CDC’s Disease Detective Camp

Campers speaking about highlights of the week at the camp’s final presentation

Twice a summer the David J. Spencer CDC Museum hosts a Disease Detectives Camp for high school students. This June, during a week-long crash course in epidemiology, a group of juniors and seniors had a chance to explore not only CDC’s Atlanta campus, but also the many jobs that CDC has to offer.

Trudi Ellerman, the museum’s educational director, lead the campers through a mock outbreak scenario from start to finish. Campers formulated questions, interviewed patients, discovered sources, and faced the press. Along the way, they were lectured by experienced epidemiologists who gave them a real-world grounding in how CDC handles epidemic investigations.

“Because of what we learned from the lecture, we were able to sort out what we needed to know from the mock outbreak,” said camper Rachel Foley. “[W]e sort of mimicked that and were able to decide what we needed to know and where we needed to go from the information that we had been presented.”

CDC employees played interviewees during the mock epidemic. Andrea Stokfisz, an ORISE fellow, volunteered this year for the first time. She was impressed with the campers’ questions.

“If they were doing this for real,” Stokfisz said, “they’d be on the right track.”

During a mock press room experience, campers role-played reporters, subject matter experts, and equipment handlers and learned how communication works on both sides of the table during an outbreak.

Students listen to a CDC employee speak about her work at the Global Health Fair

“Basically, because they’re experts, they told us how to conduct ourselves in front of reporters and what to do when we’re confronted with questions, particularly difficult questions to answer,” said camper Alexander Robinson. “[They] told us to never say or make up things, you know, just because you feel the pressure of not knowing the answer and to basically just stick to what you know.”

Crystal Dixon was one of the campers who played the part of a subject matter expert interrogated by the young reporters.

“I get really nervous for stuff like interviews and presentations and kind of getting that little experience helped me break out of my shell a little bit or feel a lot less nervous about public speaking,” Dixon said.

Campers also spent time with CDC employees during the Global and Environmental Health Fairs, hearing about the different projects, places, and careers involved in CDC’s 24/7 mission to save lives and protect people.

Caroline Hollar said she was interested in traveling so talking to the Epidemic Intelligence Service officers at the Global Health Fair was a great experience.

“When you ask them if they have a favorite place, they never say they have a favorite place: it’s the people. So I guess that makes you think. You’ll go and travel and you’ll appreciate the places but all of them said it was the people,” Hollar said.

In another example used to demonstrate the workings of public health law, campers made decisions in different roles – including state governor and detained rock star – when a person on a plane is discovered to be infected with Super Duck Flu. During an environmental health scenario, campers learned how to communicate risks to the public during a scare.

A Disease Detective transfers culture during a lab exercise

“My scenario was paint in Florida . . . It’s lead poisoning, which is usually found in little kids, and you have to find a way to let the community know through an easy way that is both informative yet simple enough so that they may understand,” said camper Stuart Johnson.

Campers spent time in a lab after learning about CDC’s biosecurity levels. They donned lab coats, gloves, and goggles and armed themselves with pipettes to prepare plugs for gel electrophoresis.

“When I came in here I thought lab work was the thing I wanted to do. As I was progressing through the camp I learned about the epidemiological side of it—travelling to different countries and figuring out outbreak scenarios. Then my field kind of changed and I thought, ‘Oh maybe, the Public Health Service is the way to go,’ and then we got back into the lab and actually did the lab work and that refurbished my original goal,” said camper Nolan Englund.

On their last day, campers prepared a presentation for their families and CDC employees.

“I was delighted with the final presentations by the campers,” said Judy Gantt, director, David J. Sencer CDC Museum. “They clearly took advantage of the many opportunities they were given during the week. And I think they were a bit awestruck to have Dr. Steve Thacker and Dr. Tom Frieden as their final speakers.”

The camp certainly does make an impact on its attendees. Two years ago, camp intern Amanda DeSimpelare saw a smallpox eradication lecture given by David Sencer, MD, former director of CDC. The students had so many questions that Sencer gave them his e-mail address. DeSimpelare worked up her nerve and contacted him with questions about colleges and her career path. Both Michigan natives, Sencer was able to recommend schools and DeSimpelare decided to study public health at Northern Michigan University.

“Dr. Sencer continues to inspire and guide young people, even though he physically is not with us,” said Ellerman. “I’ll never forget how excited Amanda was that he actually answered her! She had to e-mail us with the news.”

This group of campers shared DeSimpelare’s enthusiasm.

“I think if anyone likes this field,” said Nolan Englund, “this is the camp for them.”