YOUR ASSOCIATION
Open Access
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Building Hopeful Communities
CDR Anna Khan, MA, REHS/RS
I discovered environmental health by ac- cident. At Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), I added an elective—Intro to En- vironmental Health—to fill my schedule. To the professors out there, that was a terrible title for the class. It would have been more accurate, not to mention more memorable, if the class was titled: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Intro to Environmental Health. Let me tell you why. On the very first day, I was blown away by the diversity of the en- vironmental health practice. I felt as if I was launched into outer space! I learned about the good (prevention and mitigation), the bad (outbreaks and incidents), and the ugly (emergencies and disasters that result in morbidity and mortal- ity). I listened to a panel of career environ- mental health professionals, which included commissioned o cers from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS). The proverbial light bulb went o! That is what I wanted to be, an environmental health o cer with USPHS. I was going to practice the good, tackle the bad, and prevent the ugly. As I drove home that evening, I thought to myself, “Is it pos- sible for someone like me to do this? A shy, dyslexic, slow reader from a small town and a single mother of two?” The next day, I gathered up the courage to go into the environmental health building at EKU to find someone to talk to about envi- ronmental health. Along the way, I was telling myself that if they told me it was not possible, I would still be okay. I met a woman, not any woman, but Dr. Carolyn Harvey, a beacon of strength and guidance, who understood the challenges
tor for communication for the Division of Environmental Health, Science, and Practice within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Along the way, I have led over 30 emergency responses involving natu- ral disasters, infectious disease outbreaks, industrial incidents, and humanitarian crises, and I have worked in over 17 countries on global health security. Academia sets students on the right track and changes lives. I am extremely grateful for the professors at EKU who gave me the support I needed to start a rewarding and impactful career. Others along my journey have taught me valuable lessons. When I was supporting the 2014–2015 Ebola outbreak in Africa, I spoke with a community leader and shared my frustration and confusion about why a particular area within the community that was designated as quarantined was not able to keep people quarantined despite provid- ing food, water, and other necessities. He explained that people want to be with family and want to worship when they are afraid. At that time, I was ignorant and I had trou- ble relating to what he was saying. I could only see the sickness and how to prevent the sickness. I was only thinking from the sci- ence side and not from a place of empathy. I will never forget what he said next, “If you take away hope, you take away everything from a community.” This memory is one I share often and use as a teachable moment. It is something that I discuss when I present about listening to the community and empathizing with what a community is going through during risk communication courses. The point I always
We may often be regulators who enforce compliance, mandate protocols, and create guidance, but we also change perspectives
for the better of our communities.
that I would face and was there to support me throughout my journey. Like me, her family came from the same small town in east Ten- nessee. She knew my uncle who was the local pharmacist. She understood my trouble with dyslexia. She overcame her struggles in life and shared them with me openly. She gave me hope. I realized hope was not a strategy, but it was the first step in finding my way. Dr. Harvey and other professors at EKU, such as Worley Johnson, Joe Beck, and Dr. Gary Brown, believed in me, supported me, and empowered me to go on this journey. And what a journey it has been! I have had more than 17 years in federal service serving in many dierent roles—a certified investiga- tor with the Food and Drug Administration conducting complex food, drug, and medical device facility inspections; a compliance o - cer with the Strategic National Stockpile; and a public health advisor, public health scien- tist, program manager, and an associate direc-
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Volume 87 • Number 1
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