July 25, 2025

Kwang-Seok Kang, a current Online Master of Science (MS) in Infection Prevention and Control student at the Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health, has hit the ground running in his career. As the Program Director of Infection Prevention at Saratoga Hospital, part of the Albany Medical Health System, Kwang-Seok leads a team responsible for hospital-wide surveillance, outbreak management, and regulatory readiness. He also serves as the Lead for the Emerging Infectious Disease Workgroup of the New York State Department of Health, coordinating regional preparedness efforts with public health, acute care, long term care, EMS, and emergency management stakeholders.

Kwang-Seok’s passion for public health was shaped by his early experiences on the frontlines of high-consequence outbreaks like MERS and COVID-19. “I chose this path to improve systems and protect vulnerable populations through prevention,” he explains. His decision to pursue the MS stemmed from a desire to deepen that commitment through practical training. “When I saw the program’s depth in epidemiology, outbreak management, and leadership, I knew it would enhance my ability to lead and innovate within the field.”

While balancing his coursework with professional responsibilities is no small feat, Kwang-Seok finds synergy between his academic work and practice. Concepts from his courses in epidemiology, leadership, and biostatistics informed real-time decisions such as reassessing suspected multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) clusters or applying trauma-informed leadership to support staff during regulatory stress and high-impact events. His ability to directly apply his learning to regional preparedness and internal systems improvement has enhanced both institutional resilience and cross-sector collaboration.

This dedication to advancing in his career has not gone unnoticed, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) honored Kwang-Seok with their Emerging Leader in Infection Prevention Award. The award recognizes new infection preventionists who have demonstrated commitment to the field and their professional growth. He was presented with this award at the APIC Annual Conference and Expo this June in Phoenix, AZ. Additionally, the award enables a year of leadership mentoring for him to further advance in the field.

“Receiving the APIC Emerging Leader in Infection Prevention Award was an incredible honor and a meaningful affirmation of my professional and academic journey. It highlighted the importance of the work we’re doing in the field and within my graduate program at Dornsife, where I’ve been able to deepen my expertise and apply new strategies in real-time,” said Kwang-Seok. “This recognition has further fueled my commitment to advancing infection prevention, special pathogens readiness, and public health leadership through both practice and continued education.”

What’s Ahead

A core component of Drexel Dornsife's MS in Infection Control & Prevention program is the capstone project, while Kwang-Seok has not yet begun this project, he has begun to think about what he will explore. He plans to focus on special pathogens preparedness—particularly how infection prevention programs can enhance frontline hospital readiness for high-consequence infectious diseases. “My goal is to integrate lessons from past outbreaks and develop a scalable model to support healthcare facilities of varying size and capacity,” he shared.

Additionally, down the road, Kwang-Seok plans to pursue a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) with a focus on leadership, systems preparedness, and infectious disease policy.

Interested in Drexel Dornsife's online MS in Infection Prevention and Control?

Apply here before August 25 to join our next cohort.

Learn more about the future of careers in infectious disease

Learn more about online learning at Dornsife