Emily Vanwagoner Email & Phone Number

I have had an affinity for working with people since I was a child; I was always looking for ways to help people feel better when they are struggling, make people smile, or be a kind voice and listening ear to those in need. Helping others has come as first nature from my earliest memories. Because of this, I had always seen myself in a clinical role when considering my future or what I wanted to be when I grew up, however in my undergraduate course work I took a Global Public Health and Epidemiology course as an elective and my entire perspective changed. I found myself invigorated by the work that is done in in this field to prevent illness and clinical outcomes before they impact lives. I found the focus on understanding what factors impact health and intervening early in disease pathways through primary or secondary prevention thrilling and I felt inspired to pursue a career in public health. I decided that my love for problem solving, looking for patterns, and interest in health made a career in Epidemiology the perfect fit. After graduating from Michigan State University in spring of 2019, I began working as a Project Technician for the Michigan Public Health Institute contracted at Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in the Division of Environmental Health. I have been working in this position to understand the impact of PFAS on human health in highly affected communities in Michigan.