THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN



THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTINPUBLIC HEALTH INTERNSHIP PROGRAMSpring 20171. Project Title:? Impact of sharps injuries occurring in Texas in 2015Supervisor: Andy Mauney, Infectious Disease Control Unit, Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease Branch, Texas Department of State Health Services (Andy.Mauney@dshs.state.tx.us; 512-776-6118)Project Description: Healthcare workers’ occupational exposure to blood and body fluids can results in serious infections with blood borne pathogens such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C. Many of these exposures are the result of percutaneous injuries. Prevention strategies include the avoidance of blood exposures, education about the benefits and limitations of post exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and technologic advances to enhance safety in the health care setting. Reporting of percutaneous injuries can bring awareness and promote a safety culture. Texas blood borne pathogen regulations require governmental entity reporting of contaminated sharps injuries. The student will be responsible for entering and analyzing data to prepare this report summarizing contaminated sharps injuries reported by governmental entities in Texas during 2011. The report includes where the injuries occurred, when the injury occurred by time and date, information about the workers who sustained injuries, the original intended use of sharps devices involved in the injury, how the injury occurred; type of sharps device in use at the time of injury, worksite safety controls, and safety engineered sharps protection status of device involved in the injury. The student will also assist in posting the report to the web. Expectations: Laboratory experience is not required. The student should have some experience with Excel or Access. Work must be done at the DSHS main campus.Products: A report on the sharps injury analysis will be prepared and shared on the agency’s website.2. Project Title:? Hepatitis C Lab Workload AnalysisSupervisor: Shawn Tupy, Infectious Disease Control Unit, Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease Branch, Texas Department of State Health Services (shawn.tupy@dshs.; 512-776-6355)Project Description: Acute Hepatitis C is a reportable condition in Texas, however Chronic Hepatitis C is not reportable. Thousands of lab reports are received by DSHS with hepatitis C results but very few lead to confirmed cases. Due to priorities at many health departments, these labs often do not get attended to causing underreporting of Acute Hepatitis C. This scope of this project is to identify which lab reports are most likely to yield a confirmed Acute Hepatitis C case to improve reporting of the disease in Texas. Expectations: Laboratory experience is not required. The student best suited for this project will have experience with or an interest in data analysis and infectious disease. The project will include data cleaning, analysis, and interpretation. The student should have some experience with Excel or Access. Work must be done at the DSHS main campus.Products: A report on the analysis performed on Hepatitis C labs that can be shared with decision makers at local health departments. The report should include recommendations on which labs should take priority for investigation.3.? Project Title:? Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in Texas data analysis ?Supervisor:? Venessa Cantu, Infectious Disease Control Unit, Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease Branch, Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), (Venessa.Cantu@dshs. ; 512-776-6648)?Project Description:? Shiga toxin-producing E. coli ?(STEC) is a reportable condition in Texas.? Local and Regional Health Departments investigate cases of STEC to identify possible sources of infection, evaluate for on-going person to person transmission, and to implement prevention and control measures.? A standardized investigation form is utilized by local and regional health departments to collect demographic, clinical, laboratory, and exposure information.? The DSHS Foodborne Illness Epidemiology Team has converted the investigation form into a fillable pdf in which data can be extracted and analyzed.? ?The student will be responsible for entering, extracting, and performing analysis of data.? ?The scope of this project includes troubleshooting and providing feedback of the data analysis process as well as analyzing STEC exposure data.?Expectations: ?Laboratory experience is not required.? The student best suited for this project will have experience with or an interest in data analysis and infectious disease. The project will include data entry, cleaning, analysis, and interpretation. The student should have some experience with Excel or Access.? Work must be done at the DSHS main campus.Products:? A report on the analysis will be prepared and shared on the Agency’s website.4. Project Title: Understanding the differences in demographics and care indicators of previously HIV-diagnosed individuals who re-tested positive in the Routine and Targeted Testing Program.Supervisors: Sarah Norkin (512-533-3031), Epidemiologist I and Jonathon Poe (Jonathon.Poe@dshs.), Branch Manager; TB/HIV/STD Epidemiology and Surveillance Group, Texas Department of State Health Services??????????? Project Description:The TB/HIV/STD Epidemiology and Surveillance Group at Texas Department of State Health services seeks to better understand the characteristics of individuals diagnosed through DSHS funded Routine and Targeted Testing Programs. Additionally, the group would like to evaluate the effectiveness of the Routine and Targeted Testing programs in re-engaging previously diagnosed individuals into HIV medical care. The student researcher will be responsible for identifying similar analysis conducted through a literature review.? In addition, He/she will use SAS to conduct descriptive analysis and a statistical comparison of individuals between the two testing programs, and comparing the re-engagement of individuals and their outcomes between the two testing programs.? Analysis will be done using a dataset of information collected in the Routine and Targeted testing programs that ?has been cross-checked with the enhanced HIV AIDS Reporting System (eHARS) to validate diagnostic status (new or previous positive) and linkage to medical care within 90 days of the test.? The student researcher will be responsible for drafting an abstract that outlines significant findings from the research.Requirements/Expectations: The student must work at the TB/HIV/STD Epidemiology Branch location in the Austin State Hospital campus (near the DSHS main campus).? The student should have coursework in public health, including epidemiology/biostatistics components. The student will receive guidance in the use of statistical software (SAS).Products: Abstract and presentation of findings to HIV Surveillance and HIV Prevention staff. 5. Project Title: Evaluating missed opportunities for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV in TexasSupervisors: Ms. Kacey Russell (Kacey.Russell@dshs.state.tx.us; 512-533-3040), Epidemiologist and Jonathon Poe (Jonathon.Poe@dshs.), Branch Manager; TB/HIV/STD Epidemiology and Surveillance Group, Texas Department of State Health Services Project Description:Despite current recommendations for the prevention of perinatal HIV transmission in Texas and improved access to treatment for HIV, missed opportunities for prevention of mother to child transmission continue to occur in Texas. The TB/HIV/STD Epidemiology and Surveillance Group at Texas Department of State Health services seeks to better understand and to identify missed opportunities and underlying causes of mother to child HIV transmission. The student researcher will be responsible for identifying similar analysis conducted in other states through a literature review. He/she will use SAS to conduct descriptive analysis and a statistical analysis of prenatal care usage, maternal timing of HIV diagnosis, antiretroviral therapy, breastfeeding and the likelihood of perinatal HIV transmission in Texas. All analysis will use information captured in the Texas Enhanced HIV AIDS Reporting System (eHARS). The student researcher will be responsible for drafting an abstract that outlines significant findings from the research. The student will also conduct medical chart reviews of infants born exposed to HIV, to identify any gaps in care, and participate in FIMR HIV and congenital Syphilis (FIMRSH) Case Review Team meetings.Requirements/Expectations: The student must work at the TB/HIV/STD Epidemiology Branch location in the Austin State Hospital campus (near the DSHS main campus). The student should have coursework in public health, including epidemiology/biostatistics components. The student will receive training and guidance in the use of statistical software (SAS) and data collection methods for perinatal HIV surveillance and FIMR HIV and congenital Syphilis (FIMRSH).6. Project Title: Vaccination Exemptions: A Discovery and Examination of Travis County1Supervisors: Ms. Isabel Hargrove and Ms. Collen Christian, Immunization Unit, Austin Public Health Project Description: The City of Austin Health and Human Services Department (ATCHHSD) through the Immunization Program will investigate the issue of immunization exemptions for children. The research findings will inform the immunization program with outreach and/or policy guidance in an attempt to diminish the number of unnecessary exemptions for immunizations within Travis County, when applicable.The Immunization Program at A/TCHHSD vaccinates approximately 18,000 children and adults with low/no cost immunization services annually to individuals that are Medicaid recipients or uninsured.? This primarily includes immunizations to children and adults residing in Travis County.? In addition the program evaluates and supports immunization efforts through the Vaccines for Children Program, ImmTrac, independent school districts, area child care facilities and outreach of immunizations to vulnerable and at-risk populations.The intern will work with program and grant staff and conduct a combination of key informant interviews as well as a literature review to investigate, discover, review, and analyze issues regarding immunization exemptions for children.? Travis County data is limited and/or incomplete so key informant interviews and literature reviews will be necessary to provide a more informed synopsis of challenges and possible methods to reduce the number of exemptions.? The student’s recommendations will be developed in consultation with program and grant staff that should include a combination of promising and/or documented best practices.? This is an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of community perceptions about immunization services and barriers in achieving high vaccination rates in Travis County and will also provide program leaders information for designing strategies to promote immunizations and decrease preventable exemptions.? 7. Project Title: Influence of rainfall on Bull Creek Escherichia coli countsSupervisor: Jeff Taylor, MPH, Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit, Austin Public HealthProject description:Escherichia coli is an indicator of fecal contamination of recreational waters. Elevated Escherichia coli counts in Bull Creek could be associated with leaks in waste water conveyance pipes or storm water runoff. The purpose of this study is to compare the E. coli counts after rainfall and runoff time periods with counts during non-runoff time periods. The impact of E. coli counts with other weather and hydrological conditions, i.e. air and water temperature, creek water flow, land development within the watershed, will also be examined.Expectations: The student should have experience using Microsoft Excel and Word. Work will be performed at the RBJ Health Center at 15 Waller Street between 8:00am and 5:00pm. The student will need to complete a one hour class on confidentiality information security procedures.Products: The student will prepare a written report to be shared with various city department to include Austin Water, Watershed Protection, and Health and Human Services. The student will also prepare a 20-minute oral presentation to be shared with Health and Human Services Department staff.8. Project Title: School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) Project Supervisor: Deanna M Hoelscher, PhD, RD, LD, CNS, Director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, The University of Texas School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus,Deanna.M.Hoelscher@uth.tmc.edu; 512-391-2510Project Description: The goal of SPAN is to monitor the prevalence of overweight/obesity and related behaviors in school-aged children in Texas. These data allow researchers to identify and track trends in childhood obesity, and identifies factors in Texas students that may underlie obesity, including dietary behaviors, nutrition knowledge and attitudes, and physical activity. The trainee will 1) administer and analyze school health policy surveys, 2) conduct and analyze community stakeholder interviews, 3) prepare surveys for data analysis, 4) prepare a blog story to be posted on the Center’s website, 5) research data and guidelines to help prepare summary and school-based reports, and 6) work on a research paper for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.Expectations: The project will include data entry, cleaning, analysis, and interpretation, as well as literature review and analysis/synthesis of existing data for guidelines for nutrition and physical activity in schools. The student should have some experience with Excel or Access, and be willing to learn statistical analysis software. Work must be done at the UTSPH Austin campus.Products: A report on the analysis will be prepared and disseminated through Center’s website and social media channels as well as shared with SPAN partners. The intern will also present his project and outcomes at a Center faculty and staff meeting as well as prepare a draft manuscript for publication. ................
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