In addition to each Alumni Career Paths panel discussion, we ask our panelists several fundamental questions about their fields so you don't have to! Use the answers they've provided below to get a quick take on whether you want to further investigate this career path, learn about the differences between roles and organizations in this field, and as a starting point for informational interviews if you want to learn more:
- What are the responsibilities of someone in your role?
- Is a postdoc required, recommended, useful, or unnecessary to enter or excel in this field?
- What types of experience are important to highlight in your resume and interview?
- What characteristics make someone good at this position?
- What do the typical application and interview processes entail?
- What possibilities do international folks have to work at your company/organization?
Public Sector questions answered in July 2021 by:
D'Shane Barnett, MS
Health Director & Health Officer at Missoula City-County Health Department (UCSF Health Care Administration Program, 2016)
Ann-Marie Brighenti, PhD
Deputy Chief, Microbiology Review Branch, NIAID, NIH (UCSF BMS Program, 2006)
Miki Sode, PhD
Commercial Innovation Manager, International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory (UCSF BioE Program, 2010)
What are the responsibilities of someone in your role?
D'Shane Barnett
Local health department directors oversee the administrative affairs of the health department. The Missoula City-County Health Department (MCCHD) operates three divisions: (1) Health Services; (2) Health Promotion; and (3) Environmental Health. As health director, I supervise the respective division directors as well as an administrative staff (fiscal, contracts administration, facilities, etc.). In some local health departments, the health officer is a separate position from health director. In others, like MCCHD, the director also holds the position of health officer. Health officer is a regulatory role established by statute and its duties include issuing health officer orders in response to public health emergencies, as well as enforcing all rules and regulations found within the health code or other local, state, or federal statute.
Ann-Marie Brighenti
- Support Branch Chief in day to day operations
- Set staff peer review assignments
- Ensure staff follow peer review policy and best practices
- Serve as a source of peer review policy information
- Conduct one on one training of new peer review staff
- Serve as an active member of the Scientific Review Program management team
- Identify areas for program improvement, design and implement appropriate solutions
Miki Sode
- Support the development of a pipeline of research opportunities to leverage the only crewed laboratory in space that is the International Space Station (ISS), as a platform for science discovery, a testing ground for future products, and possibly towards manufactured in space.
- Relationship management: We work with large corporations, start-ups, academic institutions, other governmental agencies (NIH, NSF, DoE). We also work closely with NASA and payload developers as collaborators in the research efforts.
- We raise awareness that the ISS is accessible to general public through presentations at events, conferences, webinars, workshops and other engagements, or directly with prospective partners.
Is a postdoc required, recommended, useful, or unnecessary to enter or excel in this field?
D'Shane Barnett
Useful
Ann-Marie Brighenti
Required
Miki Sode
Unnecessary. The depth of knowledge can be a differentiator therefore advantageous, but having breadth of knowledge will help in obtaining keen systems level perspectives as we operate in a complex ecosystem.
What types of experience are important to highlight in your resume and interview?
D'Shane Barnett
The two most important types of experience/skill to highlight for a position like this are (1) the ability to successfully lead an interdisciplinary team (for example, in my role I work on a daily basis with clinicians, scientists, accountants, and lawyers, among other professions) and (2) the ability to use a solutions-based approach to your work and inspire those around you, including coworkers, colleagues, community and external partners, etc.
Ann-Marie Brighenti
- Expertise and experience in peer review (as a Scientific Review Officer)
- Scientific expertise in a relevant field
- Writing/review of grant applications
- Science administration
- Scientific writing
- Public speaking
Miki Sode
- Breadth of knowledge in areas related but beyond your specialties
- Business acumen, or entrepreneurial experience
What characteristics make someone good at this position?
D'Shane Barnett
Communication skills are essential. As is "thick skin" or an ability to hear criticism, determine and focus on what information of value can be found within that criticism that can help you make improvements, and not focus or linger on personal attacks or information that isn't useful in making improvements. Creativity and resourcefulness will help someone excel at this position.
Ann-Marie Brighenti
- Detail oriented
- Broad scientific expertise
- Interest in training/mentoring others
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Independently motivated
- Ability to work in a team as well as independently
- Ability to retain and interpret information
Miki Sode
- People skills as relationship management is a big component of this job
- Curios, creative, collaborative
- Ability to obtain a keen systems level perspective
- Ability to navigate in challenging and ambiguous situations
- Analytical and critical thinker
- Adept at the state of the ecosystem
What do the typical application and interview processes entail?
D'Shane Barnett
As the lead health official for the county, this position and its role are very public-facing. As such, in addition to the standard application materials (CV, cover letter, three recommendation letters), I had to move through seven interviews over two months. This included a week-long process of five interviews: (1) community and business agency partners; (2) current health department staff; (3) the Missoula City Council and Mayor; (4) the Missoula County Commissioners and local tribal chairperson; and (5) the Missoula Board of Health. There were originally 22 applicants. Four applicants made it to the final round (the week of five interviews) and I was selected as the final candidate.
Ann-Marie Brighenti
- Submission of CV and answers to job-related questions to USAJobs.gov
- Pre-screening by HR
- Review of applications by hiring manager, Scientific Review Program management
- Panel interview with program management, key stakeholders
Miki Sode
Series of asynchronous interview questions followed by presentation (not always required), and interviews with future colleagues.
What possibilities do international folks have to work at your company/organization?
D'Shane Barnett
While not unheard of, it is uncommon for international folks to move directly into the position of local health director because of the need to be intimately familiar with the community, including demographics, resources, history, etc. That being said, an international candidate likely could enter into a different role within the health department (clinician, health scientist, epidemiologist, etc.) and work their way up to health director.
Ann-Marie Brighenti
US citizenship is required to serve as a federal employee. Individuals without citizenship can serve in contractor positions, but this restricts the ability to perform some tasks independently.
Miki Sode
Must be a U.S. person per 22 CFR § 120.15
