Field Placement: Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Immunization Program, Epidemiology Unit
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Preceptors: Dulmini Kodagoda, MPH, Director, Epidemiology Unit
Student Name: Susan Masseling
Year: 2003

Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Los Angeles County (1980-2002)

I chose to do an internship at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Immunization Program during Summer 2003. I worked in the Epidemiology Unit of the Program under the supervision of my preceptor Dulmini Kodagoda, MPH, the Director of the Epidemiology Unit. Though I formally completed the internship in October, I will continue to work for the Immunization Program on an ongoing project that I started in the summer.

The mission of the Los Angeles County Immunization Program is to improve immunization coverage levels and to prevent the occurrence of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Such diseases include pertussis, measles, mumps, tetanus, and diphtheria. To achieve this mission, the Program carries out numerous activities including vaccine management and distribution, passive surveillance of VPDs, VPD outbreak investigation and control, community outreach and education, and immunization coverage assessments. There are several different units within the Immunization Program, each with a specific function that contributes to the mission of the Program. The Epidemiology Unit is concerned with all aspects of the occurrence and spread of vaccine-preventable diseases in Los Angeles County. This includes the systematic collection and analysis of data related to vaccination coverage levels in the population, morbidity and mortality due to various VPDs, field investigation of outbreaks and individual cases, passive surveillance, and data concerning the availability, use and effects of vaccines.

My project focused on vaccine-preventable disease cases that occurred in Los Angeles County between 1980-2002. The goals of the project were to reorganize archived VPD files, to develop a new Access database, and to learn to perform statistical analyses with this data to help produce a vaccine-preventable disease trend report for Los Angeles County for this time period. During my internship I was also given the opportunity to observe and assist with epidemiologic surveillance procedures, such as case investigation and contact tracing. Overall my experience interning with the LA County Immunization Program was pleasant and worthwhile, and I gained valuable technical skills as I learned how principles of public health are applied in the context of a governmental organizational setting.

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