COVID-19 Response: Alumni and Students

Clinic Coordinator
I currently work as a clinic coordinator for an outpatient clinic that sees cardiology, endocrinology, primary care, infectious disease, and occupational medicine. My role during this pandemic has been to create schedules and provide support to our staff and providers while we transitioned to Telehealth. As a supervisor, I was responsible for screening staff and providers prior to their entrance into the clinic and providing instructions for those that answered positively. I have also assisted in the clinic's transition back to in-person appointments by mandating that all patients be screened at the time of scheduling, the day prior, and when they arrive for their appointments. All patients are to wait for it their car and call us prior to entering the clinic. During this time, I have also swabbed patients for Covid-19 at our HealthCare organizations tent. Additionally, I was responsible for notifying management that HealthCare workers should be tested for Covid-19 if they present with any of the symptoms.

My other work consisted of volunteering for the State of Michigan PUI Provider line. This work involved triaging phone calls from hospitals and other sites where there may be a suspected Covid-19 case. Each phone call involved completion of the PUI/BOL priority testing form, entering suspected cases into MDSS to generate a PUI number and providing instructions for proper sample submission and form completion. Additionally, I was expected to stay up-to-date with testing criteria and determine if the sample needed to be submitted to BOL or if there was a local commercial lab available.

Sarah Todd, MPH '18
U.S. Air Force Public Health Officer
I am a dual degree DVM ‘14 and MPH '18 alumna. I am stationed at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, TX where I am protecting the Air Force’s training pipeline of 90,000 Airmen per year, 266 joint mission partners, and working with state and national agencies to slow the spread of COVID-19 to the greater metropolitan area of 1.4 million people. I advise on programs, policy, and resources for the largest joint base in the Department of Defense and the only DoD level-1 trauma center. My efforts support 10 Major Commands, 3 bases, 11 geographically separated units, and ensures the continued readiness of our military.

Olajumoke N Subair, 
COVID-19 Emergency Response Physician, MPH Student
I am collaborating with an NGO, the health shift drive international (HSDi), in developing an interventional program in response to COVID-19 in the Oguta community, Nigeria. Oguta, IMO state Nigeria is embedded between Oguta lake and Obana river and Okposha river, with only one land route passing through water or a bridge. This unique location limits access to health care in the community. Amid COVID 19, (HSDi) and I conducted a risk assessment and the organization is helping to develop programs on containment strategy, establishing virtual care clinic, soliciting health care professionals and volunteers, educating the community about quarantine process, self-isolation, avoidance of social gathering, and supply of personal protective equipment for health care workers in the community. I partnered with Dr. Nwapa, a family physician, and a public health enthusiast and a daughter of the community. Because of limited health care access to qualified health professionals and the community located on a land surrounded by water with only one land exits, screening people coming into town for possible intervention as part of the lockdown strategy, is imminent. I created a basic questionnaire to help evaluate, screen, and document movement in and out of the community. We distributed educational materials and provide information on COVID-19 to people about the risk involved with a social gathering and proper use of personal protection.

The work is still ongoing, as the risk assessment indicates a need for an urgent community sensitization. This program is hoping to identify areas of need and concern regarding COVID19 and will strategize on its solutions. A new website and virtual care app have been developed to help the villagers access volunteer physicians globally.

Jennifer Thompson,
MPH Student and MPH Student Advising Board Member
I have been volunteering with the MDHHS provider testing hotline since mid-late March. I will continue doing that as long as it is needed. Early on we guided providers through the criteria for eligibility for testing, issued PUI numbers to allow for sample submission and testing to the state public health lab, and then we provided support and guidance to providers around reporting requirements. I have volunteered to support contact tracing efforts as well.

I am in the process of finalizing a study with Dr. Currier to Investigate vicarious trauma among hotline workers in Michigan. Trauma is something that is becoming more talked about and I think will be important to assess and evaluate moving forward in order to prevent unnecessary negative health outcomes.

John Matkovic, MPH '11
Graduate Teaching Assistant
As a graduate teaching assistant, I was teaching two, in-person courses at the University of Toledo prior to Spring Break, and prior to the stay at home orders.

Since then, I have adjusted two courses to be completely online, distance learning, and worked to accommodate students as we adjust to our new normal. I have also just joined a task force to assist the Lucas County Health Department by volunteering in contact tracing, and outreach to individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19.

EMS for children coordinator
I have shifted focus to advocating for children’s safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working with various groups to address the increase in child abuse, detect it earlier, and get these children help immediately. Also working on various behavioral health initiatives to bring guidance to a variety of populations coping with fears and anxieties amidst COVID-19. These populations included: healthcare workers, first responders, families, children, pregnant and nursing mothers, newborn families, individuals living with SUD, racial, and ethnic minorities. Providing support to those experiencing grief, loss, and isolation.

Furthermore, working on EMS protocols throughout the state regarding patient testing, paramedic work to triage and treat patients outside the emergency room, and testing healthcare workers before returning to work.

Breanne Forbes Hubbard, MPH '17
Population Health Manager
Professionally, I serve as part of our health district management team and am a leader in all our planning and response efforts for COVID-19. This has included coordinating and reevaluating our normal business efforts in response to the pandemic, creating data tracking projects and reports for calls and community testing events, helping at community testing events, and coordinating with our state office. I also serve as the district public information officer. I have been busy with interviews, press releases, internal messaging, messaging for community partners, data reports for media, and outreach campaigns on social media.

Our comprehensive harm reduction and overdose prevention work, which is part of my team, continues. We have seen an increase in overdoses and are working to address this while also working to keep ourselves and our participants safe. We have made changes to our clinic operations while still providing services, and have done COVID-19 outreach to this vulnerable population.

I am also working with my health educators, who provide youth outreach programming, to envision creative ways to connect with youth during quarantine, and also how our model will look differently for the upcoming school year.

Personally, I’ve been learning how to use my sewing machine and have been making cloth face coverings.

Rachael Weisbrod,
COVID-19 Provider Call Center Volunteer, MPH Student
Michigan COVID-19 Laboratory Emergency Response Network volunteer doing remote work:

• Worked with State of Michigan public health professionals on a voluntary basis to provide support during the
  COVID-19 pandemic
• Guided healthcare providers through the patient prioritization process and assigned PUI IDs for eligible patients
• Utilized the MDSS database to generate patient cases for further epidemiological investigation

Communicable Disease Investigator
In my current role as an Early Intervention Services Worker in the Ryan White Program at Forest Community Health Center, we are providing support and emergency financial assistance to those who are HIV-positive and especially vulnerable to COVID-19 and subsequent complications from the disease. Emergency financial assistance provided has included providing monetary assistance for rent, groceries, any outstanding bills, hotel stays for those who are homeless, and access to paper products and cleaning supplies. Our program has teamed up with a grassroots coalition, Queering Medicine, who has donated a plethora of paper towels, toilet paper, bleach, masks, hand sanitizer, thermometers, tissue paper, antimicrobial wipes, and other hard-to-get items to disperse to Ryan White clients in need. Our team has been delivering all of these items, as well as groceries, medications, and anything else our clients may need directly to their home with no-contact delivery so that they do not have to take the extra risk of leaving their residence.

Emergency preparedness and business continuity leader at Spectrum Health
I am one of the few (yet mighty) on the emergency preparedness (recently renamed business assurance) and business continuity team at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, MI.  During COVID-19 response, I've been in incident command 3 days each week planning and operationalizing our pandemic plans.  During this time, I have become the resident COVID-19 post-mortem and morgue planning specialist.  In this role, I've toured potential temporary morgue locations and assisted in negotiating needed contracts with facilities.  I've worked with local fabricators to create custom vertical racking to increase the capacity of Spectrum Health's in-house morgues. I've also assisted in operationalizing COVID-19 swab testing to emergency department triage tents, long-term care facilities, and other regional partners. More recently, I've championed a return to workplace planning and preparations for all Priority Health locations across the state by creating a tiered re-entry approach in coordination with supply chain and facilities staff. 

Disease Control and Prevention Coordinator
I am the Disease Control and Prevention Coordinator at the Grand Traverse County Health Department in Traverse City, MI. Since the beginning of this pandemic, the focus of my job has shifted to COVID-19 response. Our communicable disease office is focused on interviewing and contract tracing positive cases in our county. We also formed a team dedicated to monitoring contacts of positive cases and answering questions for community members. I have helped train health department staff, who normally work in other capacities, on contract tracing and monitoring of contacts. We have been lucky to have a low case count, so we have been able to focus on prevention. We still currently try to contact those being tested in our county to discuss isolation until they receive test results. One of the main goals of my job is ensuring our team has processes in place so we operate smoothly. My supervisor and I are always thinking ahead and having plans in place as our case count grows. Many aspects of this pandemic have been rapidly changing and I work to help keep team members updated on these changes.

I grew up in Traverse City and I love my community. I am honored to be working at the community level during this pandemic response. Our communicable disease team works hard every day to help prevent and decrease the spread of this disease in our community. I'm proud to work with such an amazing team.

Technical Manager
Collaborate with federal public health agencies and industry associations to provide cleaning and sanitizing best practices for the retail food industry to ensure the protection of public health.

Volunteer as a contact tracer with MDHHS.

Tara Knisely, MPH '14
Medical Student 
I am currently working as a contact tracer for the Larkin Community Hospital taskforce in Miami, FL, as well as for the MDHHS in Michigan.

I am working to identify persons under investigation for being COVID-19+, determining their contacts, and tracing them to alert those of possible exposure so that they may self-quarantine, seek appropriate medical care if necessary, and receive any necessary community resources to safely and properly carry on their daily activities of life.