Pitt Pediatrics congratulates third-year resident Rachel Alade, MD, for her acceptance to the CDC’s renowned Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS). The EIS is a highly competitive post-doctoral program that brings together experts from a range of multi-disciplinary areas to look at and work in applied epidemiology. While the most well-known facet of the EIS may be those who work in global health emergencies, such as viral outbreaks, there are a broad number of epidemiological efforts undertaken by these public health fellows every year. 
Alade will be working with the EIS’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD). The NCBDDD focuses primarily on improving health outcomes for babies through research and prevention of birth defects, increasing understanding of developmental disorders, and improving the life of individuals living with disabilities.
Alade’s research interests in residency have focused on acute care utilization in adolescents and young adults in sickle cell disease, management guidelines for congenital chylothorax, Spanish-speaking pediatric patients and their families, and bioethics. Her work in this area has been presented at local and national research symposiums. Over the last three years of her residency, she has developed a passion for investigating how systems and population trends impact the health decisions and outcomes of individuals, especially in pediatric and at-risk demographics. During her two-year fellowship with the EIS, she will be looking specifically at pediatric populations with congenital heart defects and the public health systems in place to care for them.
Quick to express gratitude for her mentors at UPMC Children’s Hospital and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh, Alade notes that the guidance she received both in her career growth and in being shown these kinds of opportunities was critical in her acceptance to the program. Additionally, she would like to specifically mention the following research and professional mentors in helping her to get this wonderful accomplishment: John J Strouse, MD, PhD (Duke University), S. Christy Sadreameli, MD (Johns Hopkins University), Elizabeth Stier, MD (Boston University), Olivera Vragovic, MS (Boston University), Lydia H. Pecker, MD (Johns Hopkins University), Sophie M. Lanzkron, MD (Johns Hopkins University), Maya Ragavan, MD (University of Pittsburgh), Loreta Matheo, MD (University of Pittsburgh), Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, MD (University of Pittsburgh), Andrew McCormick, MD (University of Pittsburgh), Terence Dermody, PhD, MD (University of Pittsburgh), her family, and the residency program directors (Katherine Watson, DO & Andrew J Nowalk, MD, PhD).
Alade will be the third resident from the University of Pittsburgh to be selected to join the EIS program in the last 20 years, which speaks to the competitiveness of the application process. The prior two residents were Annabelle de St. Maurice, MD (resident 2008-2011) and Cynthia Lucero, MD (resident 2003-2006).