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Home >Prospective Students >Student Profiles : OIPRT Student Profiles
What was your educational and relevant work experience prior to enrolling in the OIPRT program?
Prior to entering the OIPRT program, I earned a bachelor's degree in dental public health and a master of public health degree in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. At the time I entered the program, I was working for Allina Hospitals and Clinics, where I was the patient safety project manager for 42 medical clinics and 10 hospitals. Through this work, I was introduced to the study of human factors , as it relates to designing work processes that preclude injuries and errors. I became very interested in methods of averting injuries in both patients and medical staff, and I wanted to learn more about the study of injury prevention and control.
What made you interested in the field of occupational injury prevention?
In my work at the hospital and clinic setting, I became aware of the hazards surrounding the work environment, especially in the clinical setting. Many of the injuries suffered by the staff were extremely severe, with long lasting adverse effects on their careers and quality of life. I also became aware that the financial costs to the organization were extremely high. Occupational injuries to healthcare personnel are also one of many factors that contribute to increasing health-care costs.
What made you choose the University of Minnesota?
I knew that the University of Minnesota was very strong in the area of research. I was also very excited to find that there was a PhD program that specialized in occupational injury prevention research with courses available in human factors design and evaluation.
What type of job would you like to find upon completion of the program?
I would like to continue the work that I am doing in the area of prevention of injuries to workers in a clinical setting, with the implementation of research-based injury prevention interventions. This entails using principles of human factors and contextual work design to create work processes that prevent injuries, with evaluation of injury rates both before and after applying new interventions. My goals in this work are to streamline and design injury events out of the work process and to conduct research to evaluate the effectiveness of the work process changes.
What would you say to a student considering the program?
You'll receive a tremendous amount of support from both faculty and fellow students in this program, as well as a valuable hands-on education in cutting-edge research methodology. The interdisciplinary approach within this program provides insight into the many possibilities that may be considered when interacting with public health professionals who have a wide range of expertise.
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What was your educational and relevant work experience prior to enrolling in the OIPRT program?
Prior to starting the OIPRT program, I earned a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and a master's degree in Environmental Health and Safety (MEHS), both from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Immediately after graduating with my master's degree, I worked as a graduate research assistant for the University of Minnesota – Duluth (UMD) and helped the Environmental Health and Safety Department develop formal indoor air quality standards and protocols. Then, I started my current job at The Builders Group of Minnesota, a self-insured workers' compensation fund, where I work as a loss control consultant for over 200 construction companies.
What made you interested in the field of occupational injury prevention?
When I was an undergraduate, a student from the UMD MEHS program came to talk to my class. She explained what the whole “safety and injury prevention” idea was about, and how it applied out in the real world. I was immediately interested and applied for that program the next year. Once I graduated from the program and started working at my current job, I soon realized how important safety is in industry (especially construction), and how devastating, expensive, and all too common occupational injuries are. This has motivated me to continue my education to better understand and prevent occupational injury.
What made you choose the University of Minnesota?
While looking for potential PhD programs, I found the exact one that complemented my past educational experience, current work, and future goals, and it was right in my backyard! Based on my positive experience at UMD, I knew I couldn't go wrong staying in the University of Minnesota system, especially with its excellent reputation for academics, faculty, and research. When I met the current faculty and students on a visit I was completely sold.
What type of job would you like to find upon completion of the program? [If you have already commenced a position, please elaborate upon that.]
I really enjoy working in the construction safety field and directly with contractors and their employees. I think it gives you an immediate chance to make an impact on a personal level. I definitely want to continue this type of work, and eventually use this knowledge in a teaching or academic position.
What would you say to a student considering the program?
From Day 1 of the application process, I felt that everyone in this program, division, and school was on my side. The faculty is approachable and generous with their time, the fellow students are great, the classes are challenging, and programs can be tailored for individual interests. The U of M has so many academic, professional, and social opportunities to offer, and the Twin Cities is an excellent place in which to live and work.
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What was your educational and relevant work experience prior to enrolling in the OIPRT program?
Prior to enrolling in the OIPRT program, I received both my B.S. and M.S. from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. My degrees are in Industrial & Systems Engineering with my master degree concentrating in Human Factors/ Ergonomics (HF/E) engineering. So far my life has been strictly academics; therefore I do not have any relevant work experience to share with you at this point in time.
What made you interested in the field of occupational injury prevention?
I was always interested in the science, math and medical fields growing up. Somehow, I wanted to mix all three interests together and it wasn’t until my years as an undergraduate student that I discovered the field of HF/E. In a nut shell, HF/E is the science of understanding the human-machine interface. Utilizing principles in science and math, and then adapting them to the human body to understand how the human operates biomechanically, physiologically and psychologically allows me to satisfy all three fields at once.
My interests further evolved into the field of occupational injury prevention after I spent some time conducting HF/E-based research on workstations. It was intriguing to know my research would be used directly to help the workers by reducing the risk for injury. /p>
What made you choose the University of Minnesota?
Choosing this university was not that hard of a decision.
The University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health is one of the top schools in the nation. It also has exactly what I was looking for – a research-oriented Ph.D. program in occupational injury prevention that would allow me to integrate my HF/E background with public health practices and research.
What type of job would you like to find upon completion of the program?
Upon completion of the program, there are several paths that I can see myself venturing off into. One path would be to get a commission in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) as an environmental health officer conducting injury prevention and education, as well as epidemiological surveillance. Another path would be working for a government agency such as the Department of Health and Human Services, specifically for the CDC, NIOSH or NCIPC as an injury epidemiologist.
Though these paths are what I would like to pursue upon completion of the program, they are not my final destination. After obtaining these experiences, I would like to return to academia as a faculty member conducting research in the field of injury prevention and HF/E-based epidemiology in addition to educating and mentoring our future researchers and practitioners.
What would you say to a student considering the program?
Though at the time I am writing this (2 months into the program), I am already truly amazed with the university, the school, the division, the program and the people all around. When I was offered an invitation to visit the university to meet with the faculty, staff and students, I received a wealth of information about what to expect. As to date, everything that I was told has held true.
If you are considering the program, contact the faculty and students who are in the program to obtain information that cannot be found on the website and go from there.
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