Lauren Peterson

Hey Classmates!

I love Alice’s idea and looking forward to reading everyone’s info. My name is Lauren Petersen. I ended up in nursing in a rather round-a-about way. I did my undergrad at UW-Madison in Medical Microbiology & Immunology. I thought research was for me. By the end of undergrad, I knew research was not entirely where I wanted to be, but too late to change J So, I came back to MN for public health. I got my MPH in Environmental Health with a focus in infectious disease. Since graduation, I have been working in an Epidemiology lab on the St. Paul campus. My research has been focused on E. coli and Leptospira. Last year sometime, I realized that lab work is not at all for me. I wanted to combine my public health/micro background with a clinical background and that lead me to nursing and this program.

As for my “nursing plans,” it is wide-open. I know that I want to stay in the area of preventive health with a particular interest in ID. I would like to work with different populations on health advocacy and education. As of now, I am leaning towards Maternal/child health. Eventually, I hope to take my skills and knowledge internationally.

Life outside of school, you ask? Minimal. Just kidding. My husband, Adam, and I got married last September. We don’t have kids. We like to spend as much time as possible with friends and family. My family is here in the Cities and his is in WI. We also like to do pretty much anything outdoors—I think that is the most succinct answer.

We also both love to travel. I have been very lucky that my research has taken me to Chile and Spain (although I am embarrassed to say my Spanish is still lackluster!). So far, we have mostly international travel, but looking forward to seeing more of the US—especially the National Parks.