For Shelbie Vandersteen, the decision to pursue an education in public health, with an emphasis on substance abuse, is partly personal. “People in my family have experienced addiction,” she shares. “It’s a topic that gets glossed over all the time.”
A double major in public health and biology, Vandersteen’s internship last summer was focused on harm reduction. This evidence-based public health approach to addiction focuses on reducing the stigma, risks, and harm of drug use, rather than focusing solely on abstinence.
During her internship, Vandersteen explored ways to expand harm reduction access and decrease opioid overdose rates in St. Louis County. While these figures have trended downward recently, the frequency of local overdoses remains at an alarming level.
She split her time between the Center for Alcohol & Drug Treatment (CADT) and the Recovery Alliance. She attended trainings, helped develop a workbook to guide clients in recovery, and also participated in listening sessions and peer recovery groups.
“I appreciated hearing about their lives and backstories, including what has helped them in the process,” she says. There were some harrowing personal stories. Human trafficking was a recurring theme among clients, for instance.
Vandersteen came away with a more comprehensive understanding of addiction and recovery and urges compassion. “Nobody woke up and decided, ‘I want to do meth today,” she explains. “They had an adverse life event that led to that, and they didn’t have additional support.”
People in recovery need policies that are preventative rather than punitive, according to Vandersteen, who suggests that more community support and resources are needed, such as mental health services, as well as access to Narcan and needle exchange programs.
“Narcan doesn’t fix the issue of fentanyl or being addicted to drugs. But to help make it accessible is a step in the right direction,” she says. “You can’t make anybody do anything. The path to recovery is not linear. It also never ends.”
Vandersteen is currently working in a virology lab with Clara Shaw, PhD, and as a research assistant in UMD’s College of Pharmacy. In the future, she wants to examine how IV drug use influences rates of treatment-resistant Hepatitis B and C, and what can be done to mitigate this problem.
After she graduates in May, she hopes to enroll in the Master of Public Health program in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
Images: Shelbie Vandersteen works in a virology lab (pictured) with Clara Shaw, PhD, and as a research assistant in UMD’s College of Pharmacy. Credit: University of Minnesota Duluth
This story was first published on January 28, 2026, by the College of Education and Human Service Professions.