Blake Acquarulo 2012 Earns Master’s at Yale University

Blake Acquarulo, Hamden Hall Class of 2012, earned a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases from the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) in May. As a member of the YSPH Class of 2018, Blake reflected that during her time at Yale, she worked for the Connecticut Emerging Infections FoodCORE team, where she performed foodborne illness surveillance and conducted detailed interviews with confirmed cases on behalf of the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH). “This gave me the opportunity to work on foodborne clusters and outbreaks in the state for the last two years and was definitely one of the best experiences of my time at Yale!” Blake’s topic for her master’s thesis was Sepsis and Septic Shock Epidemiology Among Adult and Pediatric Patients in Connecticut. “My thesis topic was mainly driven by my grandmother, who passed away from complications of an infection three years prior,” Blake said. “My work on sepsis can contribute to a greater understanding of sepsis and help drive public health prevention efforts as well as guide clinical initiatives. While sepsis may be the most frequent cause of death in hospitalized patients, it is generally understudied in the research world especially in pediatric populations, and my work can add to the existing literature on this important topic. I had the opportunity to present my thesis at the YSPH Epidemiology of Microbial Disease Research Day and most recently, at the Connecticut Infectious Disease Society Annual Conference.” Congratulations to Blake who promises to keep us posted on what’s next. Blake, a member of the Hamden Hall Alumni Association Council, is a 2016 graduate of Boston College where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Medical Humanities, Health, and Culture.