Practice Experience for MS PHMEID

Students in the MS Public Health Microbiology & Emerging Infection Diseases (MS PHMEID) program gain practice experience by completing a Field/Laboratory Experience and a Final Project, rather than a practicum. The information below applies to MS PHMEID students only.  MPH Epidemiology and Biostatistics students not in the MS PHMEID program should refer to the Practicum section of the department's practice experience page.

Field/Laboratory Experience

All MS PHMEID students in The Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute School of Public Health) are required to satisfactorily complete a Field/Laboratory Experience before graduation. This course is administered by the Department of Epidemiology.

The overall purpose of the Field/Laboratory Experience (PubH 6016.10) requirement is to introduce students in the MS PHMEID Program to a supervised practical experience to reinforce the classroom and laboratory work in their academic program. Generally, students work in one of the following areas:

• Infectious disease research
• Public health laboratories
• Qualifying public health entities (local, state or federal public health department, multilateral health organization, international setting, private contractor, etc.)

Students choosing a laboratory-focused experience will gain concrete experiences in key laboratory functions. This includes but is not limited to gaining experience in specimen collection, use of test kits, specimen storage and transport, chain of custody procedures, specimen processing in the laboratory, Good Laboratory Practices, general quality control issues, use of basic lab instrumentation, issues of biosafety, and exposure to one or more key laboratory test methods.

Students seeking a more epidemiology-focused experience may carry out the field placement in contexts where they will be exposed to epidemiologic research, surveillance, and the relationship between the laboratory and public health epidemiologists.

Field/Laboratory Experience Orientation Information

Any MS PHMEID student planning to work on their Field/Laboratory Experience is required to attend the mandatory Department of Epidemiology Field/Laboratory Experience Orientation Session.

This is a requirement that must be completed prior to starting the Field/Laboratory Experience.

The orientation session is offered at the beginning of each semester. Please keep an eye on the MS PHMEID listserv for an announcement with specific dates and times. To subscribe to the MS PHMEID listserv, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Subscribe MSPHMEID”.

Resources

Please refer to the following resources and guidelines to complete the Field/Laboratory Experience:

• Information for Potential Site Preceptors
• Syllabus: Field/Laboratory Experience Requirements for the MS PHMIED (PubH 6016.10)
• MS Program Overview
• FAQs
• Student Checklist
• Academic Forms

Student Templates

Students must use the following templates as guidelines to complete the Field/Laboratory Experience:

• Field/Laboratory Experience Proposal Template
• Field/Laboratory Experience Report Template
• Field/Laboratory Experience Time Log Template

Field/Laboratory Experience Supervisor Evaluation Form

The following form must be completed by Site Preceptors at the end of the Field/Laboratory Experience:

• Field/Laboratory Experience Supervisor Evaluation form

Field/Laboratory Experience Student Evaluation Form

The following form must be completed by students at the end of the Field/Laboratory Experience:

• Field/Laboratory Experience Student Performance Evaluation

Student Awards and Opportunities

• Capital Connection Fund
• Student Research Awards
• Knowledge in Action Career Internship Fund
• Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
• Epi Scholars Program
• Health Research Training Program(HRTP)
• International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B)
• DC DOH College Student Internship Program
• Curatio International Foundation

Links to Additional Resources

• CITI Training Instructions
• University Policy - International Travel
• GW Writing Center

For more information, please contact your Field/Laboratory Experience Course Director regarding forms that need to be completed.

Field/Laboratory Experience Faculty and Staff

To arrange a meeting with the Field/Laboratory Experience Faculty, please contact:

Final Project

Please note that students must also complete a final project to fulfill their degree requirements for the MS PHMEID degree. Students in the MS Public Health Microbiology & Emerging Infection Diseases (MS PHMEID) program gain practice experience by completing a Field/Laboratory Experience and a Final Project.

• Final Project Guidelines
• MS Final Project Syllabus
• Culminating Experience and Final Project Requirements (Reqs) and Timeline

For more information, please contact the MS PHMEID Final Project Directors: