{"id":3359,"date":"2019-04-18T12:39:17","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T17:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forourwellness.org\/?p=3359"},"modified":"2021-07-14T10:42:05","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T15:42:05","slug":"cdc-scientist-by-day-tcspp-professor-by-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/for-our-wellness\/cdc-scientist-by-day-tcspp-professor-by-night\/","title":{"rendered":"CDC scientist by day, professor by night"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Dr. Macarena Garcia believes her job is her calling, one she might not have discovered if not for a volunteer opportunity in Botswana where she served as project officer for a national HIV prevention initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was the\u00a0jolting moment in my professional career,\u201d she explains. \u201cMy career goal since then has been to inform and improve circumstances for people living in resource-poor settings who are vulnerable and at higher risk of disease. {I\u2019d been} planning on pursuing a career in international humanitarian law. I realized that my passion for the world was more than just interest in geopolitics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Law\u2019s loss is the public health arena\u2019s gain. After that fateful trip to Botswana, the young Macarena, who’d lived in California since the age of six when she immigrated with her parents from Argentina,\u00a0 moved to Australia and completed a DrPH, International Public Health and Development at Flinder\u2019s University. She is now a Senior Health Scientist at the Center for Disease Control<\/a>\u2019s (CDC) Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dr. Garcia at a conference in Zambia with Ananthy Thambinayagam, a USAID Health Officer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAt any given moment, I am working on projects that range from the opioid overdose epidemic in the U.S., to Ebola in West Africa, to Zika in Colombia, to premature deaths from the leading causes of death in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

She describes her title as a \u2018bit fancy\u2019 for her role of designing and conducting studies on high-priority public health issues for the agency and communicating those results through publishing and presenting at conferences and meetings, among other avenues, but she loves the work. \u201cThe scope of my work is so diverse, which keeps things extremely interesting. Almost everything I do at the CDC fascinates me!\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a completely different setting, but Dr. Garcia believes she\u2019s just as fortunate in her role at The Chicago School<\/a>. \u201cI get to teach what I love.\u201d \u00a0The work she does at the CDC connects with the three courses she teaches \u2013 Applied Fieldwork Seminar, Final Capstone, and Principles and Methods of Biostatistics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe courses are extremely applied and\u00a0therefore my skills and experiences are interwoven not just in the course curriculum, but also in my daily interactions with students. I share examples from my work with students, and I also use published material from CDC programs as reading materials and examples of\u00a0\u2018real world\u2019 studies, and the importance of knowledge transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Garcia believes working in public health goes beyond the clinical level, and that it is vital to the overall health of communities, both locally and globally.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A younger Macarena camping in the salt mines of Botswana.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPopulation health provides a forum for exploration, knowledge seeking, and informed design of interventions to improve the health outcomes of communities as a whole, and it is founded on the idea of interconnectedness. By better understanding what affects communities and determines health outcomes, we can identify evidence-driven, culturally-sensitive, and effective interventions to meet the needs of the populations most vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n

For her, working in public health and international development is a privilege, one she cherishes. \u201cThe field has been my passion, likely stemming from my roots as an immigrant. To be able to serve in a professional capacity and do what I love most is not only thrilling but incredibly rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Learn more about The Chicago School<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you would like to learn more about programs at The Chicago School, fill out the form below to request more information. You can also apply today through our application portal.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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