: Courtesy of Omenn.

The UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) has completed a major move into the new Hans Rosling Center for Population Health on the University of Washington campus.

Apply now for our grad programs in environmental and occupational health! Learn more   My advice for incoming grad students: Use your master’s program to create the experience you want. You only have two years—make them yours, and make them count!

The University of Washington is constructing a new kind of learning space on our south campus—one that invites collaboration, creativity and community among students from the UW's six health sciences schools.

This summer, I interned at the Department of Occupational Safety & Health in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. I learned about ensuring the health and safety of employees exposed to different hazards, especially the COVID-19 pandemic.

I'm working for Exponent, a leading scientific and engineering consulting firm, in their Health Sciences practice. I am mostly focusing on the biocompatibility of medical devices, but I really like the diversity of different projects that I'm working on.

Editor's note: Natalie Peterson is a UW senior completing her BS in Environmental Health. Her JRCOSTEP internship was recently featured by the Indian Health Service on its website.  

This summer, I am interning in the Environmental Health division of Chelan-Douglas Health District in Wenatchee, WA. The division promotes the health of individuals and communities in Chelan and Douglas counties by preventing or limiting human exposure to hazards in soil, water, food and other environmental media.

“When I explain my thesis project to people, they are always excited to hear about me working with marine animals,” Alexandria Vingino said. “And then I explain to them that I'm not really working with marine animals, I'm working with what’s in their poop.”

A graduate student and a recent alumna of the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) have teamed up this summer to help improve worker health and safety in the US pork industry.

How many times can a health care worker safely reuse a face mask?

When Jake asked me to go on a sunset hike, I knew what was coming. We were in our favorite place: the Methow Valley of Eastern Washington. When we crested the top of the mountain, a few sunrays peeked through the clouds, lighting up the fertile valley below. Still, when he got down on one knee, I was surprised, and overcome with happiness. Life seemed full of promise.

This month, students, faculty and staff from the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) were honored by the department and the UW School of Public Health (SPH) for their contributions to scientific research, education and community service in 2020.

Given the extraordinary challenges of this year’s pandemic, the students of the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) needed a superhero. Watch a student video honoring Nicole Errett

Kaitlyn Kelly MPH, Environmental and Occupational Health Hometown Carmel, CA Future plans Continue her work as a policy specialist for the Washington State Department of Health.

This spring, the first group of undergraduates to complete the UW Nutritional Sciences Program’s Food Systems, Nutrition and Health major are taking the knowledge they’ve acquired and applying it to help their communities.

Even before she became a public health researcher, Rebekah Petroff was thinking like one. Rebekah Petroff PhD, Environmental Toxicology Hometown North East, PA Future plans A postdoc in human epigenomics at the University of Michigan, and a future academic career.

The University of Washington switched to 100% online learning just days after state public health officials announced the nation’s first death attributed to COVID-19 on February 29.

Alexa Yadama BS, Environmental Health Hometown Pullman, WA Future plans A career in environmental or public health, and eventually a master’s in public health. “ I really appreciate mixing public health with my science background and helping people with the knowledge I have.”

Magali Blanco and Gabino Abarca from the University of Washington School of Public Health were selected to take part in the inaugural Latino Center for Health Student Scholars Fellowship program.

Sumaya Aden BS, Environmental Health Hometown Federal Way, WA Future plans Going to medical school after graduation in 2021 “I like seeing how things happen and why and the data behind it.” - Sumaya Aden

Ola i ka Wai. Water is life. Tyler Gerken MS, Environmental Health Hometown: Kea’au, Hawai’i Island, HI Future plans: A career in the US Public Health Service, perhaps as an environmental health officer for the National Park Service or the Indian Health Service

Five months ago, I sat in a University of Washington classroom learning about how governments respond to emergencies in a course called “Disasters and Public Health,” part of my MPH program in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS).

Hannah Echt’s passion for public health is something of a family tradition. Hannah Echt MS, Occupational Hygiene Hometown: Cincinnati, OH Favorite thing about Seattle: "The public transportation is really good. You can get pretty much everywhere you need to go on the bus or light rail."

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  Editor’s note: This is the final installment of our "On the Job" series featuring stories about the summer internship experiences of students in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. Scyler Li, BS, Environmental Health

  Editor’s note: This summer, 26 students in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) are getting hands-on experience as interns with government agencies and private companies. In our occasional “On the Job” series, we feature some of their stories.