Joe Silva, a soon-to-be graduate of the doctoral program in health services research at the Brown University School of Public Health, has secured a prestigious role as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This highly coveted two-year fellowship will allow Silva to serve the nation while gaining invaluable hands-on experience in applied epidemiology and developing the practical skills to become a future leader in public health.
“EIS is recognized around the world as the premier applied epidemiology training program,” said Ron Aubert EIS '86 and senior associate dean of education at the School of Public Health. Aubert speaks from personal experience, having worked as an EIS officer in the late 1980s during an escalation of the HIV pandemic. Under the leadership of Dr. Reed Tuckson, he was assigned to Washington, D.C. to establish HIV screening for various high-risk groups, with the data used to better understand the epidemiology of HIV and target prevention programs.
“EIS will be celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2026 and has an illustrious history responding to the most challenging threats to human health during that period,” Aubert said. “EIS officers have been or are currently involved in Global Smallpox and Polio eradication programs, outbreak investigations and surveillance system implementation for health threats including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Anthrax, Zika and COVID-19.”