Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health

Whitney Harrison Jackson, PhD, MPH

I am a Senior Data Scientist for the Alaka’ina Family of Companies (FOCs), supporting the Analytics and Evaluation Division of the Defense Health Agency (DHA), to improve health and build readiness of military personnel. My daily work includes providing Military Health System (MHS) data and analysis to leadership, in order to guide business decisions and operations. During my doctoral program, I worked in various public health roles at the state and local levels of government, supporting chronic and infectious disease programs. While many of those roles were not focused on occupational and environmental health, the skills and on-the-job training that I obtained helped to prepare me for future roles.

 What led you to public health and to occupational & environmental health in particular?

During my time as an undergraduate, my interest in occupational and environmental health started with a trip to the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ), an organization focused on providing resources for environmental justice research and education, and safety trainings for environmental careers. Through the work of the DSCEJ, my eyes were opened to how the intersection of occupation and environment can adversely affect health and wellness and worsen existing illnesses and/or injuries. Additionally, during my studies as a public health graduate student, I became keenly aware of the many health hazards associated with one’s occupation and environment that are oftentimes directly associated with a person’s race/ethnicity, socio economic status, age, access to health care, and/or geography. As a result, I knew that I wanted to dedicate my work as a public health professional to decreasing these disparities, providing evidence-based research on occupational and environmental hazards that could be used to build trainings and programs around worker health and safety, and supporting policy change to protect workers and their health.

Tell us about your work. What is an average day like for you?

I am fortunate to work with a multi-disciplinary team of business analysts, dashboard developers, database administrators, analysts, and data scientists. We receive requests from individuals throughout the DHA who have research questions and want to answer those questions using data and analysis from our team. The data analysis we provide is used to make business decisions and improvements throughout the military health system. I am very proud of the work we do to support our nation’s armed forces and ensure that our military personnel and their dependents receive quality healthcare.

How did your education as a SWCOEH ERC trainee at UTHealth School of Public Health prepare you for your current career?

While I knew that I wanted to work in occupational and environmental health, the traineeship at the SWCOEH provided the foundational coursework that I use in my daily work. The traineeship also provided field opportunities to see how the methods learned in class would be applied in a real-world setting. I also greatly appreciated the guest lecturers who spoke with us on a regular basis. These professionals worked in various areas of occupational and environmental health including industry, academia, and local, state, and federal government. Attending these lectures allows trainees the opportunity to network, ask questions about their daily work, and inquire about potential internship opportunities. Upon graduation, I felt very prepared to enter the workforce and contribute significantly to my organization. Finally, the friendships and bonds that develop amongst each cohort of SWCOEH trainees are one of the most important outcomes of the traineeship. I am still friends with many from my cohort and have worked with several of them in various roles during and after my time as a trainee.

What advice do you have for students pursuing a SWCOEH ERC traineeship leading to a career in public health?

Take full advantage of the resources provided by the traineeship. I also recommend attending as many guest lectures, seminars, and field trips as possible, because they will open your eyes to all the different areas of occupational and environmental health in which one can work. Finally, create and maintain relationships with your professors and mentors because they can assist you in building a network of professionals that can guide you in your career.