In the early days of the pandemic Coconino County recruited more than a dozen students from Northern Arizona University to work as contact tracers. Melinda Smith, a Ph.D. candidate in NAU’s Interdisciplinary Health program, was part of the monitoring team that follows up with people who have come into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with Smith about how the work could be emotionally difficult… and also become politicized over time.
