Heather Fowler, Veterinarian

Heather Fowler, VMD, a student in the AP MPH Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology track, knew she wanted to be a veterinarian from the time she was a small child. She owned every kind of pet you can imagine, and by age 15 had already begun working in an animal hospital. There, she became sensitive to the repetitive nature of domestic animal care, and even before entering vet school at the University of Pennsylvania, she had an eye toward research.  

“I love the detective work in epidemiology.” Looking toward a career as a state public health veterinarian, Heather has particular interests in zoonotic, vector-borne, and food-borne diseases. Building on an undergraduate internship in Hawaii studying mosquitoes, while at Yale, Heather has worked both with the Emerging infections Program on the C. difficilestudy and with Dr. Peter Rabinowitz at the Yale Human Animal Medicine Project where she assessed adherence to federal  H1N1 guidelines among workers at swine facilities.

Few public health professionals focus on veterinary medicine and even fewer veterinarians have a public health perspective to guide them in assessing risk factors and developing interventions and policy explains Heather. “That really appeals to me.”

The Yale AP MPH program for students, like Heather, who already have a doctoral-level degree, is “no nonsense,” she says with appreciation for her colleagues and their streamlined approach to their studies. She also appreciates much of what New Haven has to offer – especially Thursday night salsa dancing. 

Heather has been accepted into the CDC/CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship Program and will receive two years of on-the-job-training at the Minnesota Department of Health upon graduation.