CBS Undergraduate Anika Larson Returns from Summer Internship at CDC!!

Anika Larson, an undergraduate Biology and Society student at ASU with a double major in Global Studies, served as an intern with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA for the summer of 2014 as part of the Collegiate Leaders in Environmental Health program.

Anika worked in the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) with Chinyere Ekechi, Senior Public Health Analyst, Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation, and Annabelle Allison, Associate Director, Office of Tribal Affairs.  Her projects included updating and broadening the functionality of a Congressional database; conducting legislative and policy research to support the Office of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation; reviewing and revising a “Working Effectively with Tribal Governments” training course for public health professionals, and developing communication materials for the Office of Tribal Affairs and public health partners.

Through the internship program, she had the opportunity to take public health training and attend lectures in topics such as Geographic Information Systems, food safety, and environmental justice, as well as embark on environmental public health field trips that included touring the CDC Emergency Operations Center, working at an urban garden, and – her favorite trip – a behind-the-scenes tour of the Georgia Aquarium. 

When she was not working on her projects or interviewing various CDC employees about their experiences in the field of public health, Anika enjoyed exploring Atlanta’s museums and natural parks with her fellow interns.  She returns to ASU this fall for her final year as an undergraduate, but looks forward to reuniting with her CDC colleagues in October at the 2014 Public Health Law Conference in Atlanta.