Suhani Patel

I first became interested in environmental health because of its focus on the connections between human health and environmental exposures. My passion for the discipline was really confirmed though after doing a public health focused IE3 Global internship in India during the summer between my sophomore and junior years.

As an Environmental Health major, I’ve been involved in both research and practice experiences.

In 2018, I worked with Dr. Nicole Errett to conduct a literature review on the impact of earthquakes on sanitation systems. The goal of the larger project is to help Washington State identify interventions that will help prevent damage to wastewater systems cause by earthquakes.

Through the National Environmental Public Health Internship program, I was also able to spend the summer between my junior and senior years working as an intern with the Portage County Health Department in Ravenna, Ohio. Through this experience, I developed valuable skills across a wide range of areas, including food safety, water quality, mosquito surveillance, and community outreach. I would highly recommend this internship program to other students because of the wide variety of opportunities it provides to truly make an impact.

As a senior this year, I am volunteering in the department’s microbiology lab and building valuable laboratory skills. After graduation, I plan to pursue a master’s degree in public health and eventually become an infectious disease epidemiologist, advocating for health equity through disease control and prevention.