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Spotlight on Volunteers

Boulder County would like to sincerely thank all of the tremendous volunteers who help enhance the quality of life in our community.  Boulder County's Volunteer Spotlight  profiles one of our many fabulous volunteers who has made a difference!

  

 

Volunteer's Research Improves Public Health

By Melva Seal, Boulder County Volunteer Spotlight Writer

"Whatever interest you might want to pursue, you can probably find a way to gain volunteer experience," advises Ingrid Asmus, a volunteer for Boulder County's Health Planning Program.  Her own experience is a perfect example.  With two Bachelor's degrees, a Masters, and a PhD, Ingrid excels in the field of academic research.  Fortunately for the Boulder County Public Health Department, she chooses to volunteer those skills for the benefit of the community.

The Boulder County Health Planning Program collects information and conducts research to determine the nature and extent of  health problems in the county.  Over the past year, Ingrid has donated over 300 hours of time and energy to research issues such as unintended pregnancy and emergency response.  For each new project, Ingrid gathers all information on the issue, interprets the data, and writes a literature review that summarizes her findings.  Sometimes she finds answers that can help the county frame appropriate responses or solutions.  In other cases, when not enough information is known about the issue, Ingrid's work prompts additional community research.

With every research initiative, Ingrid enjoys the chance to expand her knowledge in a new field.  Her work on tobacco education explored the association between smoking and alcoholism.  In her next project, she will catalogue all available health data and statistics to create maps of county health issues.  This visual format will both facilitate a better understanding of the issues and provide an ideal way to communicate those issues to the public.

Ingrid enjoys having the opportunity to expand her knowledge in areas that are relevant and important to the public.  Also, she is encouraged to know that her research will have practical use.  "It's very important to me to know that what I'm doing is helpful to other people," Ingrid said.  When she volunteers, she sees firsthand how her work benefits the bigger picture.

 For more information about the volunteer opportunities in Public Health, please visit: http://bouldercounty.org/ealth/Volunteer/index.htm

 

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