Ph.D. student Amanda Bleichrodt, who was drawn to the Georgia State SPH because of her interest in infectious disease epidemiology, has presented her research findings at an international conference and seeks to apply her knowledge and skills at the CDC after graduation.
Name: Amanda Bleichrodt
Hometown: Massillon, Ohio
Undergraduate and master’s degrees and institutions: I attended Miami University in Ohio and received a B.A. in Public Health: Human Disease and Epidemiology. I earned my Master of Public Health (MPH) with a specialization in Epidemiology from The Ohio State University.
Ph.D. concentration: Epidemiology
Dissertation advisor: Dr. Gerardo Chowell
Why did you choose the Georgia State School of Public Health?
I chose the Georgia State School of Public Health because of its dedication to innovative research and research opportunities in my field of interest, infectious disease epidemiology.
Tell us about your research
I work with Professor Gerardo Chowell on various infectious disease modeling projects. Specifically, most of my research is focused on modeling the recent mpox epidemic and studying its trajectory in different spatial scales.
What’s been your most memorable experience so far in the Ph.D. program?
I had the opportunity over the summer to attend the Society for Epidemiological Research (SER) conference in Portland, Oregon. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear about cutting-edge research in epidemiology with my fellow Ph.D. students and network with others in the public health community. Additionally, I had the opportunity to present my work at the CMPD (Computational and Mathematical Population Dynamics) 6 conference in Winnipeg, Canada, which was my first time presenting at a large-scale conference.
What’s your career aspiration?
Post Ph.D., I hope to be accepted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemiology Investigation Service (EIS) fellowship to apply the knowledge and skills I've gained in an academic setting in emergent public health situations. After the fellowship, I want to continue working with the CDC on infectious disease, outbreak control and surveillance-centered work.