Namrata Chauhan

Namrata Chauhan ’23 arrived in the United States from her home in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was December 2021, and her parents were nervous.

"I wanted to continue my education in the United States because of how established and advanced public health is here,” says Chauhan, who earned a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology. “My parents supported my decision, as they understood how important global exposure in public health was to my career and future.”

After she graduated in 2023, she landed a job as a surveillance epidemiologist for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in the Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health. Her work involves analyzing the effect of lead exposure on children in Massachusetts.

“I am truly grateful for the knowledge and skills I gained from the Master of Public Health program,” says Chauhan. “I’m proud to credit my professors for providing me the real-world skill set that I use every day in my career as an epidemiologist.”

It wasn’t Chauhan’s original plan to have a career in public health. After graduating with a master’s degree in microbiology in India, she had planned to get a Ph.D. in microbiology.

“During one of my internships, I started to realize the impact that data has on fighting disease,” says Chauhan, whose intern supervisor suggested that she study public health. “Data analysis gives you an understanding of how environmental, social and behavioral factors impact health.”

After applying to the UMass Lowell program, Chauhan connected with students, faculty and alumni through LinkedIn to get support before and after she arrived.

Once on campus, Chauhan became active in and out of the classroom, working for the Toxics Use Reduction Institute and the Environment Health and Safety Department. Through hands-on experiences as a research assistant and support from her professors, Chauhan honed the skills in public health that launched her career.

“My professors helped me build my skills in reporting, documentation and communicating, which are all core responsibilities of my job,” says Chauhan. “They also emphasized the professional and ethical conduct that’s expected of an epidemiologist.”