College of Public Health Assists with ETSU Health COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic

More than 40 student and faculty volunteers from ETSU Health helped administer nearly 500 Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccines at a community-wide vaccine clinic held at ETSU’s Millennium Center on Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 21.  (ETSU Release)

“ETSU Health is really committed to improving the lives of people in this region, and what better way to do that than to offer the vaccine for free to people in our community so we can help them get back to the activities that they love, to get back to being with their families in a safe way, and get us closer to ending this pandemic,” said Dr. Leigh Johnson, ETSU Health director of COVID-19 Response and associate professor at Quillen College of Medicine, as well as an alumna of the College of Public Health.

The interprofessional vaccine clinic consisted of student and faculty volunteers from ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, Quillen College of Medicine, College of Nursing and College of Public Health.

Among those students were public health graduate and undergraduate students including Gabriela Abrego, Allen Archer, Benjamin Brown, Chase Harless, Marissa Kluk, Kendra Middlebrook, Sephora N’sapo, Makayla Ratcliffe, Shelby Robinson, Jake Schultz, Kristen Surles, Jody Teel, and Melissa White.

“I am extremely proud of our students,” said Dr. Randy Wykoff, Dean of the College of Public Health.  “Their willingness to step up with this exceptionally important public health activity is a wonderful affirmation of their commitment to the people of this region, and their desire to really make a difference.”

Gabriela Abrego, doctoral student in the College of Public Health, met Dr. Welch and Dr. Johnson through Dr. Megan Quinn, Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology who serves as one of her doctoral committee advisors. She assisted with planning logistics of the setup leading to the event, and advised on Spanish language materials with the help of Dr. Mildred Maisonet, Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Dr. Felipe Fiuza. During the clinics, she served as a team lead.

“Given my research interests in influenza vaccination and health disparities in the Hispanic community, I found this to be the perfect opportunity to ensure that the Hispanic and Latinx community of Northeast Tennessee were being thought of through the process,” said Ms. Abrego.  “It has been a pleasure and an honor to work alongside a talented group of people from different disciplines, it is a true testament to the ability and talent of the ETSU community.”