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EpiAssist

About EpiAssist

EpiAssist is a student learning program at Texas A&M University that provides students with the opportunity to gain applied public health experience by assisting in Texas with outbreak investigations, disasters and emergencies, community health assessments, and other projects. EpiAssist activities are open to both graduate and undergraduate students on a volunteer basis. Any special requirements provided by the partners who request EpiAssist support will be provided in the Activity notification. Additional training and educational opportunities involving subject matter experts will be added to the program. 

EpiAssist activities are coordinated by Angela Clendenin, PhD, MA, Instructional Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Texas A&M School of Public Health. Clendenin's past experience includes responding to public health disasters, including Hurricanes Rita, Ike, and Harvey; the West Fertilizer Plant explosion, the Bastrop Complex Wildfires, and the Blanco and Brazos River floods.

Selected EpiAssist Activities

2020

  • Served at the Texas Department of State Health Services on the Vulnerable Populations Working Group to support the state's COVID-19 response
  • Provided surge support to the 7-county Brazos Valley region, the Brazos County Health District, Texas A&M University, and the Texas A&M University System COVID-19 response effort
  • Aided in the development and staffing of the Texas A&M Covid Operations Center

2019

  • CASPER participation in Brazos County
  • CASPER participation in Aransas County for their first post-Hurricane Harvey community assessment
  • Aided in data collection for a community assessment in Somerville, Texas as part of a doctoral project

2018

  • CASPER participation in Williamson County and Bryan/College Station, TX

2017

  • CASPER participation in Harris County; Austin, TX; Waco and McLennan County
  • Developed mosquito bite prevention kits for Harris county
  • Assisted in investigation of a statewide Cyclospora outbreak
  • Served a support role in the HSR 7 Hurricane Harvey Emergency Operations Center
  • Supported the Port Aransas pharmacy and civic center clinics
  • Assisted in the Harris County Public Health Harvey Clean-up
  • Aided in mapping of soil metals
EpiAssist surveying people during CASPER activity

2016

  • Conduct interviews as part of Community Assessments for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) in Harris County, Travis County, and Galveston County (the latter two were the first to measure Zika knowledge)
  • Conduct vector surveillance in Brazos County
  • Conduct interviews as part of separate outbreak investigations of Salmonellosis and influenza
  • Analyze state- and county-level injury surveillance data
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of life jacket loaner programs in preventing accidental drownings

Get Involved

Get involved with EpiAssist! To volunteer:

To view active events, please visit our EpiAssist events listing.

To learn more about EpiAssist or to request assistance, email epiassist@tamu.edu.

EpiAssist receiving instructions before CASPER activity