Alumni Spotlight: Haddi Sanneh

A decade ago, Haddijatou “Haddi” Sanneh knew she wanted to work in a health-related field, and she knew she wanted to make a global impact with her career—even if she didn’t quite know what that career looked like.

Since then, she earned her associate degree in health science as well as a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in health promotion and behavior from Georgia State University’s School of Public Health.

Today, Sanneh serves as a public health analyst in the division of HIV and tuberculosis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. Her role gives her the opportunity she has long wanted to contribute to improving global health.

It is also a reminder of how much persistence, curiosity and openness can contribute to success.

“I always aspired to work at the CDC, but it required a lot of effort to get here,” Sanneh said.

Falling in love with public health
A native of The Gambia in West Africa, Sanneh emigrated to the U.S. in high school and graduated from Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta. She became her family’s first college student when she enrolled at Perimeter College in 2014, although she wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for in her career—only that she wanted to be in the healthcare field.

She was accepted into Georgia Perimeter’s dental hygiene program, but an internship at a local dentist showed Sanneh that the dental profession was not for her.

“I went to my advisor confused, knowing that I was still interested in healthcare but not sure what to do,” Sanneh said. “She told me about the new public health program, and it was really interesting. I took the ‘Intro to Public Health’ class in undergrad and I just loved everything about it. I fell in love with public health.”

The professor of that class, Nicolas Rankin, worked for the CDC and took the time to talk about his career and his work outside the classroom. His story inspired Sanneh to start her own journey into the public health field. Today, they are colleagues.

Sanneh also turned to Sarah McCool, a Clinical Associate Professor and the Director of Global Health Initiatives in the school, as well as Professor Kim Ramsey-White for advice on how to enter and grow herself in the public health workforce. During her third year in the program, Sanneh was pregnant with her first child and looked to Ramsey-White and other faculty for support and guidance.

“Dr. White taught me about her journey and the sacrifices she made to get where she needed to be,” Sanneh said. “I was tired and incredibly pregnant, and she helped me stay strong and keep going.

“Really, all the professors were so supportive, and I still stay in contact with them.”

Early successes and sacrifices
Sanneh graduated from the School of Public Health in May 2019 with her bachelor’s degree. She extended her network by using LinkedIn to make connections to others in the field.

“I remember typing ‘CDC’ into the search bar and just connecting with random people, sending little messages introducing myself, talking about my passion,” Sanneh said. “People were kind enough to go out of their way to talk about their career path and what to do to apply for jobs.

“I had to work hard for basically everything that I had, so asking questions, talking about others’ career paths, things like that were a motivation.”

Her public health career began in earnest in 2020, as she joined the Georgia Department of Health as a COVID-19 case investigator. She worked from home, calling people who had contracted the coronavirus and performing contact tracing.

While Sanneh enjoyed her time at the state agency, she knew by then she wanted to make contributions to global health at the CDC. She continued making connections on LinkedIn, reaching out to her former public health professors, and talking about her passion to whoever would listen.

Her persistence paid off, as Sanneh secured a two-year fellowship in 2021 with the CDC in Jackson, Mississippi. The job required sacrifice—Sanneh couldn’t relocate her young family from Atlanta to Jackson.

She went forward, working weekdays in Mississippi and then spending weekends in Georgia. She remembered the African proverb: “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”

“It was a six-hour drive, and I probably cried half the time on the way back,” she remembered. “But my husband kept pushing me, telling me that I could do this. He believed in me, and I kept going for those two years. My parents also supported me through this journey. They helped take care of my son while my husband had to work.”

At the same time, she enrolled in the Georgia State School of Public Health for its master's program, focusing on health promotion and behavior. As her fellowship was wrapping up, she had several offers to stay with the CDC full-time. She received one of her offers on the day she graduated while driving home with her family.

One such opportunity was in Atlanta.

Paying it forward
At CDC’s Global Health Center, Sanneh reached another goal in July to work on international health concerns.

“I’ve witnessed firsthand how people in different countries need these resources,” she said. “What excites me is the impact I am making in people’s lives every day.”

Sanneh is thankful for her time at Georgia State, which prepared her in different ways, she said. Her success in classes boosted her confidence, and how she learned to research helps her in her career daily.

She also believes in paying things forward and is excited when students and other aspiring public health professionals reach out to her. Many come through LinkedIn, asking the same questions she asked just a few years ago.

Her best advice: Be proactive.

“If you are in school, try to find fellowships and internships just to know if public health is right for you—don’t just go by what people say,” Sanneh said. “If you keep looking and make the effort, you’ll find the right position.

“Believe in yourself, keep asking questions, and work hard; it will all pay off.”