From Ph.D. student to director of epidemiology of a health department overnight

In April 2021, Abir Rahman received news that he landed a position as the director of epidemiology at the Cabell-Huntington Health Department (CHHD) in West Virginia. At the time, he was a graduate assistant completing a Ph.D. at Stempel College, working alongside public health experts like Miguel Cano on the impacts of sociocultural stressors on the health of ethnic minorities.

“I always wanted to do field epidemiology and research,” Rahman says. “This position would allow me to do both.”

Born and raised in Bangladesh, Rahman previously served as a medical officer in Dhaka. “I started thinking about public health and thought that if I’m going to leave my clinical practice and start studying it, I’m going to do it in the U.S., as they have some of the best public health programs in the world,” he said. So, after applying to public health schools, he went with East Tennessee State University with an International Merit Scholarship and Graduate Tuition Scholarship to get his master’s degree in public health with a focus on epidemiology. It’s there that he opted to secure a doctoral degree at Stempel College.

Today, Rahman uses the knowledge and skills he learned from his doctoral program to help respond to the current pandemic. We spoke with him to learn more about what he’s up to and what advice he’d give students.

Rahman: Initially, I expected to work in the field, but this role came with more opportunities and broader responsibilities like managing a department. I am very grateful that they gave me this responsibility from the very beginning. When I joined, we were experiencing a COVID-19 surge, and lots of COVID cases were coming in. I never had the opportunity to work on case investigations while in school, but now I get to work on them in my current role.

What does work on a case investigation entail?
Rahman: When someone tests positive, their test result is distributed to the proper jurisdiction. In our department, we contact the person who tested posted, obtain information like their demographics, and ask questions to learn how they potentially got COVID. Case investigators gather information and determine the next steps. We answer questions, help share COVID protocol, and then help them isolate. We also instruct them on what to do if someone were to get exposed by them.

What else is your department working on due to the pandemic?
Rahman: We also do outbreak management and monitor disease trends. Different facilities have different definitions of what an outbreak means. For example, if one resident at a long-term care facility tests positive, we’d contact the facility and instruct administrators on how to stay safe and prevent the further spread of the infection. We also assist by coordinating and connecting them with the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Resources Health Command, who would arrange and carry the expenses of COVID testing for the facility.

One example of monitoring disease trends would be looking at COVID case age distributions and notify our community partners, including hospitals, educational institutions in our jurisdiction, etc., so that they can be better prepared. Our health department is one of the most well-staffed and well-funded health departments in West Virginia. So, we can conduct a lot of case investigations, outbreak management, and other tasks that provide operational intelligence.

You jumped right into responding to the pandemic. Does your role come with other responsibilities?
Rahman: Since I took this job, case investigations and outbreak management have taken up most of my time. However, I’ve also been tasked with expanding the epidemiology department within the health department. So right now, I have three other epidemiologists on my team, and I also have several staff members working as case investigators and case assigners. I believe I was also hired due to my background in research. I know our department’s vision is to expand our research, so I’m looking forward to that. Right now, we are in talks with several universities regarding potential/ongoing research projects.

What’s been the most remarkable thing about your current position so far?
Rahman: There are six other directors within CHHD, and I am the youngest of them. I’d say to myself, okay, I’m working as the head of a department at the age of 34, along with others who have years of experience running their respective departments. I couldn’t believe it at first and at the same time I was thankful for getting such a great work environment. One realization was that all the hard work and support I got from my family, peers, my major professor Dr. Cano, and FIU helped me land where I am right now. I guess that was the coolest thing I felt that happened to me.

What advice do you have for those beginning the job search process?
Rahman: When you know that you are about to finish and have about five to six months left before graduation, start putting together your CV. Do your research on potential places you would like to apply to. Make an Excel spreadsheet and track the jobs you apply to and the outcomes. Also, do not hesitate to apply to the places that fit your criteria but are a bit higher level. Students often wonder if they’ll be able to manage positions like that, especially if they haven’t had jobs before. So, I would advise them to keep an open mind. There are opportunities everywhere.