Cordelia Hao, MS '18

Bringing Data from Alternative Test Methods into Risk Assessment

Cordelia graduated from Duke University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Earth and Oceans Sciences and French, and minored in Environmental Science and Policy. Their research interests include how environmental agents can affect human, animal, and ecosystem health, which they say, "proved to be a good fit for this program."

We asked Cordelia about their experience in the Master of Science in Toxicology for Human Risk Assessment program, the curriculum, and their internship.

Q: Where did you intern after graduation? Was the internship beneficial?

A: The internship was extremely helpful in exposing me to the professional network of environmental health practitioners. Working at The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) was great because it is such a melting pot of diverse scientists who each have their own specialties and topics studied. It is very interdisciplinary and showed me how a lot of what I was exposed to in the classroom could be applied. Also, it was a fantastic work environment and made me heavily consider working for the state government.

Q: What did you think of the program curriculum?

A: The training that I received during the risk series gave me some degree of exposure with the tools used in the trade even if not specifically relevant - this was helpful in writing cover letters and doing interviews. This program is catered to risk assessment or alternative methods. The alternatives to animal testing series was useful. I found the courses interesting and engaging. The series did a good job in letting us know what the current state of animal testing is but also setting a tone for changes in the future. It is cool that this program trains a 'new generation' of toxicologists and risk assessors instead of relying on the traditional -- albeit more used -- methods.