Amee Patel and Alex Ourth have joined SDAHO for summer internships.
Patel, from Mitchell but originally from New Jersey, is currently living in Sioux Falls and attending Augustana University, majoring in Computer Information Systems (CIS). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Service with a minor in physiology from Dakota Wesleyan University and will be completing her Augustana CIS degree this coming fall. Her hobbies include drawing and painting, and she is part-owner of a family business.
Patel is helping SDAHO develop an online health care workforce toolkit for South Dakota. She says she is privileged to be interning at SDAHO and being part of the team this summer.
Ourth, who is studying chemical engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago with a minor in public policy, joins SDAHO as part of the RISE-UP program through the University of South Dakota (USD). He is assisting the SDAHO team with strategic priorities.
Ourth’s community service work involves health promotion and issues of health disparities. His award-winning undergraduate research has focused on diabetes, prostate cancer and human diseases research. Alex grew up in rural Illinois. His future goals include medical and community health work and research dedicated to addressing health disparities in rural health care.
USD participates in a national consortium of universities committed to diversifying the public health workforce. The RISE-UP program funding was awarded to the Kennedy Krieger Institute by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USD is one of three national RISE-UP sites.
