09/08/2026
Finding My Place in Public Health: A Career in Epidemiology
by Andrea Allen Radford
I have always been curious about people—particularly why we make the choices we make about our health. That curiosity initially drew me to behavioral health science. But during my first semester of graduate school, I took an Introduction to Epidemiology course, and I was immediately smitten.
Math had always been my favorite subject, and epidemiology brought together three things I loved: numbers, health, and geography. But I quickly learned that epidemiology is about much more than numbers. Behind every data point is a person, a family, and a community. Epidemiology helps us ask important questions: Who is being affected? Where is it happening? Why is it happening? And, most importantly, what can we do about it?
In 2010, I earned my Master of Public Health degree with concentrations in Epidemiology and Behavioral Health Science from Indiana University School of Medicine. During my graduate studies, I also had the opportunity to study abroad at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. That experience broadened my understanding of public health and reinforced something that has stayed with me throughout my career. Although communities around the world may face different circumstances, everyone deserves the opportunity to live a healthy life.
My public health career has allowed me to work at the local, state, and national levels.
At the local level, I have helped communities and the health care systems that serve them better understand and use their data to address issues including infant mortality, violence, and substance use. Data can tell us where disparities exist, but the real work begins when we use that information to develop solutions that improve people’s lives.
At the state level, I served as an STD Prevention Program Director. In that role, I helped expand access to testing and treatment by opening two new STD clinics, including increasing access for people living in rural communities. I also secured a donation of 200,000 condoms—the largest donation the program had ever received—to support disease prevention efforts. My peers later elected me to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Coalition of STD Directors, giving me the opportunity to contribute to public health efforts beyond my own state.
Over the past decade, much of my work has focused on improving population health by increasing access to preventive screenings and improving the quality of health care. I have worked alongside health systems to understand their data, identify gaps in care, examine their processes, and develop strategies to improve them. Whether the focus has been cancer screening, chronic disease, or another public health challenge, my goal has remained the same: turn data into action that leads to better health outcomes and fewer health disparities.
When COVID-19 changed our world, I answered the call to support local public health departments during the pandemic. I trained public health professionals in contact tracing and assisted with vaccine distribution efforts. It was an extraordinary reminder of the importance of epidemiology. Suddenly, terms that epidemiologists use every day—case counts, transmission, incidence, prevalence, contact tracing—became part of conversations around kitchen tables across the world.
My career has taken me from studying public health in Kenya to working with communities, health departments, and health care organizations across the United States. Through all of those experiences, I have learned that epidemiology is not simply the study of disease. It is the study of people.
Numbers help us identify a problem. Data help us understand its magnitude. But people are the reason we do the work.
That is what continues to make me passionate about epidemiology and public health today.
Today, we are proud to shine the spotlight on Andrea as we celebrate World Field Epidemiology Day! Andrea received her undergraduate degree in biology from Tennessee State University. Please donate below so that we can help other HBCU students graduate without excessive student loan debt, allowing them to pursue graduate degrees and make a difference in the healthcare profession.
Link to donate: https://www.deanespencilfund.org/donate?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Epidemology&utm_medium=email
