One of Dr. Eze Adaeze Anne‘s first jobs in epidemiology after graduating was no small feat. Her hands were full with a monkeypox outbreak in Nigeria.
Monkeypox typically begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Then comes the rashes, which often start on the face before spreading to other parts of the body.
Next, these evolve into macules, papules, vesicles, pustules, and scabs before falling off.
Squeamish for anyone, and no less for a first job.
But that’s what jobs in epidemiology, what Dr. Eze signed up for, is all about.
Epidemiology is the scientific study of diseases and how they are found, spread, and controlled in groups of people.
In just the past 20 years, coronaviruses alone have caused three major outbreaks worldwide, driving demand for experts who can develop strategies to mitigate these disasters.
Dr. Eze is one of them.
Dr. Eze graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, before she had the opportunity to go overseas. Source: Dr. Eze Adaeze Anne
‘I recognised the importance of enhanced epidemiological surveillance’
After graduating from veterinary school in her home country of Nigeria, Dr. Eze was posted to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) headquarters, where she worked in the Epidemiology and Surveillance Department, One Health unit.
That’s where she faced a monkeypox outbreak. A baptism by fire, Dr. Eze quickly saw how most emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are transmitted from animals.
“As a young veterinarian, I recognised the importance of enhanced epidemiological surveillance,” she says.
For one, Nigeria is home to over 227 million people — and they’re very social.
Add to that the fact that many parts of the country interacted with animals too, through farming, trade, or direct contact.
This observation showed Dr. Eze that jobs in epidemiology served a bigger goal that she thought.
It’s about treating diseases and understanding the complex systems of human-animal-environment interactions.
While jobs in epidemiology weren’t common then, working at the NCDC spurred Dr. Eze to think of ways to detect diseases in animal populations early.
That included expanding her knowledge.
“I wanted to acquire the necessary skills to analyse disease trends, conduct surveillance, and contribute to early disease detection and prevention strategies,” she said.
Dr. Eze knew that she couldn’t afford to study abroad, but a scholarship would allow her the opportunity to do so. Source: Dr. Eze Adaeze Anne
Applying for scholarships
While still working jobs in epidemiology at the NCDC, Dr. Eze started applying for scholarships.
She had heard about the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship from a senior in veterinary school who had received the same to study at the University of Stirling, UK, in 2021.
“The application was pretty straightforward, but the essay took me almost three weeks to complete,” admits Dr. Eze. “It required a lot of critical thinking about my development plans, extensive research, and multiple drafts.”
Time passed. The rejection emails and letters continued to flow in.
But she kept pushing, citing that rejections were normal, and she had learned to ignore them.
In the meantime, she joined joined a distance-learning Master’s in Public Health (Epidemiology) at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, which allowed her to still work at the NCDC simultaneously.
But merely a month in, she heard back – she had won a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship to study veterinary epidemiology at the Royal Veterinary College and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) at the University of London.
That moment was surreal. So much so that Dr. Eze didn’t believe she was seeing right and had to ask a friend to confirm.
“It was the happiest moment of my life,” she says. This scholarship was life-changing for me because it gave me the opportunity to study at two world-class institutions, which I or my family couldn’t have been able to afford financially.”
Settling into London for the first time
After she had gotten over flying out of Nigeria for the first time, Dr. Eze was presented with another challenge – adjusting to to the UK
“Veterinary education in Nigeria has a strong emphasis on clinical training and conventional subjects,” she explained. “While in the UK, especially in postgraduate settings, there’s a greater focus on evidence-based practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of modern technology.”
She initially struggled, having gotten used to the theory-heavy style of learning in Nigeria. In comparison, the Royal Veterinary College encouraged her to question everything – she critiqued papers, challenged ideas, and applied concepts in real-time.
“It was exciting but also intimidating at first,” she confessed. “Though thankfully, I adapted with time.”
The support she received was a big help. The university provided one-on-one academic writing sessions with experienced professionals and faculty to help her navigate the UK assessment style. If she had questions, there were peer groups she could reach out to that made the coursework more manageable.
And of course, there were her fellow Commonwealth Scholars.
“Socially, the Commonwealth Scholars community was a lifeline,” said Dr. Eze. “We looked out for each other and regularly held events to connect and share our journeys. I also engaged with student networks at both RVC and LSHTM, which really helped ease the feeling of isolation.”
But perhaps the strongest standout moment was her first week at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), where she met Dr. Okonjo Iweala, current Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
She had visited the school to talk about the WTO’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in ensuring equitable vaccine distribution across countries.
“As a young Nigerian woman sitting in that room, seeing another Nigerian woman leading a global organisation and speaking with such power and clarity, it was incredibly inspiring,” said Dr. Eze. “It reminded me that our voices matter on the global stage.”
“It’s rewarding, but it’s not always shiny.” Source: Dr. Eze Adaeze Anne
Looking for jobs in epidemiology? She’s got some advice
Dr. Eze spent a year completing her master’s in London. But the really impressive part came after — when she landed a World Health Organisation internship.
Today, as a One Health and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) intern at WHO’s headquarters in Geneva, Dr. Eze conducts and supports research for neglected zoonotic diseases like cysticercosis, echinococcosis, rabies, foodborne trematodiases, and snakebite envenoming.
Amongst jobs in epidemiology, this is arguably the best.
“Interning at the WHO Headquarters is a highly competitive opportunity,” said Dr. Eze. “Imagine being selected from almost 900 applicants worldwide. I believe that studying veterinary epidemiology at the University of London gave me an edge for this particular internship.”
A typical day includes mapping, analysis, and visualisation of neglected tropical disease data, developing tools and frameworks, and a lot of research.
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One thing that Dr. Eze wished someone had told her back was that the field is much broader than she expected. It wasn’t just lab coats or treating animals — systems, data, research, and policy all played important roles, and there was always a lot of meetings and technical work involved.
“One big misconception is that it’s glamorous. People often see the big institutions or high-profile conferences and assume it’s all about travel and prestige,” she said. “But much of the work is technical writing and reviews, data cleaning, long literature reviews, or collaborating across time zones. It’s rewarding, but it’s not always shiny.”
One ongoing project that she’s excited about is the development of free rabies vaccinations in countries by GAVI, also known as the Vaccine Alliance. It’s a public-private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunisation in poor countries.
There, Dr. Eze provides technical support, such as assisting in the development of the Vaccine Readiness Tool and M&E framework, which assesses the preparedness of national health systems for rabies vaccine deployment and tracks progress.
But what she enjoys most is being part of such a diverse and high-level organisation. She cites that working with experts from different disciplines, countries, and perspectives has led to richer outputs, and that nothing came as a challenge to her.
To those looking for similar jobs in epidemiology, this is her advice:
“Adaptability, curiosity, and the ability to work collaboratively across different disciplines and cultures are essential,” she said.
“More importantly, you must learn how to learn; to continuously acquire new knowledge and adapt to new situations. Build yourself well for the opportunity, and gather relevant work experience.”
