May 19, 2014

Two graduates of the Executive MPH degree program at the School of Public Health recently provided updates on their career success after graduation.

Katherine O’Connor, MPH ’09
President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR)

Katherine graduated from the Executive MPH program and went on to become one of the very few people without a medical or doctoral degree to obtain the prestigious Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Service (CDC EIS) Officer position. EIS officers are on the public health frontlines, conducting epidemiologic investigations, research, and public health surveillance both nationally and internationally.

Katherine notes that her “acceptance into CDC's EIS program is a direct result of my advisor, Dr. Jennifer Taylor. It is the intimate relationship of Drexel's advisors who mentor and guide that allow for growth, career development and reaching goals by the end of the program. Courses in epidemiology and biostatistics provided me with the basic knowledge that I am currently building on as I use applied epidemiology and statistics to develop studies on risk factors for illness on domestic and international outbreaks."

Jessica Caum, MPH ’10
Assistant Manager, Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness Program
Philadelphia Department of Public Health

Jessica came into the Executive MPH degree program from a career in communications. In particular, she was a copywriter and production manager. Jessica now supervises a four-person staff and assists the City of Philadelphia in preparing for medical and bioterrorist disasters.

Jessica notes that “it reflects very positively on the Executive MPH Program; that a person who came to the program in hopes of changing careers was able to do so within six months of graduation.”