Kirsten Vannice, MHS Candidate
Internships Make Public Health Personal

Kirsten Vannice has just spent a long morning getting her vaccinations, but she's not complaining. The MHS candidate with the Department of International Health will soon embark upon two internships that will take her to Africa for the first time in her life, and she's thrilled: "I've never been to Africa before. These are fantastic opportunities to throw myself into actual public health practice. Johns Hopkins is an academic environment, so going out into the field is a way to personalize all of the research we do here."

This summer, Vannice is interning with the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) on their Global Program on Malaria, which focuses on malaria prevention and control. She journeys to Mali in July to evaluate CCP's advocacy campaign and set up a system for in-country staff to collect data.

Then, from September to January, Vannice will work with the University of Ghana School of Public Health on malaria research. She will work primarily in an antenatal clinic in Kpone, where malaria accounts for 70 percent of outpatient clinic visits. Vannice will collect data on malaria prevention practices among pregnant women and their effect on immunoglobulin levels, as well as research intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp), which delivers a treatment dose of an antimalarial drug at pre-specified times.

From the Lab to the Field
Vannice became interested in malaria and its repercussions for public health after spending time working in an insect olfaction lab that had important implications for malaria control, as mosquitoes likely use smell to detect humans. She found malaria exciting in terms of the parasite itself and its global epidemiological reach, since it causes over one million deaths annually, with the vast majority occurring in Africa.

However, Vannice did not wish to remain in the lab; she wanted to venture into public health programming and interventions. "There were consequences of our lab research for communities, and I wanted to be part of that impact in the field," says Vannice. "I felt it would be more gratifying to be a part of that immediate moment."

Vannice anticipates her internships will give her the opportunity to experience what it means on a day-to-day basis to be affected by malaria prevention and control. "I hope my work in the Ghana clinic will add to the body of knowledge about malaria. Because of the high risk of infection that malaria in pregnancy carries for both mother and child it is critical that we acquire more data specifically in this area," says Vannice. "I will also use the internships to help me narrow my niche in the field, whether it be vaccinology, transmission, or preventive care."

The Internship Process: Start Early
Vannice received funding for the internships through two resources available to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health students: the Gates Institute International Internship grant and the Global Field Experience Fund. She recommends students start thinking about their internships early, in October. She started formulating her internship in Ghana last fall and finalized it this spring, a long process but well worth it.

Vannice adds, "Cast your net wide and pursue every avenue you're interested in for an internship. It is a multiple-referral process. I started out with many names of people and organizations, but it came down to just a few that really led somewhere. My concentration on malaria also helped, because it is a general topic but focused enough to find opportunities and get faculty involved."

The Hopkins Experience
Vannice chose the Bloomberg School for her education because of the limitless opportunities for international work, and, because she knew and was told by others in the field that having the Hopkins name on her CV means a lot to international health organizations. Vannice joined the Global Disease Epidemiology and Control (GDEC) track within the Department of International Health.

Vannice compliments Karen Charron, MPH, assistant director of academic programs and coordinator for MHS degree students for GDEC, as someone who has been an incredible resource. Vannice says, "Karen has enhanced my experience here exponentially. She is the one who encouraged me to apply for the Global Field Experience Fund. But every faculty member in GDEC has been very helpful to me. It was very clear to me that they all had my best interests at heart and wanted to enhance my experience here."

Vannice plans to continue with the Bloomberg School after completing her MHS degree, by applying for the PhD program with GDEC this winter. "I'm really lucky that at 25 years old I know what I want to do and what I was meant to do," Vannice says with a smile.

(June 2007)