#WeAreEmoryEPI: Meet Erica Johnson!

Meet Erica Johnson! She is a second year MPH Candidate in Epidemiology who tries to look at the intersection of microbiology, mathematics and machine learning.

Tell us about your academic history/where you went to school.

I did my undergraduate degrees at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. I received two Bachelors of Science in Microbiology and Mathematics.

What are your primary research interests?

I am interested in studying the intersection of microbiology, mathematics, and machine learning techniques in the space of public health. I would like to bring these areas of study together and look at how we can better make predictions of future outbreaks.

Are there any exciting projects that you are currently working on that you’d like to share with us?

I have just started working on my thesis project in the Lopman lab under the guidance of Carol Liu. The project involves assessing the correlation between changes in self-reported and cell phone geolocated mobility using two large datasets. With this projevt, I am hoping to refine my programming and biostatistics skills as well as potentially making use of machine learning techniques.

What is your favorite part about earning your MPH at Emory?

My favorite part about earning my MPH at Emory has been its close proximity to the CDC, as well as the diverse and complex experiences of both the other students in Rollins as well as the professors that teach here.

When applying, what were you looking for in a public health school, and what factors drove you to pick Rollins?

One of the main things I was looking for in a public health school was what careers and furhter research opportunities their graduates were able to take on. I was also very interested in a more biostatistics and programming-focused MPH curriculum. Both of these things lead me to choosing Rollins out of the multiple MPH programs I was accepted into.

What has been your favorite class at Rollins thus far, and why?

I have two favorite classes at Rollins so far!

1. Applied Machine Learning: This class was taught by Dr. Max Lau, who really inspired my drive to learn more about this topic. Taking this class inspired me to look into PhD programs that use machine learning techniques in the public health space.
2. Field Epidemiology was a one-week immersive class taught by Dr. Anne Spaulding the week before the spring semester began. During this class, I had the chance to learn from current Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers and officials who really brought the information and materials that they learned at Rollins into their real world experiences.

What advice do you have for 1st years?

The time you spend at Rollins will be shorter than you think, so take advantage of everything you can while you are here. When you’re here, try to find the topic or subject that you find exciting and pursue that! And most importantly, talk to everyone that you can! Nothing beats hearing firsthand about a subject/topic from someone that has spent a large chunk of their life researching/doing it!

What are three fun facts that you want people to know about you?

1. I’m an Irish twin! My younger brother Matthew was born about 11 months after me.
2. I’ve worked in the clinical research space both as a clinical research coordinator and a regulatory coordinator for clinical and investigator-run trials for about four years now.
3. I currently have two dogs, Bryanna and Daisy, who are the joy of my life.

Thanks for talking with us, Erica! Don’t forget to join us next week to see who we meet next!