Nandini Deo

Before changing my major to Health, Society & Policy; I spent two years studying Chemical Engineering. During that time, I researched clean air. Surprisingly, I became most fascinated by the health implications associated with high pollution areas. The more I learned about the complex problems that surround us, the more I wanted to study the social infrastructure those problems live inside, as well as human-centric solutions. I decided to double major in Health, Society & Policy and International Studies with an emphasis in Global Health; and to minor in Anthropology and Sociology. I spent two years working as a research assistant at the VA hospital in the Division of Epidemiology studying the transmission of health care-associated infections in ICUs, and studied abroad in Ghana with the University of Utah's School of Public Health. After graduating, I was offered a position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a public health advisor through the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP). I have been stationed in Portland, Oregon and will be working in HIV/STD/TB prevention. I love epidemiology, which is traditionally the study of how disease is transmitted, but I am especially interested in the field of social determinants of health, which examines high-risk populations by asking how their race, gender, socioeconomic status, culture, neighborhood, etc. affects their health outcomes; and by studying possible public policies that will lessen community health disparities. After completing my fellowship, I am hoping to pursue a Master of Public Health and PhD in epidemiology with an emphasis in social determinants of health. I hope to study maternal and child health or tribal health. My dream is to work for a Tribal Epidemiological Consortium as a women's health epidemiologist. I am so grateful for the opportunities the University of Utah has given me and so excited for the future!