Amara Danturthi, a second-year Master of Public Health (MPH) student at the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Public Health (CPH), is dedicated to improving workplace safety through public health. Focusing on occupational hazards, she spent her summer interning with the State of Wisconsin’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration consultation service (WisCon) and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WI DHS) researching worker experiences with noise and respiratory risks. Amara credits her education at CPH with equipping her with the skills and knowledge she needed to excel in her internship and play a part in making workplaces safer for employees.

Early Interest in Public Health

Amara’s interest in public health began while she studied at Western Kentucky University (WKU), where she was part of the Rural Health Scholars Program. Focused on Kentucky’s opioid epidemic, the program provided insight into public health’s role in everyday life. This exposure, combined with her family’s experiences with workplace hazards, motivated her to pursue occupational health.

After obtaining a biology degree at WKU, Amara chose UK for her MPH due to its strong ties to occupational health. 

“The University of Kentucky houses one of 18 [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)] Education and Research Centers in the country, which provides a unique opportunity for me to get direct experience in occupational epidemiology,” she said.

Amara’s coursework at UK provided her with the foundation to succeed during her summer internship, specifically CPH 605 (Epidemiology), CPH 643 (Measuring Health Behavior: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches), and CPH 620 (Occupational Health). 

"My coursework at UK gave me a good foundation to succeed through my internship," she said. "I had to understand how occupational disease and injury occurred to then properly interview workers about their experiences, and I was prepared because of my training."

The OHIP Program and WisCon

Amara’s internship with the Occupational Health Internship Program (OHIP), a NIOSH-sponsored initiative that provides students with hands-on experience in occupational safety and health, placed her with WisCon and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Through this internship, Amara played a pivotal role in developing an interview-administered questionnaire aimed at assessing workers' awareness and perceptions of noise and respiratory hazards. 

"We wanted to understand workers' perceptions of respiratory and noise risks in their occupation, whether they receive training to protect themselves, and how safety culture influences their perception of these risks," she explained.

Amara and her co-intern adapted questions from a workplace safety-related questionnaire, refining them for clarity and relevance.

"We piloted the survey with WisCon consultants, adjusting the questions based on their feedback. In the end, we developed a final survey of 24 questions that covered everything from worker roles to respiratory and noise hazards and overall workplace safety," she said.

During the interviews, Amara discovered a striking diversity of responses among workers, even those holding similar roles within the same industry. This variability underscored the individual nature of workplace safety perceptions. 

“One worker might feel extremely safe in their workplace, while another expressed significant concerns about their surroundings,” Amara said, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches in understanding and addressing workplace safety.

During her internship, Amara took the initiative to develop easy-to-understand resources aimed at empowering workers with knowledge about hearing protection, OSHA regulations and respirator use. Her goal was to simplify complicated OSHA standards, making workplace safety more accessible for both workers and employers. 

“We wanted to create materials that workers could easily grasp, enabling them to take control of their safety,” she said.

Mentorship and Lessons Learned

Amara's success in her internship was greatly influenced by the support and guidance of her mentors, including Sheryl Bedno, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer, Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Kate McCoy, Ph.D., Occupational Health and Safety Surveillance Program Director at Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and Tasha Heaton, M.P.H., WisCon Consultant.  Their expertise played a crucial role in helping her navigate challenges throughout her project.

“They provided not just guidance, but encouragement to think critically and creatively about our work,” Amara said, reflecting on their mentorship.

Their key piece of advice was to embrace opportunities for growth. Amara added they emphasized the importance of staying open to new experiences and continuous learning in public health. This advice has inspired her to seek out diverse experiences in her field.

Amara is enthusiastic about her future career in occupational epidemiology, aiming to make a significant impact at the state or federal level. 

“I want to contribute to policies and programs that improve workplace safety and health for all,” she shared.