Recently, the Young Health Professionals Society (YHPS) sat down with Vikash Parekh(VP), a YHPS board member, to discuss his professional experiences and work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

YHPS: What does your current job entail?

VP: I currently work at the Fogarty International Center (http://www.fic.nih.gov/), which is the only division of the NIH that is solely dedicated to supporting and facilitating global health research. As a Research Associate with Fogarty’s Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies, I help support projects that focus on the epidemiology and mathematical modeling of infectious diseases. For the past year, most of my work at Fogarty has primarily been on the transmission, burden, and control of influenza, including last year’s A/H1N1 pandemic. Moving forward, however, I will be becoming more involved with projects that address a number of other vaccine preventable diseases, like pertussis (whooping cough) and rotavirus, the leading cause of diarrhea in the world.

YHPS: How do you get passionate about it?

VP: I initially became interested in Fogarty because most of its research takes a decidedly quantitative approach to predicting how infectious diseases will act at the population-level. The economic and disease models Fogarty develops have implications for pandemic control policies, vaccine development, and the prioritization of increasingly limited funds dedicated to public health welfare. Having helped translate a number of our studies into policy documents, I count myself very lucky to play a small part in a much larger push for evidence-based policy and practice.

On a much more personal note, the opportunity to work with such an incredibly brilliant, yet humble, group of people is a constant source of inspiration and professional motivation. I suppose this can apply to almost any position, as one’s coworkers often dictate the direction and mood of the office; however, this especially rings true in an environment where close collaboration is the basis of most of the organization’s work.

YHPS: Where do you see your field progressing in the next 5 years?

VP: Using Fogarty as an example, I see the field of international health becoming one that is increasingly based on international collaboration, where decisions are made by communities themselves—from the bottom-up—rather than only from the top-down.

Rather than actively collect data on its own, Fogarty works with an ever-expanding network of international partner organizations to build local and national capacities for disease surveillance and control efforts. As technologies continue to develop in even the most remote areas, metrics will become much more accurate, thus informing increasingly effective policies and programs. Empowered by low-cost technologies, easier access to data, and stronger capacity-building programs, communities will begin to work more closely with national and international entities to assess their own health issues and prioritize resources accordingly. Of course, health data can only play a limited role in ensuring sustainable change in areas where too often governance is poor, inequities have existed over multiple generations, and legal and policy frameworks are rarely enforced.

YHPS: What are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing Fogarty right now?

VP: Since Fogarty is lucky enough to be located within the NIH, we don’t have to compete for research grants as academic institutions typically have to. Instead, the on-campus intramural research that we do depends on the annual funding we receive through a number of federal and non-governmental sources.

A major source of opportunity stems from Fogarty’s unique role within the NIH framework. Since we collaborate with a number of academic institutions, ministries of health, and other institutes at the NIH, the nature of the work and the obstacles to communication that accompany it often make the work challenging, but yet incredibly rewarding.

YHPS: What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

VP: As with almost any research position, it is often difficult to juggle multiple projects, especially when each of them is diametrically different than the next, both in scope and in functionality. For example, this past spring, I had to organize two international research conferences—one in Melbourne, Australia, the other in Copenhagen, Denmark—while building our research group’s website, writing policy pieces based on our group’s findings, and developing a funding proposal for an influenza surveillance project we hope to launch in China. If I’ve learned anything from my current position, I’ve learned that effective communication is often the deciding factor of a project’s success.

YHPS: What is your educational background?

VP: I graduated from Emory University in 2003 with a BS in Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology, or NBB, which integrated coursework in biology, psychology, physics, and anthropology. After graduation, I wasn’t exactly sure what exactly my next steps were going to be. I explored a number of different fields before discovering my niche in international health.

After researching memory loss in primates, assisting a dentist, assembling press releases for a PR company, and writing for an Atlanta music magazine, I soon became involved with a number of health and human rights issues, including the conflict in Darfur and the then-recent 2004 tsunami. By founding organizations to raise money and awareness for these issues, I began to learn about public health issues relating to man-made and natural disasters and the myriad obstacles that exist when large societal disruptions occur in areas that are already resource-limited.

I eventually applied to master’s degree programs in public health in 2005 and was eventually accepted into the International Health program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH). Between 2006 and 2008, I fulfilled coursework in infectious disease epidemiology, biostatics, program evaluation, data management, and a number of other sub-disciplines in public health.

YHPS: Do you have any other work experience in the health field?

VP: Yep! Prior to enrolling in JHSPH, I was actually in dental school at the University of Pennsylvania. It took me less than a semester to realize that dentistry is not my particular area of interest. I subsequently withdrew, applied to public health school, and looked for short-term positions in public health. By January, I began working at CARE International, where I developed funding proposals for international development projects focusing on HIV/AIDS, child health, water/sanitation, and women’s empowerment.

During my second year of my master’s degree program, I did an externship in South Africa, where I conducted clinically-based research on antiretroviral drug (ARV) adherence and developed educational and advocacy activities related to HIV with a locally-based organization called the Treatment Action Campaign.

Soon after graduation, I worked with an infectious disease physician, where I learned how infections are addressed in a clinical, rather than a community-based, setting.

Before joining Fogarty a year ago, I also worked with the Partnership for Supply Chain Management on the cost-effectiveness of ARV distribution programs organized through the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

YHPS: What are your long term professional interests?

VP: I am currently in the process of applying to PhD programs in infectious disease epidemiology with a focus on Global Health. I am still on the fence as to whether I will stay in academia thereafter, whether I’ll return to working for the government through the NIH, or whether I will pursue other options at an NGO like PATH or a pharmaceutical company that develops drugs that address unmet global health needs, like Genentech and Gilead. A lot of these positions require transferable skills, so much my future will depend on what sorts of opportunities present themselves five years from now.

YHPS: What are your outside interests and hobbies?

VP: Sometimes, I feel that there are too many to name. Depending on when you catch me, you’ll find me drawing; painting; playing piano, harmonica, or guitar; writing; reading; running; or pursuing photography. I recently finished my second French course for the year and hope to continue learning the language later this fall. I’m also immensely interested in domestic and international politics… and enjoy long walks on the beach.

YHPS: Thank you for taking time to speak with us about your experiences, we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!