Rachael Birn

Rachael Birn, MPH serves as an epidemiologist in the Department of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Public Health. Her professional trajectory includes significant roles as an Applied Epidemiology Fellow with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health, and prior service as both an epidemiologist and administrative analyst at Imperial County Public Health Department in California. She also maintains credentials as a registered dental hygienist.

Her academic foundation comprises a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of South Florida (2020) and a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2010).

Rachael's research centers on deploying innovative epidemiological methodologies to track environmental exposures and their public health consequences, with dedicated focus on climate change impacts and disaster-related health outcomes in Nebraska. She maintains specialized expertise in infectious disease surveillance through a One Health lens that critically examines human-animal-environmental interfaces. Her work emphasizes practical applications for disease mitigation and public health intervention strategies.

Analysis of her 2022-2024 publications reveals consistent investigation of zoonotic disease transmission dynamics, particularly regarding tularemia, SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife reservoirs, Lyme disease vectors, and toxoplasmosis surveillance systems. These studies demonstrate methodological rigor in environmental sampling, cross-species pathogen detection, and multi-jurisdictional outbreak reporting frameworks that advance infectious disease monitoring capabilities.

Her professional engagement includes active membership in the American Public Health Association, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, and National Environmental Health Association, reflecting commitment to collaborative public health practice and policy development.