What is your current job?
Senior Director, Real World Evidence Operations at Merck.
Describe your work and why you find it rewarding/challenging.
I run a team of experienced study managers who execute observational research studies. It is really rewarding to help develop future talent, especially those who are early in their career and with a public health degree. The challenge is to move from a tactical to a strategic mindset, which is critical to have in your skill set.
You work directly with epidemiologists, so you have to be able to speak their language, and YSPH developed those technical skills, which lead to credibility and trust.
Shazia Khawaja, MPH '04
How did YSPH prepare you for your current work?
It was important for me to come in with a basic understanding of epidemiological methods. You work directly with epidemiologists, so you have to be able to speak their language, and YSPH developed those technical skills, which lead to credibility and trust.
Were there any faculty/staff mentors who influenced your YSPH experience?
Every single one!
Do you have a favorite YSPH experience you can share?
My favorite experience was all of the extracurricular activities, lectures, and social events that the school put out. I didn’t realize how much they had to offer until long after I was gone.
What advice do you have for current YSPH students?
Be open-minded about your career. It doesn’t have to look the way you thought it was, but if you can be curious and fearless in trying new things, you never know where you’ll end up.