Alumni Spotlight: Bea Salvesen von Essen

Getting a clear picture of public health challenges and opportunities can be complicated when you don’t have all the information. Bea Salvesen von Essen is passionate about advancing health equity by advocating for thorough and accurate data.

A recent graduate of the DrPH program at the Georgia State University School of Public Health, Salvesen von Essen is focused on bringing data from the U.S. Territories and surrounding islands to studies that currently lack that perspective.

As a health scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Division of Reproductive Health, she focuses specifically on the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). The system was developed to inform maternal practices before, during and after pregnancy in order to reduce risk and improve the health of mothers and infants.

PRAMS uses data to inform the investigation of emerging issues in maternal and infant health as well as to improve care by healthcare professionals. It also aids state, territorial and local governments in passing legislation for health resources.

The accuracy of data collected by PRAMS is imperative. Currently, data collection is representative of the contiguous U.S., where studies on maternal health continue to improve. However, populations in the Caribbean and Pacific are often left out and don’t have access to the same resources or valuable information.

The completion of her DrPH has prepared Salvesen von Essen to take on greater leadership roles in her team, where she works to make sure public health efforts don’t leave out entire communities.

“I keep looking for different resources, leadership programs and other opportunities that can help me continue growing and building my knowledge base,” Salvesen von Essen said. “I’m taking what I learned in school and putting it into practice.”

A journey of growth
Salvesen von Essen was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees there before moving to Atlanta in 2019. While working for the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, she applied to Georgia State’s Doctor of Public Health program in search of growth in both her professional and personal lives.

During the program, she was able to make a career transition, moving from the CDC’s NCEZID to its Division of Reproductive Health. This change helped Salvesen von Essen focus on her passions while earning her degree.

“When I got to work with the folks within the Division of Reproductive Health and I started getting a little bit more involved with the different folks that were in the professional area, I suddenly realized this might be something that I might benefit from,” she said. “Not just to grow, but also because I had realized that for what it's worth, my education was really good.”

Salvesen von Essen earned her MPH in Puerto Rico from the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, where a small program has benefits and drawbacks.

“We get a lot of exposure in Puerto Rico to do a lot of different things because it's almost all hands on deck,” she said. “There aren’t many resources, so students really need to be proactive. Smaller programs might not have exposure to as many different groups or resources that can help you grow. And that was something that I was looking for at GSU.”

Resources and networking at Georgia State’s School of Public Health
In comparison, Georgia State’s School of Public Health has a wide network of resources and networking opportunities that benefit students. Of these resources, Salvesen von Essen found the varied perspectives of faculty and other students to be among the most helpful.

“For example, I've had experience in emergency response as well as hurricanes and Zika and all these different things that maybe some of the other folks hadn't,” she said. “I didn't have experiences with HIV projects and educational campaigns, and some of the other folks had that.”

These varying backgrounds help the students expand their competencies over their years in the program. After all, Georgia State’s DrPH program prepares students with more than just theoretical knowledge.

It equips them for the real world of public health.

“The professors really tried to make sure that we had exposure and enough resources coming into our courses and through reading or networking to be able to really learn not just about what's in the books, but also about what's happening in the field,” said Salvesen von Essen.

Looking back at her experience at Georgia State, Salvesen von Essen did not have a straight path towards earning her degree. Between coursework shifting online due to COVID-19 and meeting challenges associated with her dissertation, she relied on professors, like Dr. Harry Heiman, for encouragement and guidance.

“I've noticed that a lot of folks just tend to get a little bit frustrated. And I was one of them,” she said. “One of the things that I learned is that sometimes if things just don't go your way, that's perfectly fine.

“There's so much more that you could learn on that alternate path. It's just kind of making the best out of it. And at the end of the day, you're going to realize that it was probably the best way forward.”