EJ Judge

Years before COVID-19 forced the world into lockdown, EJ Judge already knew he wanted to make an impact in health care. 

His interest was sparked in high school after reading “The Hot Zone,” a true story about the first Ebola virus outbreak and how scientists studied and contained the disease.

“This book inspired my fascination for disease research and outbreak tracking that has defined my career,” he says. 

He chose to major in applied biomedical sciences with the clinical science option to study the research aspect of medical science and disease. After learning more about career paths, he also minored in public health.

“My undergraduate experience was very rewarding,” he says. “I learned a lot about what I wanted to do and how I wanted to shape my career.”

He decided to continue onto the Master of Public Health, epidemiology option program to learn more about how infectious disease outbreaks were studied and controlled.

“I wanted to get into a field where I could help people, and the MPH seemed like the ideal choice for me,” says Judge. “It was incredible to be studying communicable disease in the middle of a pandemic. I was supported by professors who quickly became mentors.”

Two years after graduation, he is a senior quality control associate at Synlogic Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a company that specializes in synthetic biology to treat disease. 

“I have always loved working in microbes, which I now do daily, testing product to ensure that it is safe for our patients,” he says. “It brings me absolute joy to know that what I do is helping patients get the treatment they need.”