Born and raised in Georgia, USA, Chelsey has worked in many diverse roles ranging from a high school microbiology teacher to a clinical oncology laboratory technologist. During her Public Health Master’s program in 2019, Chelsey interned with the Dekalb County Board of Health on the STD/HIV Prevention team where she observed, first hand, the positive impact of county programs on community health – especially in high risk and lower income populations. In this role, she worked on the sitting president’s “End the Epidemic Initiative” aimed at lowering the spread and minimizing the burden of HIV/AIDS by providing free tests, community outreach activities and education on options, such as Pre-Exposure Prophylactics (PrEP) and antivirals. She is currently a Health Scientist on the Vaccine Implementation Team in the Global Influenza Branch of NCIRD – CDC. Since joining the PIVI team, Chelsey has collaborated with many partner countries to collect evidence to help leverage experiences and lessons learned with influenza vaccination to continue ongoing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for possible others. With a strong passion for health equity and ensuring proper health access for all populations, she truly enjoys working with partners and providing technical support as we work towards equitable public health access for all. Chelsey earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Valdosta State University, Master’s in Science Education from Georgia State University and her Master’s in Public Health from Mercer University.
