Research on the Front Line

Research on the Front Line

By Kelly Broussard

When the novel H1N1 influenza virus began spreading throughout Mexico and beyond in the summer of 2000, the whole world watched as the outbreak grew to pandemic levels. As a public health lab intern in Brownsville, Texas, I transitioned from an observer of the pandemic to an active researcher on the front line of the fight against the virus. I was taking part in a groundbreaking National Institutes of Health (NIH) study to diagnose and characterize novel H1N1, along with the surveillance and response team at my public health lab.

When I met my mentors and the head coordinators of the novel H1N1 flu efforts at the university, it became clear that the influenza project moved at a quick pace. The NIH study aimed to collect various samples from people with influenza-like symptoms or confirmed H1N1 along the course of their infection. Specimens were taken either in the study participants’ homes or at the Clinical Research Unit (CRU), and then were brought to us at the lab.
My role at the UTSPH lab involved preparing these specimens for either our own researchers to work with, or for shipment to other H1N1 vaccine research facilities. The delicate specimen recovery and processing procedures for the isolation of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) from whole blood could last entire days. My interests in infectious diseases, public health, and the new pandemic provided ample enthusiasm to complete the high workload of the study with the rest of the lab.

As a team, we performed Real Time RT-PCR, the only confirmatory diagnostic test for H1N1 flu, as per instructions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our lab was the first non-State or CDC laboratory able to carry out this crucial confirmatory test, and participate in something this important and contemporary.

As we approached the halfway mark of the internship, I became familiar enough with the logic and structure of our daily procedures so that we could move into a more specific study of H1N1 influenza. One of the primary goals of the NIH study was to characterize the immunology of the novel H1N1 viral infection using the participants’ specimens. I worked very closely with the lead scientists to determine the best way to approach the immune response to novel H1N1 infection.

My time in Brownsville was extremely rewarding, both in terms of my new laboratory and academic skill sets, and my understanding of my future in public health. I learned firsthand the excitement, richness and, unfortunately, the stress of working in an outbreak environment. This summer I have seen that these organizations can handle the sudden pressure of an outbreak magnificently.

I love infectious disease study, and I am grateful to find that unchanged by my work this summer. I can see so many opportunities ahead of me, and my work in Brownsville has sharpened my confidence in my interests and abilities in the world of public health. I am very grateful to have had this unique and enriching experience.

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