As epidemiology graduate students, we are required to find summer jobs that are somehow related to our field. As I was doing some research into possible areas of interest, I found that many of the other students in my program had completed summer work at the Center for Community Health. This piqued my interest, as this was a way to combine my interest in community health outreach with an academic institution. This summer, I’ll be working on a project that examines local physicians’ attitudes toward the HPV vaccine, specifically in reference to administering it to women ages 18-26.

The Center for Community Health is a joint effort between UR and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CCH’s mission is to develop and expand research and programs to improve community health. Specifically, it aims to do this by providing community members with support from researchers, centrally coordinating health issues, tracking community health data and implementing community health projects. The two main areas of UR’s CCH are the Communicable Disease, Immunization and Vaccine Efficacy Studies and the Cancer Services Program of Monroe County. Together, all the members of CCH work to improve the overall health and well-being of Monroe County and its surrounding areas.

What I find so great about this center is that it provides a way for community members and researchers to work together toward a common goal. CCH is the embodiment of Community-Based Participatory Research. It has the potential to significantly impact the Rochester community for the better, and I look forward to becoming a part of it.