Zuckerman College of Public Health student Paulina Colombo gave her time and talent to COVID-19 response efforts in Arizona as she completed her studies to earn her MPH degree this spring.
Paulina Colombo
Master of Public Health
Paulina Colombo, second year Master of Public Health (MPH) student in epidemiology, will graduate from the Zuckerman College of Public Health this spring, and she has already been accepted in the doctorate program to pursue her PhD in epidemiology! Paulina first came to the University of Arizona as an undergrad from her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. She majored in public health and completed her honors thesis with Dr. Mary Kay O’Rourke and the Hopi Environmental Health Project Team. During that project she focused on learning research and data analysis skills, and on collaboration with community partners. This experience set the foundation for her public health education and sparked her passion for epidemiological research.
As an MPH student, Paulina stands out in many ways, yet it is her passion for community service that truly sets her apart. For her internship, she supports the AZCOVIDTXT project, a text-based communication platform that gathers and delivers COVID-19 information to support the community. At the same time, she also volunteered with the SAFER (Student Aid for Field Epidemiology Response) team at the college, leading as a supervisor for other student volunteers to conduct contact tracing for the University of Arizona, Pima County, and other Arizona counties.
“Each project I was able to be a part of provided me the opportunity to see the power of public health in action,” says Colombo, “the COVID-19 pandemic offered the world undeniable proof of the importance of public health, and I feel so inspired by how MEZCOPH came together on so many incredible COVID-19 projects like the AZCOVIDTXT, the SAFER contact tracing team, and the CoVHORT research study to respond to the pandemic. I feel so grateful that I have been a part of some of these projects, knowing that some of my work has potentially made a difference and saved lives!”
Paulina has earned appreciation from the many faculty she has worked with on different projects. She worked with Drs. John Ehiri and Aminata Kilungo on the Arizona epidemiology evaluation team for the CDC’s national DP18-1815 grant. The grant is conducted in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Health Services, and aims to improve health outcomes through the prevention and management of chronic diseases. She also worked as a teaching assistant for Dr. Lindsay Kohler for two semesters on the undergraduate course Introduction to Public Health. In addition, Colombo’s internship with the AZCOVIDTXT program, under the guidance of Dr. Kacey Ernst, expanded her ability to communicate public health messages through social media and weekly articles that digested COVID research into accessible communications. And her work with the SAFER team, led by Dr. Kristen Pogreba-Brown, gave Colombo first-hand experience with contact tracing during a pandemic, a unique learning experience that provided a valuable service to the community.
Professor Kasey Ernst, Paulina’s MPH mentor for the Epidemiology program, explained how she went well beyond expectations, “Her internship is where she has really shined - every week she works with a communications team to identify key areas for updating the public related to COVID-19. She does this very independently and has become an excellent science communicator. She is dedicated and has been working with us over a year now. I am impressed by her dedication and commitment and interest in learning new skills and techniques.”
Assistant professor Lindsay Kohler says about Colombo, “Her contributions to COVID-19 education, outreach and research have been invaluable to not only the University of Arizona but also the greater Tucson community and the state of Arizona.”
Paulina’s dedication to community service projects demonstrates her commitment to public health. She feels that her work on public health projects has been rewarding and meaningful. “The past year brought so many challenges – adjusting to a world on zoom, the lack of in-person visits with family and friends, and the loss of a loved one to name a few. My pandemic challenges were not unique, and they left so many of us feeling defeated at times,” says Colombo, “Fortunately, to lessen the burden, I did have the support of my fellow students, and the staff and faculty of MEZCOPH. I was so inspired by how the college responded and became involved in nearly every aspect of the Arizona pandemic response. And thanks to public health and the hard work of so many frontline workers, I am able to reunite with my parents at the MPH graduation for the first time since Christmas, 2019!”
