Molly Jernigan Roberts

2013 Master of Public Health in Epidemiology

Currently:
Epidemiology Coordinator
Lexington-Fayette County Health Department in Kentucky

"I am immensely appreciative of the support I received from ETSU faculty and staff, despite having never met me in person!"

Question: How did your education prepare you for the real world?

Studying public health at ETSU laid the foundation for my career. While school and real world experience are often two very different aspects of job preparation, my coursework in the College of Public Health really has carried over to my job. The required competencies are integral areas within the local public health infrastructure. The core subject areas allowed me to develop some basic skills and interest in areas outside of my concentration, which has contributed to my becoming a more well-rounded public health professional.

Question: What is something you wish you had known when you were a student?

No matter how much you feel like you know and remember about communicable diseases as a student and how simple the epidemiology behind a pathogen may seem, communicating transmission recommendations in real life situations is not always straightforward! There is always a tough question to answer or a circumstance that isn’t cut and dry. I didn’t realize as a student how much I would be consulting resources like the Red Book and the Control of Communicable Diseases Manual in my daily work.

Any other thoughts?

When I applied for admission to the College of Public Health, I was not really sure that public health was for me. What I did know was that I wanted a Master’s degree of some sort, and public health seemed like an area that would be growing and changing for years to come. I completed my coursework online while being employed in a different field, which afforded me the opportunity to really consider my potential future career path as compared with the job I had at the time. Nearly four years after graduating and beginning my time with local health departments in Kentucky, I could not be more pleased with the way things have progressed. I am immensely appreciative of the support I received from ETSU faculty and staff, despite having never met me in person!