Jean Gleason completed her undergraduate degree in public health at Drexel University before earning a Master of Science in Global Health in 2022. She is currently a research health scientist with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor. 

My interest in public health began in high school when I volunteered at a clinic in Kensington, Philadelphia. This clinic has a history of poor access to mental health care. During the summer of 2016, I spent three months volunteering as a clinical assistant and tutor in Kenya. Upon my return, I began my undergraduate degree in public health at Drexel University. I decided to pursue a master's degree to delve deeper into the field of occupational health through a global health perspective. After researching various programs, I chose Duke University due to their extensive research opportunities and the ability to take courses from other departments such as the Pratt School of Engineering and the Sanford School of Public Policy.

While in the program, I had the opportunity to participate in the implementation of an early warning system to identify novel zoonotic pre-pandemic viruses by testing nasal swabs from patients in Sri Lanka. The goal was to see if there were any demographic similarities among the patients. This experience expanded my way of thinking and demonstrated the vast potential in global health. In addition, I was fortunate to have a mentor, Truls Østbye, who supported my interest in studying an underrepresented population: firefighters. With his guidance, I developed my thesis research on knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes related to gear cleaning among North Carolina firefighters. My aim was to improve policies and interventions to reduce firefighters' risk of cancer through gear decontamination.

The research opportunities I had during the program have set me on my current career path. I now work on standards and guidelines for various occupations, including firefighters, nurses, construction workers, and farmers, among others. In addition, courses I took from other departments, such as Management for High Tech Industries and Fundamentals of Data Science, enhanced my skills in communicating and presenting data. These skills are valuable in my current job.

I currently work as a research health scientist for the Department of Labor in the Office of Physical Hazards at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Like my thesis research, my work aims to protect firefighters and other workers. In the future, I hope to continue advocating for workers' rights with a focus on both public health and global health.

I have learned that it is important to understand the purpose and significance of one's actions. Whenever I feel my motivation or focus slipping, I remind myself of these two things and I can get back on track.