Welcome
I am a public health scientist and epidemiologist who is passionate about building the public health workforce. My work has been featured on CNN, NPR, BBC World Service, STAT, Scientific American, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. My academic training was at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford. My frontline fieldwork as an infectious disease epidemiologist has been focussed at rural and peri-urban sites in Eastern and Southern Africa, and at State and local governmental public health departments in the United States of America.
I spent a year as a contributing columnist at JPHMP Direct, where I published a series about the Public Health Workforce. I shared what it has been like to work on the public health frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how these experiences have changed me forever. I developed lessons about the changing public health workforce and the developments in our sector, with the goal of generating constructive dialogue towards the nurturing and reinvention of the public health workforce. You’ll find a recap of this material here and all the articles are available in full through the archive. I particularly focussed on the experiences of public health professionals in the employment market as we search for new #publichealthjobs. The column generated some illuminating and energetic conversations within our private discussion group on LinkedIn at the Public Health Connections Lounge.
Now it’s time to grow and venture out on my own, in order to share my opinions from an independent platform. Here on Substack, I am continuing the series of The Public Health Workforce is Not OK with new instalments, so let’s continue the straight talk and constructive dialogue.
Who am I?
I am an experienced epidemiologist and public health informatics specialist with a proven track record of implementing and evaluating community-based interventions for infectious disease epidemics globally. I have extensive experience in the field, including working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 emergency response for government health departments in the US. My expertise includes surveillance, case investigation, outbreak response, data analysis, and public health informatics. Prior to this, I conducted rigorous mixed-methods social and behavioural research on HIV among marginalized communities in rural and peri-urban areas across Southern and Eastern Africa.
I believe that #publichealthmatters, that #covidisnotover, that #weshouldallbefeminists, and that #publichealth IS #globalhealth. I am passionate about using real world #data to work towards #healthequity and #datamodernization, in order to prioritise the most vulnerable and marginalised among us. I build community and conversation among public health professionals. I am a Sandwich Generation caregiver. I am a voracious reader. You can find more of my writing and opinions here.
These days, I’m usually located in 🇺🇸, although my spelling is resoundingly 🇬🇧. I’m also variously identified with 🇬🇧 🇦🇹 🇮🇱 🇪🇺, I speak 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 🇮🇱, and my work experience has historically been focussed in 🇿🇲 🇿🇼 🇰🇪 🇿🇦 🇺🇬. All views expressed are my own.
Why “The Public Health Workforce is Not OK”?
“A well-defined, well-trained, well-resourced, and well-compensated workforce is the foundation of a truly robust U.S. public health system that can serve the needs of the American people.” President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), Report to the President: Supporting the US Public Health Workforce, 2023.
Supporting and cherishing the public health workforce is key to strengthening the health of the nation. However, recent events have revealed challenges to its funding and infrastructure.
“Insufficient funding for public health programs has been a long-standing problem. The COVID-19 crisis illuminated weaknesses in the nation’s public health infrastructure, including antiquated data systems, insufficient public health laboratory capacity, an under-resourced public health workforce, and the need for improved public health communications. These foundational public health capacities require increased, flexible, and sustained funding.” Trust for America’s Health, The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2023.
BUT I believe that better is possible!
That is why I am here to work towards nurturing and reimagining what the public health workforce will become next. Please join me here and on LinkedIn if you think we could be doing better too.
Get in touch!
I welcome constructive feedback and conversation about all aspects of public health. Ask me any questions or make suggestions about the topics you would like me to cover:
➡️ Let’s generate constructive conversations here through Substack at Notes or Chat or Comments or Threads or whatever we can figure out.
➡️ Follow me on LinkedIn and sometimes even Twitter/X.
➡️ Join me at the Public Health Connections Lounge and the Public Health Book Club, where we are growing teams to facilitate conversations about public health topics.
➡️ Share this location with someone else who might also find my writing to be valuable. In particular, please share my link with a public health professional who is trying to build their career path.
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