Selin Kubali, VG25
Biography
New York City
M.S. in Conservation Medicine ‘25
Biology & Statistical and Data Sciences
Smith College 2023
Why did you choose to pursue this degree, and why did you choose Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine to pursue this degree?
I think the concept of One Health is compelling, and also great for me personally because I find the ways health and medicine are intertwined with culture and environment fascinating. Zoonotic diseases are an especially good place to make an impact, because of how devastating they can be and how early they can be caught.
What are your interests and/or experiences related to conservation medicine?
I've worked primarily in medicine-adjacent fields, but some of the volunteering and research I have done (mosquito gene editing for neglected tropical disease prevention, antimicrobial resistance policymaking) has had ecology and animal policy buried in it, which helped spur my interest in conservation medicine.
What are your career goals after completing the program?
I'm particularly interested in working on a Ph.D. in disease ecology, but in general I would like to work in epidemiology, especially somewhere with a focus on environmental epidemiology.