Panther Paths: Claire Jarashow '96

What does your current role entail?
Currently I hold two roles at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. I am Director of the Vaccine Preventable Disease Control Program and also head of the Epidemiology and Data unit for the COVID-19 Response.

What fueled your interest for your career path?
My time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua. I enjoyed public health but I had a privileged upbringing in Pasadena where the direct impact and importance of public health was not as obvious to me outside of a few volunteer experiences in high school and college. In Nicaragua, I lived in a small community where the the impact of public health policies affected every aspect of daily living from ensuring communities had infrastructure and access to clean water and safe sanitation, adequate pre-natal care for all women, access to essential childhood vaccinations, education and access to reproductive health care services, and other basic primary care. I learned so much about the inequitable allocation of these public health goods and services and I became passionate about it so knew I would pursue this as my career.

What's the most rewarding part of your work?
When I see things like mortality or morbidity rates go down in certain communities or an outbreak stopped before it reached the many more people it was projected to reach, it can feel rewarding. Sometimes papers you write or presentations you give inspire people to act or they help facilitate programs and interventions with real community impact and that is rewarding. Each day I am inspired by the dedication of my colleagues working in public health at the federal, state and local levels. We are all collectively exhausted and the challenges in this pandemic have been relentless and yet no one I know has quit or stepped off the gas for one moment. It is probably not healthy, but it is inspiring and rewarding to be part of something so much larger than yourself.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
In the current environment, the competing interests at the policy level are challenging. I am a big believer in making data-driven decisions, and I find it challenging that in a pandemic where public health decisions should be based on data and our collective expertise, this does not always happen.

What does a normal day look like for you?
Since mid-January 2020, it has been pretty brutal. Up at 5:30/6am and on calls or emails immediately. 7-8am get the kids situated for online school. Back to back calls from 8am until 5/6pm. Dinner/family time/bedtime. 8:30pm- 11pm/12am/1am/2am calls and emails and work depending on the number of pressing issues.

What's next?
Focusing on the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in Los Angeles County. It is the largest single vaccination effort in history and there are so many challenges ahead of us but it is exciting and overwhelming all at the same time.
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