Hi All,
I'm applying for CDC post-doc fellowship. These fellowships are in area of public health and mainly for clininicians, however, they also consider Ph. Ds with relevant experience.
This is what I came up with:
As a little girl I always liked to visit one of my dad's friends' family. The reason for my special interest was their 10 year old boy. This boy had huge feet. As I grew up, we eventually moved from this small village and lost touch with that family. However, that boy and his big feet always stayed in my mind. I remember asking my dad, "Why does he have big feet? Why doesn't he go to school? Why is he different?" No one could tell me why was he different. It was science class in eighth grade when I read about a 'common' disease transmitted by mosquitoes in coastal India and that's when I realized why this boy had big feet. Elephentisis was an unheard disease in northern India. He was infact the only one I have ever seen in our region.
This one example of elephantiasis in far north of India proved that poor health management could result in introduction of new diseases which can spread beyond boundaries. Not only within the nation, Infectious diseases can easily cross national borders and pose immediate threats. As a Biology and Chemistry major during undergraduate, my coursework allowed me to develop a keen understanding of molecular and organismal levels of living beings. I realized how disturbances in biological systems can influence one's health and infectious diseases cause more mortality every year than the number killed in the natural or man-made catastrophes. For my second year of masters' course, I decided to take environmental science major. That was when I began to further explore the concept of vector borne diseases and preventive measures. My masters' thesis project was the first small step towards my interest in the study of communicable diseases. I chose to work on the affects of plant extracts on mosquito mortality and their efficacy as mosquito repellent for indoor uses. I was able to apply the knowledge of toxicology and ethnobotany, I gained during undergraduation. I presented these results in a national symposium held by entomological society of India where my work was awarded as "best" research paper for its applicability.
For my Ph.D. project, I chose to explore candidate concealed antigens from mosquito reproductive tissues for parasite transmission blocking and mosquito fecundity reduction. For a part of my project, I worked at National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), New Delhi and had first hand experience of morbidity caused by malaria and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Working at NIMR was an eye opener for me. Although we assume health is the foundation for social and cultural growth, and for economic sustainability yet this is an area where we are losing ground. To combat infectious diseases we need to develop combination of approaches including diagnostic tests, preventive measures, treatment and vaccines.
I have always placed high value on community involvement; for instance, during my college years I participated in National Social Service (NSS) programme and started 'Green City: Clean City' movement. With help of other volunteers, I cleaned five residential sites in our city, most of them were slums with poor sanitation system. While volunteering for NSS, I had the opportunity to speak with the poorest and most disadvantaged women and kids. I was disappointed to learn the lack of basic health services, poor nutrition, inadequate living conditions and lack of preventive measures, all contributed to the spread of diseases. In response, we educated people to keep their neighborhood clean and to avoid standing water to get rid of mosquito breeding grounds, made them aware of government policies and free of cost distribution of medicines at Primary Health Centers. I received a merit-certificate for my enthusiasm and hard work. As a member of Adult Literacy Group, a World Health Organization initiative, I regularly devoted my time and energy to educate older people who were not fortunate to go to school during young age. Achieving my objective, I learned that, although we are susceptible to failure, success is a result of persistence and discipline. Most importantly, I proved to myself that I can be useful to my community, and realized that helping others is the greatest rewards imaginable.
My research and community involvement activities have confirmed my desire to continue along the academic path. I received the prestigious post-doctoral fellowship in malaria research from John Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. I presented my work in several symposiums and conferences and published in peer- reviewed journals. During my post-doctrol training, I steadily enhanced my understanding of mosquito biology and augmented my training in vector biology, immunology and parasitology. Currently, I'm engaged in a projects to understand different yet related metabolic and immune pathways in mosquitoes with an over arching goal of developing measures for vector control and to limit the parasite transmission.
My education and research experience have provided me with understanding of health problems and sparked my interest in public health and epidemiology that gives a long term view and a chance to make a real impact on the health of populations and the quality of their health services. Public health presents a big challenge, especially when many issues are so complex and intertwined with much larger social and cultural problems.Through, Epidemic Intelligence Service Program, I hope to gain a comprehensive understanding of public health research and practice. As a native of India, I've firsthand experience of inadequate public health policies, inefficient surveillance and poverty. I'm ready to take the challenge and I believe this will be one of many opportunities in the field of global health practice where I can help develop important partnerships to improve health of poor communities.
I am especially drawn to Center for Disease Control because of its strong emphasis on global health programs including infectious diseases and community based learning. I am excited at the opportunity to translate classroom knowledge into practical field experience. I am confident that this program will enable me to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully design, implement and evaluate global health programs which target developing countries. I believe that EIS fellowship and training at Center for Disease Control will be the most logical extension of my academic pursuits and a major step towards achieving my objectives.
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I'd appreciate any help I can get to improve my statement. Please feel free to comment/ criticize.
Thanks for your time!
