Alumna grows public health career through CDC fellowship
Gabrielle Bevan chose West Virginia University for the opportunities she knew wouldn’t be provided anywhere else. Her willingness to take a chance and be open to those new experiences offered by the School of Public Health has made all the difference in her career, even after graduation.
A graduate of the Master of Public Health program, Bevan is currently halfway through a year-long research fellowship through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Research Participation Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The appointment is the latest opportunity she has taken advantage of after learning about it through alumni communications from the School.
“WVU presented me with a lot of opportunities I took advantage of, and because of that I ended up in the position I'm in now,” said Bevan. “I wanted to gain as much experience as I could. If there was ever a chance to volunteer or participate in something that was outside of coursework, I took advantage of it.
“WVU also introduced me to a lot of public health professionals that I leaned on when I had to make decisions. Reaching out to peers, professors and career professionals helped me gain the knowledge to continue my career in public health after graduate school.”
ORISE focuses on scientific initiatives by providing educational and training opportunities for college students, recent graduates and university faculty to connect with the unique resources of the CDC. With the support of an assigned mentor, fellows participate in project-specific CDC research, current public health research and developmental activities at state-of the-art facilities.
In her role on the Worker Safety and Health Team, Bevan is working on COVID-19 response at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the Emergency Preparedness and Response Office (EPRO). She provides support to the team through the creation of weekly situational reports and weekly update documents for the team units and liaisons, documentation of team meetings, archiving guidance documents and assisting on leadership team tasks.
With plans to continue her career in threat preparedness and emergency response, Bevan says the ORISE fellowship is preparing her for the next step in her public health career.
“I am learning so much in this position,” she says of her time in the program. “I have always been interested in threat preparedness/emergency response and this fellowship is allowing me to gain experience and knowledge I would normally never be able to get.”
Now that it’s been three years since her graduation, Bevan still has the same advice for incoming School of Public Health students as she did when she was preparing to walk across the stage at Commencement.
“Take advantage of opportunities, even if it means going out of your comfort zone. Don't turn down an opportunity just because you think you won't like it. My path looks completely different than it did when I first started at WVU because I took a chance and went out of my comfort zone.”
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CONTACT: Nikky Luna, Director of Marketing and Communications
WVU School of Public Health
304.293.1699