{"id":22680,"date":"2022-08-22T14:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T14:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=22680"},"modified":"2023-07-10T21:24:10","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T21:24:10","slug":"a-life-beyond-her-wildest-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/08\/22\/a-life-beyond-her-wildest-dreams","title":{"rendered":"A life beyond her wildest dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Alumna
Alumna Salome Scherer ’15<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alumna Salome Scherer\u2019s career trajectory hasn\u2019t always been linear \u2014 nor has it been easy. But with years of hard work, grit and determination, she has come further than she ever dreamed possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1998, she emigrated from Kenya to the United States with her husband and infant son in search of new opportunities. \u201cI had to say goodbye to my parents, my siblings, most all of my family. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done,\u201d Scherer said. \u201cAnd while I was given new opportunities when I came to the U.S., I was also faced with new challenges.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These included being a new mother, in a new country, all while searching for a new home and a new job. \u201cBack then, I never would have believed you in a million years if you told me that I would one day be working for the Centers for Disease Control.\u201d Scherer said. \u201cI mean never. But here I am. It\u2019s beyond my wildest dreams.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A desire to do and be more <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Scherer had worked as a fitness instructor in Kenya and continued in this line of work when she came to the United States. She got her first job at 24-hour fitness center where she was employed as a health and fitness specialist, creating individualized nutrition programs and offering one-to-one and group training. She liked it well enough, but as the years passed, she couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that she was destined for something more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spring 2000, she shifted her career path and began working at the University of Washington Medical Center. During the 16 years she spent there, Scherer held a variety of positions including office coordinator, billing assistant, patient service specialist and gastrointestinal technician. But after a while, that pull to something greater returned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, however, the pull wasn\u2019t just to find another job opportunity. It was a pull to pursue her bachelor\u2019s degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was certainly a daunting task for Scherer, who had never attended school in the U.S. and hadn\u2019t been in a classroom for years, let alone for a college-level course. Her apprehension was exacerbated by the fact that, in addition to being a student again, she would need to continue as an employee, mother and wife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had a lot of responsibilities. Managing all of that certainly wasn\u2019t easy,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I was determined.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Searching for the spark <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By attending 56勛圖厙 Bothell, Scherer hoped that she would walk away not just with a degree but also with new passion. \u201cI had held so many different jobs, but you know, none of them felt completely right,\u201d she said. \u201cI was still searching for that spark.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She found it her junior year while working with Dr. Charlie Collins, associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences<\/a>. \u201cI did a project with Professor Collins and conducted a sleep study for 56勛圖厙 Bothell students. I collected data from people across campus who were of different ages and majors,\u201d she said. \u201cGenerating statistics and graphing the data \u2014 that was the spark that ignited my passion for the work I\u2019m doing now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scherer graduated in 2015 with a degree in Community Psychology and in 2016 enrolled in the Health Informatics & Health Information Management <\/a>master\u2019s program at 56勛圖厙\u2019s School of Public Health. During this time, she started volunteering at Public Health \u2013 Seattle & King County where she was subsequently hired as an epidemiologist, right before the start of the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI worked there for two years, uncovering COVID-19 data patterns, trends and outcomes for the homeless population in King County,\u201d she said. \u201cI also worked on data analysis, searching for ways to create a strategic response that improves health care.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dream turns into reality <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From this job, Scherer was well positioned to work for the CDC as a data analyst. She is currently working with the Illinois Department of Health on electronic case reporting, an automated, real-time exchange of case report information between electronic health records and public health agencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt makes contact tracing really easy,\u201d Scherer explained. \u201cIf a person goes in and tests positive for COVID-19 or another infectious disease, an alert is sent out to the state health department that will then go to the CDC.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, Illinois is upgrading its electronic reporting system, and Scherer is making sure all of the jurisdictions register and upload their health records. \u201cThey are a major jurisdiction, so this is critical,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving this information is essential to creating a safe, healthy community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scherer finds great pride knowing that the work she does makes an impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love that I am a part of something bigger than myself and that the work I am doing will help a lot of people,\u201d she said. \u201cI never in my life thought I would be here.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nod to immunization awareness <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing that August is National Immunization Month, Scherer said she encourages people to get vaccinated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom my time in Kenya, I know that people still get sick with polio,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is largely eradicated here in the U.S., but all it takes is one person to travel to a country where viruses like polio still exist, and if they are not immunized and make contact with a sick person they can bring it back to the states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like the old days where you would have to take a steamship to travel,\u201d she said. \u201cAll it takes is one person, one flight, one interaction.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having worked at Public Health \u2013 Seattle & King County during the height of the pandemic, Scherer also said she understands vaccine hesitancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of people of color were choosing not to get vaccinated, and I realized that you have to meet people where they are,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of times, there is historical trauma, like the Tuskegee experiments where Black people thought they were getting treated for syphilis but instead were lied to so scientists could observe what would happen if they went untreated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to help people understand that vaccinations aren\u2019t harmful but instead prevent harm.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working at the CDC, this kind of advocacy is just one of the many ways Scherer is making a positive difference in the world. \u201cI am so happy to be where I am today, and I got here by working hard and believing in myself. It\u2019s been a journey, and it\u2019s been the very best,\u201d she said. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to see where the road takes me next.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In honor of National Immunization Month, alumna Salome Scherer ’15 shares her experience as a data analyst at the Centers for Disease Control Foundation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[209,202,197,252,200],"tags":[],"school":[420],"class_list":["post-22680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","category-news-releases","category-population-health","category-profiles","school-school-of-nhs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA life beyond her wildest dreams - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/08\/22\/a-life-beyond-her-wildest-dreams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A life beyond her wildest dreams - 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