Please tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to pursue a degree in the EMD Department at the Yale School of Public Health.

Shruti: I originally am from Madison, Wisconsin and am completing my five-year BS/MPH program. As an undergraduate, I majored in Cognitive Science at Yale College, received certificates in Global Health & Education Studies, and graduated last May. I will be graduating this May with an MPH and was inspired to pursue a degree in the Health Care Management (HCM) department because I wanted to better understand how business systems can be leveraged to create sustainable, innovative solutions for public health.

Please tell us about the course you've been taking.

This semester, I am taking Laboratory and Field Studies in Infectious Diseases (EMD 563). It is designed as a “build-your-own-research project” to deepen skills in epidemiology research and laboratory research in molecular biology. My primary faculty mentor is Dr. Kaveh Khoshnood of the Humanitarian Research Lab, and my biology laboratory mentor is Dr. Amy Bei of the Bei Lab.

My project combines epidemiological methods with genomic approaches to address conflict-related challenges to malaria surveillance in Burkina Faso. Building on research from the Humanitarian Research and Bei Labs, the goal is to improve public health strategies for malaria diagnosis and surveillance, focusing on conflict-induced determinants of health in Burkina Faso.

What's the most interesting thing you've learned so far?

Armed conflict in Burkina Faso disrupts malaria surveillance and data collection, leading to underreporting and misclassification. I have found interesting our exploration of non-traditional data collection methods such as remote sensing with satellite imagery, to estimate malaria risk.

Which emerging trends or technologies that you've learned about do you find most exciting?

I have deepened my understanding about the evolution of laboratory techniques to diagnose malaria in conflict-zones. For example, many countries with conflict zones utilize Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), but recent research has found RDTs incapable of detecting malaria due to diagnostic resistance in parasites with deletions of critical genes (i.e., HRP2 and HRP3). My project focuses on understanding emerging methods and deployment of accurate detection such as nanopore sequencing in Burkina Faso.

Where do you see what you've learnt from this course fitting into your future career aspirations?

In the future, I hope to continue creating sustainable and culturally-responsive public health solutions, particularly for pediatric behavioral health, through intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship. In trying to place epidemiological and biological laboratory research in conversation with one another, this course emphasized the value of interdisciplinary collaboration. By bridging disciplines, we can better understand complex health challenges and design equitable, responsive solutions.

How has the EMD Department supported your research and academic goals?

As a behavioral health researcher, with a background working primarily in cognitive science and neuroscience labs, I am grateful for the opportunity to take this course, because it has helped me explore different types of research methods (epidemiological and genetic), an essential component when addressing complex health challenges with holistic, responsive solutions.

What advice would you give to prospective students considering applying to the EMD training programs at Yale?

My advice written comes from the perspective of an HCM student taking an EMD course. As a public health student, I believe it is incredibly important to learn and practice research methods across different disciplines. Given the interdisciplinary nature of public health issues, gaining a deeper understanding of different research methods better equips you to effectively tackle these complex issues.