Spreading the Word about Pharmaceuticals

Meet Melanie Hughes, MPH
Epidemiology
University of Louisville School of Public Health
AstraZeneca
Contact Melanie

Epidemiology and Pharmaceuticals
Melanie graduated in 2012 from the University of Louisville School of Public Health with her Master's in Public Health and an emphasis in epidemiology. Following graduation, Melanie worked for nine months in clinical research at Vanderbelt University. She then found work as a pharmaceutical representative for AstraZenica, a company that specializes in biopharmaceuticals and innovative medicines. Her work includes promoting products to medical professionals and educating them about the newest availabilities in medicine.

Melanie feels that her background in public health helps her understand all that is tied in with the medical field. She is aware of the top killers in our country and she has an impact by promoting medicines that help to control them.

Staying Connected
Although Melanie is not working directly in public health, she stays connected by following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through such social media sources as Twitter and Facebook. She also digests scholarly articles to help her continue her MPH education.

Advice for MPH Grads
Looking back, Melanie wishes that she had done more internships with local health departments in order gain the experience she needed with epidemiology software, such as SAS. Melanie hopes to eventually work directly in epidemiology and is still in the market for this type of job. She networks by reaching out to her MPH professors and continues to enrich her skill set by staying connected. Melanie surely will continue to impact public health wherever she goes.

Contact Melanie
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