During my MPH internship practicum, I worked at Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) in the Communicable Disease Department as a Public Health Informatics Intern. My primary responsibilities focused on strengthening communicable disease surveillance systems, improving public health data quality, evaluating case investigation records, and supporting epidemiologic monitoring processes used for disease investigations and reporting. I also worked on identifying reporting gaps, improving documentation consistency, and supporting data-driven public health decision-making at the county level. One of the most impactful projects I worked on was developing a public health data quality tracking system using Salesforce and NEDSS. This system helped identify missing variables, incomplete investigations, and delays in reporting across multiple communicable disease datasets. I also designed an Investigation Completeness Score (ICS) framework to standardize how surveillance reporting quality was evaluated. My biggest “aha!” moment was realizing how much accurate and complete data directly influences public health action. Even small missing details in surveillance records can affect outbreak detection, response planning, and community health interventions. This experience showed me that public health informatics is not only about managing data, but also about strengthening real-world public health response systems that protect communities.

Receiving the Urban Fellows scholarship had a meaningful impact on both my academic and professional journey this semester. As an international student balancing graduate studies, professional responsibilities, and research commitments, the scholarship provided important financial support that allowed me to focus more deeply on my academic growth and practical learning experiences without additional financial stress. The internship experience provided hands-on experience in communicable disease surveillance, public health informatics, and data quality improvement. It deepened my understanding of how local public health systems operate and reinforced my long-term goal of contributing to evidence-based public health programs and health systems strengthening, particularly in underserved communities. Over the course of my career, it has encouraged me to continue building a career focused on improving public health outcomes.