As the COVID-19 pandemic continues into its second year, so does our growing appreciation for public health workers. Their efforts to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 have been at the forefront of our battle against the virus. We spoke with Dr. Steve Bart, a 2018 CAMB MVP alumnus from Dr. Paul Bates’ lab, who now serves as a “disease detective” at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, like Steve, are first-line rapid responders to disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and other threats to the public’s health. Below, Steve shares with us his path to a career in epidemiology in the middle of this global pandemic.
The following transcript has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What is your role within the CDC?
I’m an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer, and I’m stationed at the Connecticut Department of Public Health in Hartford. I started in July 2020.
EIS officers are sometimes called “disease detectives” and work at [the Center for Disease Control and Prevention] (CDC) headquarters or in the states [themselves] to investigate disease outbreaks, analyze data, and implement control measures. There’s a big emphasis on EIS officers being CDC’s “boots on the ground” and they will often deploy to areas in the US or globally that need help dealing with a disease outbreak or other health threats that are causing problems in those areas.
What does a typical day look like?
Things have been pretty busy as you might expect. I’ve been working remotely during the pandemic, but a normal day will usually include coordinating with local health departments to investigate potential COVID-19 outbreaks, answering questions from members of the public, and working with our partners to get our COVID-19 wastewater surveillance system running. And, of course, a lot of data analysis and writing.
How did you decide to pursue a career in public health?
I decided about halfway through grad school. I had become a little frustrated with what I saw as a gap between my work at the bench and public health action. At the time, I was reading And the Band Played On, which was written during the 1980s and described the early days of AIDS in the US. As I read, I realized that there were people out there whose job it was to actually investigate outbreaks of new and old diseases. I did some searching, found out about EIS, and decided on a new career path.
How did you prepare to work in this field?
Because EIS officers work primarily as epidemiologists, I had to take advantage of whatever opportunities I could to shift my focus. I worked with Dr. Hillary Nelson with the Public Health Certificate Program and took night classes in epidemiology and biostatistics at Penn. I also expanded my network and started cold-emailing people to learn more about their jobs. On the side, I worked on a project at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health looking at factors affecting vaccine uptake. I thought that was an incredibly valuable experience, since I was actually doing public health work instead of just talking about it. After grad school, I did a postdoc at the FDA which also really helped to shore up my analytic and writing skills in a public health environment.
What skills from your PhD do you think have translated into your current position?
People always talk about “soft skills” but never actually say what they are or how they can help! Project management is the biggest one I think – being able to drive a project from conceptualization to publishing (or whatever endpoint you have) is huge. Also, as terrifying as giving my grad school presentations were, I did find that presenting really helped a ton to prepare me to answer hard questions and communicate more effectively.
In terms of directly applying technical knowledge from my PhD, I haven’t touched a pipette since leaving Penn, but I have been able to apply my virology experience as new SARS-CoV-2 variants have arisen.
How would you advise students looking to work as an EIS officer?
The EIS program accepts PhDs, MDs, DVMs, RNs, and other health professionals. Nearly everyone has a doctorate, and most people have some kind of public health experience. I really recommend doing what you can during grad school to get some of this experience so you can understand if this path is the right one for you. Talking to people and networking is critical, and I think that applies to any job after grad school. I’d also try to take advantage of the opportunity to take some classes while you don’t have to pay for them.
What is the best thing about working in public health?
The best part for sure is being able to make a direct impact. I have never once wondered whether the work I am doing is important, and it’s really fulfilling to see the impact of your work on people’s health. The people are also fantastic and it’s great to be able to learn from them – both my colleagues here in Connecticut and my fellow EIS officers around the country.
How has your career in public health been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
It’s definitely been an exciting and unique experience starting at the CDC in the middle of a pandemic. It’s busy and a little “trial by fire”, but I think it’s been a great training experience and is going to be incredibly valuable in whatever path comes next.
You can learn more about the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service fellowship program and how to apply at https://www.cdc.gov/eis/index.html.