File:I Am CDC - Dinorah Lissette Calles.webm

English: I am a public health emergency epidemiologist on the CDC Global Rapid Response Team. I respond immediately to health emergencies, whether they are caused by disease outbreaks or disasters.

I do research on the distribution and patterns of diseases or health events and their risk factors for populations, I lead epidemiological research studies, working directly in the field or providing coordination support at the central level. The process of interviewing individuals or patients, identifying patterns, and making recommendations that have an impact on the well-being of a population or group of people, is deeply rewarding to me.

Something that was personally relevant was the emergency response to yellow fever in Angola in 2016. We had limited resources; however, as a multiagency team, we were able to stopin a matter of weeksthe spread and export of the disease to other continents, and we contributed to generating innovative vaccination strategies against yellow fever.

I’ve had an interest in public health and epidemiology since I was very young and lived in San Salvador, El Salvador.

My mother worked for a public health and preventive medicine department. And my father was an emergency communication volunteer. I grew up witnessing the impact of humanitarian aid and community service.

I began my career with CDC at the Center for Global Health and then continued as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer.

If I were not an epidemiologist, perhaps I would have a career in music, because I am a classical flute player. I guess I would play in an orchestra; I would be a music critic or a theater or orchestra manager.

My name is Dinorah Lissette Calles, and I Am CDC.

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