1. May 2016
To Whom it May Concern:
My name is Kristine Avilés. I have just recently obtained my Master of Public Health
degree from the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions. Now
that I have graduated, I hope to secure a position within the public sector that will also utilize my
veterinary medical degree.
Pursuing a career in public health has been something that I have contemplated since
before entering veterinary school. Throughout veterinary school, I pursued activities and classes
with a focus on public health such as an International Medicine and Global Health seminar series
and Disaster Preparedness courses. Upon graduation, I enhanced by professional skills by
entering a small animal medical and surgical internship followed by two years as an emergency
veterinarian. It was in speaking with clients on a regular basis and learning how little most
animal owners knew about the potential threat of certain zoonotic diseases, such as intestinal
parasites, that I realized there was a disconnect between human and animal medicine. I became
very interested in gaining a better understanding of just how intertwined human and animal
medicine is and in being able to better communicate with my clients and the community about
the connection between these two worlds. Pursuing a Master of Public Health degree was an
obvious choice. Through this program, my concentration has been in Public Health Practice.
Learning more in depth about epidemiology, infectious diseases, and zoonotic diseases helped
me to gain added knowledge through my curriculum that will be beneficial for the direction I
hope to pursue in my public health career in the future.
Pursuing my internship in the field of epidemiology in my last semester has helped me
gain an even further understanding of the intricacies within this area of public health.
Completing my internship as public concerns for Zika virus quickly escalated on a state,
national, and international level was an educational opportunity that I could not have predicted
would occur. Seeing how epidemiologists and other public health officials coordinated their
efforts during this time solidified the direction in public health that I want to pursue. I aim to
focus my career on epidemiology, specifically in the realm of veterinary public health, where I
feel my particular skill set can be best utilized.
I look forward to starting my career in public health and being able to utilize both my
veterinary and public health degrees in order to make an impact that will integrate both animal
and human medicine. This, in turn, can provide a better understanding to the community of how
deeply tied these two groups are on a medical, ecological, and environmental level.
Thank you for your time and consideration during the selection process.
Respectfully,
Kristine Avilés, DVM, MPH