Talking Story with Breena Gaskov

Breena Gaskov

Catalyst Lab team members sat down with Breena Gaskov, PhD student at the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) at Mānoa and Epidemiological Specialist with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health’s (DOH) Harm Reduction Services Branch (HRSB). Her love for all things public health was vivid as she took us down memory lane...

It all began as a student in high school where, as a senior, Breena took a health sciences class that illuminated various aspects of the field. A state epidemiologist came in to share insights about her job and told stories about going into the field and investigating cases. Breena’s spark for epidemiology was ignited as she heard firsthand experiences and worked on mock investigations.

By the time Breena applied to the Master in Public Health degree in Epidemiology at UH, she was already committed to working for the Department of Health either in Alaska where she is from, or in Hawaiʻi. After she completed her practicum with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, Harm Reduction Services Branch (meet them below!) at the Diamond Head Health Center’s STI/HIV Clinic, she returned as an employee! 

Today, Breena is an Outreach Epidemiological Specialist who investigates cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), conducts surveillance, outreach, and provides health education to a variety of audiences. She fosters partnerships with the community and non-profits, and believes that her past experiences have made her more effective in her current role, sharing: “Working in the clinic, doing field work, and looking at medical records, I think made me a much better educator in this field”. While working for the DOH, Breena returned to UH to earn her PhD in epidemiology. She is currently working on analyzing disparities in congenital syphilis rates, and expressed how important it is to have good quality data available for decision makers in order to tackle health issues effectively. 

Great mentorship was and continues to be critical for Breena’s career trajectory. She credits having great mentorship and supervision both at UH and the DOH with feeling prepared for the work she currently does and shared: “Having great mentorship was key…knowing you have supervisors you can go to to ask questions definitely helped me out a lot.”

If Breena could give her younger self advice, she would say: “You don’t have to have it all figured out…you have so much time. Put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to take jobs that may not be your perfect fit. The jobs you do and the internships you take, don’t have to be perfectly in your field of interest because if anything, they are going to show you what you do like and what you don’t like.” As someone who looks forward to mentoring others, Breena shared how much value she places in connection, and encourages emerging public health professionals to reach out to people, attend networking events, and get to know those who may be able to help in finding open positions!

Looking ahead, Breena is hopeful that more students and UH alumni will find their way to meaningful positions within the DOH and believes that they will make meaningful contributions to the community in these roles. She shared how important it is to have a dedicated public health workforce: “We have recently been getting more and more of our UH public health people into the DOH…it really goes to show the importance of getting people who are very passionate into this field and that's where we’re going to make a difference.”

Breena’s journey highlights how meaningful and impactful academic-state partnerships can be in forging a robust and skillful public health workforce! Mahalo Breena, for sharing your experiences and expertise. We look forward to seeing all of the amazing contributions you continue to make in Hawaiʻi’s public health! 

Are you interested in earning a public health degree? Click the link to view the various program options with UH! Talking Story with Breena Gaskov