Spring/Summer 2012 Aesculapian Magazine - University of Georgia ...

training gives us an edge over MDs coming straight out
of residency,” says Edison. “The MPH exposed me to the
wide range of opportunities in public health and showed
me how our diverse training as veterinarians can apply to
so many different areas.”
With growing concerns over emerging zoonotic
infections, bioterrrorism and food safety, veterinary
schools and public agencies are beginning to recognize the
value of having veterinarians on the public health team. At
least 10 of the country’s 28 veterinary schools offer dual
degree DVM/MPH programs, including UGA, making the
decision to become a public health veterinarian easier in
terms of cost and time spent in school.
“I would probably have made the switch five years
earlier if the path had been there,” says Daley.
Learning by doing
EIS might bring to mind images of the movie
Contagion, in which Kate Winslet portrayed an EIS officer
in the midst of a deadly outbreak; the reality is a less
dramatic, but just as vital in protecting the health of the
population.
Officers in the program do more than take
classes; they apply their skills in real-world situations.
Veterinarians were on the front lines during the H1N1
epidemic and have investigated everything from multidrug
resistant tuberculosis to human plague to a rabid
hippo in Kenya.
While most veterinarians in EIS lean toward zoonotic
diseases, they aren’t limited to any one area or division.
Daley worked in environmental health during his time in
EIS, responding to natural disasters and environmentallyinduced
illnesses like lead exposure in Russian children
and chemical exposure on a Sioux reservation. Carpenter
participated in one of the first campaigns to distribute flu
vaccines in a Tennessee school system.
EIS officers also have the opportunity to impact
policy, one of the most effective tools used to improve
public health, through their investigations, particularly for
foodborne illness — such as incorrect product labeling or
inadequate monitoring of production. “Working in public
health allows me to actually affect public policy,” says Kirk
Smith, “and that’s very gratifying.”
Most of the veterinarians who graduate from EIS
stay with local and state health departments, or continue
to work for the CDC. A few go into academia, but it is
rare for any to go back into private veterinary practice
once they’ve had a taste of working from a population
standpoint.
Whether they go straight into public health or
practice before switching career trajectories, there’s no
doubt that veterinarians play an essential role in improving
the health and safety of people and animals.
“Working in public health gives you an idea of just
how many things you actually touch as a veterinarian,”
says Edison.
For More
InForMatIon
For more information on EIS, visit
www.cdc.gov/eis
Aesculapian Spring/Summer 2012 22