The global COVID-19 crisis will require scientists and scholars who are educated and trained to take on the world鈥檚 most dangerous problems. The Biodefense program at the Schar School creates leaders in the field.
Tam Dang earned a Bachelor鈥檚 of Science degree from Mason, then a Master鈥檚 in Biodefense at the Schar School.
Dallas County, like many U.S. jurisdictions, is working to minimize the risk of an outbreak of coronavirus while also providing information about the outbreak to citizens. In the middle of it is Tam Dang.
Dang started in the biology world, earning her聽Bachelor鈥檚 of Science聽degree from 亚洲AV in 2008. But it was her course of study in the聽Master鈥檚 in Biodefense聽program at the聽Schar School聽that put her on her present career path.
The degree, she said, 鈥渋ntroduced me to the public health field, and offered a unique perspective from a biosecurity and bioterrorism standpoint.鈥
Today, Dang is an epidemiologist for the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services in Dallas, Texas. She works in the Acute Communicable Disease Epidemiology Division, helping to lead epidemiological investigations for infectious disease outbreaks or potential bioterrorism events. She monitors local, regional, and state data sources related to infectious diseases, and helps develop outbreak and bioterrorism plans to help support public health preparedness.
Her work is at the intersection of public health and health security, an important field in the modern era.
"I think聽some significant聽health security threats聽we聽are聽facing in聽the U.S. in聽2019聽are related to the聽potential for importations or outbreaks of聽high-consequence emerging infectious diseases, such as Ebola and聽avian influenza,鈥 she said. 鈥淚n a metropolitan area like Dallas/Fort Worth, our Public Health聽Emergency聽Preparedness division聽is聽keenly aware that our proximity to聽the nation鈥檚 12th聽busiest airport confers particular risk for international importations of infectious diseases.鈥
Since joining the epidemiology team, Dang, who has since by joined by fellow Schar School 2019 biodefense master鈥檚 degree graduate Stephen Taylor, has found plenty of ways to leverage her biodefense degree. She has developed communicable disease and emergency response plans, facilitated a pandemic influenza exercise for medical students at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and presented on insider threats in biosafety laboratories to sentinel lab personnel, to name a few.
Her degree from the Schar School鈥檚 biodefense program was key to landing her current position, she said.
鈥淚t helped me stand out from the pile of applications my supervisor received,鈥 she said. 鈥淢y biology background and prior employment experiences also played a large part in rounding out my graduate education and narrowing my professional field of interest.
鈥淥verall, past experience and the added education and skills I obtained from the Biodefense program were critical factors in helping me pursue my career goals."
Additional reporting by Buzz McClain