Northeastern Spotlight

Spring 2019 Volume 14 – Number 1

TB Limelight – Helen McGuirk, MPH

A public health professional with an aptitude for lab work is a rare find and Helen McGuirk, TB Public Health Consultant at Michigan Department of Health and Human Services happens to be one of them.

Helen’s interest in science and infectious diseases started during high school and continued to grow during her college years where she gained experience working with Plasmodium falciparum in the lab setting. After graduating from University of Georgia, Helen took a position as a Lab Technician at the University of Florida, where she worked on microbial genetics and genomics. After a two-year stint at the Lab, Helen wanted more from her education and was eager to learn about the global health perspective of infectious diseases.

Helen’s keen interest in global health encouraged her to pursue an opportunity with the Peace Corps, where she served as a Public Health Volunteer in Kenya from 2010-2012. During that time, Helen lived near Lake Victoria, in the Nyanza province, where she fell in love with the local people, their culture, and learned the local languages, Swahili and Luo! As a volunteer, she encountered challenges related to gender equality, limited resources, and lack of education in the local community about health. This experience had a life changing impact on Helen and enabled her to work in diverse settings where she was able to identify and address cultural barriers and tailor public health practices. In her words, “Working at the Peace Corps taught me about my love for public health and also made me realize that I love working in the lab. I knew I wanted to do something that married the two concepts together. It also taught me a lot about working in the field, working with non-government organizations, applying for funding, and how to use available resources.”

The Peace Corps experience ensured her decision to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in infectious diseases and microbiology. Helen had her first encounter with TB during graduate school. Her course advisor encouraged her to work on a project in Hyderabad, India, where she learned about TB in the lab setting as well as in the field. Helen’s work in the lab aided in the discovery of an enzyme that dissolves the mycobacterium layer before the release of DNA in order to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on samples that were collected from local patients.  

For the past 4 years, Helen has been the Tuberculosis Public Health Consultant at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) in Lansing, MI. Here, she wears multiple hats ranging from training and education activities to program evaluation. A significant part of her of job responsibility includes supporting local health departments with the necessary resources and ensuring funding for local TB programs. In addition, Helen has developed a strong interest in working with former TB patients in Michigan who have become involved in local and national TB advocacy efforts following their personal experience with TB. On a national level, she has worked closely with “We are TB” and the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA) to help plan trainings for TB survivors and to include stories of TB survivors at conferences and other educational events. Helen says, “I find the stories of TB survivors very powerful. In my work with this group, I like to address the social aspects of TB and the social inequity some of our TB survivors face.” 

Helen with her Michigan TB control team, (left to right): Peter Davidson, Lindsey Vargo, Helen McGuirk, and Shona Smith. Picture taken during World TB Day.

Helen enjoys the various aspects of her role with the State TB Program where she is afforded many opportunities to expand her knowledge of TB and advocacy. She credits her mentor and immediate supervisor, Peter Davidson, PhD – TB Program Manager at MDHHS, who provides the necessary encouragement and support for her professional development.

It is in this vein that Helen keeps abreast of new updates in TB and the availability of educational resources in order to share information with local staff. “I have google alerts on TB, every now and then I’ll get any update about TB that I can share with our nurses.” This is especially beneficial as many local staff are not able to travel to conferences where some of the latest information may be presented or may not have access to specific publications.

Similar to her colleagues working in public health, Helen finds it challenging to maintain TB proficiency among staff in local health departments with a low incidence of TB and educating community providers to “think TB” when screening high-risk groups. Helen appreciates the role of the Global Tuberculosis Institute in providing a number of offerings for TB training and education. Limited local resources for staff travel to trainings means that these individuals can take advantage of online or distance-based education offered by the State or other key partners.

Dr. Peter Davidson is full of praises for Helen, “One quality about Helen that always impresses me and many of our local health departments and hospital partners is Helen’s diligence and thoroughness in providing guidance or consultation. She takes the time to research a question, cite references, and provide interpretation that is well reasoned and specific to the question at hand. In parallel, Helen is always polite, kind, and thoughtful in her interactions with partners, so they never feel belittled or criticized. I have also realized that Helen has a strong sense of social justice, which she infuses and expresses in many facets of her work.”

Helen at the horse riding facility where she volunteers.

Aside from her demanding job in TB, Helen is also busy with other interests! She is an avid animal-lover, volunteering her time with a non-profit organization called GEM (GreytHounds of Eastern Michigan), and a therapeutic horse-riding facility that assists in training children with disabilities.

It is evident that Helen is a dedicated and compassionate public health professional who has demonstrated her commitment to TB. One of her long-term career goals is to find a bridge between lab work and public health. “People tend to be afraid of lab work and find it inaccessible, I would like to show them that lab research is useful and it can be adaptable. I also believe, integrating lab work and public health would minimize misconceptions about lab research,” explains Helen. We are in agreement with Helen and look forward to seeing what she accomplishes in the future!

Submitted by Shwata Suresh Kumar, MPH – Health Educator