Kiar Gor, MPH

My journey into public health began with my clinical training as a dentist and medical officer in India. Wanting to move beyond treating individual patients and address health challenges at the population level, I pursued an MPH in Environmental Health and a Certificate in Epidemiology at the University of Illinois Springfield. UIS provided me with a strong foundation in epidemiology, biostatistics, program evaluation, environmental health, and public policy. More importantly, the program connected classroom learning with meaningful, real-world public service opportunities.

During my first semester, I joined the Illinois Department of Public Health through the Graduate Public Service Internship program. Across several roles, I gained hands-on experience in minority health, HIV prevention and care, community planning, disease surveillance, program evaluation, and environmental health. Another defining part of my UIS experience was the opportunity to conduct research with my academic advisor. His guidance strengthened my skills in statistical analysis, scientific writing, and working with large national datasets, ultimately contributing to peer-reviewed publications. My research was also recognized with first place in the 2025 National Environmental Health Association Student Research Competition.

After graduating from UIS, I continued serving at IDPH as an Environmental Health Specialist III, where I conducted environmental investigations and helped develop guidance for responding to Legionellosis cases. Today, I work as an Epidemiologist II with the Texas Department of State Health Services, supporting statewide infectious disease surveillance and outbreak investigations in collaboration with local health departments, hospitals, laboratories, and other public health partners. UIS was the bridge between my clinical background and my career in applied epidemiology, and the mentorship, research opportunities, and practical experiences I received there continue to shape the public health professional I am today.