Student Spotlight – Sara Stevens

Name: Sara Stevens
Major: Master of Public Health, Epidemiology Concentration
College: Department of Public Health, Brody School of Medicine, ECU
Year in School: 2nd year graduate student

Why did you decide to attend East Carolina University?

I decided to attend East Carolina University because the MPH program at ECU offered meaningful opportunities and I felt a sense of community. The MPH program at ECU teaches valuable knowledge about rural populations in NC and offers a different point of view on public health, something that I value greatly since I grew up in Eastern, NC. I knew that this program would provide useful information that I would be able to use in my future career in public health.

What do you appreciate most about your ECU education?

I appreciate all the relationships I have formed with faculty, staff and my fellow classmates as well as all the beneficial research opportunities that I have been able to be a part of. Throughout my time at ECU, I have been able to work as a graduate assistant in the Department of Public Health where I gained valuable research experience and had the opportunity to present my research at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting in Philadelphia. I also completed an internship with the NC Agromedicine Institute that allowed me to continue my research as part of my professional paper.

What are your career ambitions?

Currently, I work as a graduate assistant in the Hematology/Oncology Clinical Trials Office with ECU. Upon graduation, I would like to start a career in the clinical trials research field working as a study coordinator or research specialist. I hope that wherever my public health career takes me that I will be able to use all that I have learned in the MPH program at ECU to make an impact in the lives of others.