Job: Environmental epidemiologist, DeKalb County
What I do: When Carla Jeffries tells people she's an environmental epidemiologist, the first thing they usually ask is, "What's that?"
An epidemiologist, she explains, assesses diseases and injuries at the population level. While a doctor may diagnose someone with the flu, "we'll tell you if Lithonia has the flu," she said.
Carla Jeffries is always on the lookout for outbreaks of disease or areas in which there are frequent injuries to pedestrians or bicyclists in DeKalb County. Because of her job's focus on public health, she also promotes elements of healthier communities — such as bicycle trails and parks — and practices what she preaches by riding her bicycle to work.
Jeffries, 28, looks for aberrations — statistics that are outside normal ranges — to spot trends in diseases or injuries. Then, the DeKalb County Health Department attempts to find out what happened.
The environmental part means that's she's looking for factors in the environment that may cause outbreaks, such as mosquitoes that cause the West Nile virus or lead paint that causes illness in children.
It's a lot like detective work, Jeffries said, as she analyzes the data the department collects. She reports her findings to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It was an epidemiologist who first discovered AIDS, she said, when that person noticed an outbreak of an unusual type of cancer in specific populations.
Her division also is responsible for restaurant and swimming pool safety. If someone complains about becoming ill after eating at a restaurant, the call usually goes to Jeffries. She looks for patterns and outbreaks and sends an inspector to the restaurant. "We respond to 100 percent of the calls," she said.
The county has several epidemiologists who focus on infectious or chronic diseases, but Jeffries is the only one who studies the environmental issues.
Those also can include urban planning problems, such as a large number of injuries to pedestrians or bicyclists along a particular stretch of roadway.
As a "cure," she might recommend building a bicycle lane or sidewalks.
She also advocates for environments that will improve people's health, such as parks and play areas or infrastructure where residents can walk to work or for exercise. Jeffries does her part by bicycling to work.
What got me interested in this: "I want to directly help people," Jeffries said. "It seemed like a good way to do it on the population level." Jeffries said she has a direct connection to the community. "That's a powerful feeling. I can make someone's life better by doing my job."
The best public health, she said, is invisible because there are no outbreaks of problems.
Best part of my job: By helping people and working with colleagues who do the same, Jeffries said, "I have a direct effect on my community."
Jeffries
Most challenging part: Reaching the population she's trying to help. "You want to help people, but they don't want to be found," she said.
Each call to her office could mean there are 50 people with the same problem who didn't call. "It's a struggle to know what they need," she said.
What people don't know about my job: "That we're even available," Jeffries said. "We have a whole team of people waiting here and prepared to help out" for any public health issue.
What keeps me going: "It's fun and exciting. It's a puzzle. . . . I know my day isn't going to be like yesterday," Jeffries said.
Preparation needed for this job: You need to be "somebody who's not interested in the big bucks," Jeffries joked. She added that you need a lot of energy, a nose for a puzzle and an eye for detail. It also helps to have an optimistic personality, because, in dealing with diseases and people's troubles, "it's easy to get overwhelmed."
Also necessary is a master's degree in public health, but "you learn it all on the job." To practice in the profession, "you need a population," she said, so most environmental epidemiologists work for universities or public agencies.
Jeffries got her master's degree in public health from Emory University after earning a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin.
- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.