JHM Professional Development and Career Office

Dr. Phelan-Emrick chose to pursue a career as an epidemiologist at a local health department due to her interest in studying disease trends at the population level and her desire to give back to the local community. She was initially exposed to the day-to-day work of local health departments during her internship at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and this experience influenced her decision to pursue a DrPH degree and work in applied epidemiology.

The Chief Epidemiologist position requires doctoral training in epidemiology. In addition, Dr. Phelan-Emrick, as well as her predecessors, had several years of post-graduate relevant work or academic faculty experience prior to being recruited.

Dr. Phelan-Emrick’s transition from graduate student to her first position following graduation as faculty Research Associate was relatively seamless, as she remained within the same department and was working directly under a former thesis committee member. Her more recent transition from Assistant Scientist within the JHSPH Department of Epidemiology to Chief Epidemiologist at the Baltimore City Health Department was more of an adjustment due to the inherent differences between working within academia and working in local government. Dr. Phelan-Emrick finds it extremely rewarding to see the results and translational value of her work at the health department. She also sometimes misses the autonomy that is characteristic of academic research. Her current epidemiological work is broadly diverse and directly shaped by the needs of the population, the targeted goals of the health department, and the availability of funding/personnel.

The day-to-day work environment is highly variable depending upon the immediate deadlines of the Baltimore City Health Department but is generally busy due to many ongoing projects and competing priorities. As Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Phelan-Emrick closely works with the other health department officials on a daily basis and serves as a senior advisor to the Health Commissioner. She directly supervises two staff members and two graduate-level interns.

For positions at the Baltimore City Health Department, U. S. citizenship is not required, however this may differ for health departments within other cities/states.

Even for entry level positions, institutions are often looking to hire individuals with some prior exposure to the field to ensure that whoever is selected understands the job environment and expectations for that position. Gaining as much relevant experience as possible (either through volunteering, coursework, or internships) will be both educational and may also help indicate whether you are a good fit for the position. For Dr. Phelan-Emrick, she cites her early internship at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as a really rewarding and memorable experience that was instrumental in making her current career path available to her.

Effective data representation and advanced statistical coding are key skills required for Dr. Phelan-Emrick’s position when she generates reports on complex public health issues that are used to inform local policymaking. She has especially found GIS (geographic information system)/mapping to be a highly valuable skill for her analyses and suggests that all epidemiologists learn or take courses in GIS.