Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Fellowship Supplementary Education
Honors And Awards
Service To Students
Certification
Additional Preparation Not Reported Elsewhere
Manuscripts
Professional Preparation
Presentations
Languages
Timeline
Generic

Mitchell Michalak

Debary

Summary

Doctoral-level Epidemiologist trained in implementation science, program evaluation, and education. Background is in applied epidemiology, data analytics, infection control, and laboratory diagnostics. Interests are in disease ecology, disease modeling, public health surveillance, and program evaluation.

Overview

8
8
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Lead Epidemiologist

Florida Department of Health in Orange County
Orlando
02.2023 - Current
  • Oversee and lead a team of five masters-level epidemiologists and data analysts to synthesize and evaluate applied research in the field of public health
  • Direct applied public health research surrounding current topics of concern and produce epidemiological analyses with corresponding public health recommendations
  • Develop dashboards and weekly epidemiologic informational situation reports to inform policy and decision making for leadership and stakeholders
  • Provide organization-wide consulting as a subject matter expert for infectious disease, STD, HIV, substance use, and injury epidemiology
  • Mentor and supply entry-level epidemiologists and MPH student interns with didactic and practical preparation in applied epidemiology
  • Featured projects include a C
  • Auris sociometric analysis, formation of both an injury surveillance and STD surveillance program, synthesis of an mpox vulnerability model, development of a facility-based wastewater surveillance program, and five internal process/outcome evaluations at the county health department

Adjunct Professor

Rollins College
Winter Park
06.2024 - Current
  • Develop and present course material and lectures for MPH students, with strong influence of practical andragogical and pedagogical principles
  • Design and implement assessments, including exams, quizzes, and projects, to evaluate student performance
  • Provide individualized academic support and mentorship to students, addressing questions and guiding research projects
  • Support activities related to the Hamilton Holt MPH program in the application and self-study for Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation process
  • Courses taught: MPH 505- Foundations of Public Health, MPH 625- Health Behavior and Education, Guest Lectures (Implementation Science Scenarios)

Committee Chair, Sustainable Projects Committee

Hands of Esperanza
01.2024 - Current
  • Company Overview: 501(c)(3) specializing in delivering health care and public health to indigenous populations in rural Guatemala
  • Provide expert consultation for a 501(c)(3) specializing in delivering health care and public health to indigenous populations in rural Guatemala in process implementation, community health interventions, and special projects
  • Featured projects include HIV screening program, vector-borne disease prevention program, and health education curriculum reformation
  • Assist in locating opportunities for funding, synthesis of grant proposals, and aid with application development
  • Serve as program evaluator to assess process and outcomes associated with mission, vision, and objectives
  • 501(c)(3) specializing in delivering health care and public health to indigenous populations in rural Guatemala

Infectious Disease Epidemiologist

Florida Department of Health in Orange County
Orlando
09.2021 - 02.2023
  • Monitored active, passive, and syndromic surveillance of over 100 reportable diseases and conditions
  • Performed descriptive and analytic epidemiological investigations involving cases, clusters, and outbreaks of common-source and communicable diseases
  • Authored, interpreted, and presented over 200 epidemiologic situational reports to leadership and stakeholders
  • Engaged in focal community outreaches to promote vaccination, education, and awareness campaigns in response to and prevention of local outbreaks
  • Performed specimen collection and coordinated specimen testing for cases of confirmed, probable, or suspected disease with the Bureau of Public Health Laboratory (BPHL) and Department of Health Clinic
  • Collaborated on joint environmental health assessments with the Department of Business & Professional Regulations (DBPR) to evaluate sanitary practices of food establishments during foodborne illness outbreak investigations

Health Data Analyst

Florida Department of Health at Orange County
Orlando
05.2021 - 09.2021
  • Collaborated with BPHL to coordinate Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOC) and Variants of Interest (VOI)
  • Conducted surveillance on COVID-19 rates, VOC, VOI, breakthrough cases, percent positivity, and vaccination progress
  • Monitored COVID-19 and COVID-like illness (CLI) incidence patterns from healthcare facilities, using the ESSENCE surveillance system
  • Generated and prepared over 100 daily COVID-19 press briefs, and situation reports for stakeholders and leadership to present at televised press conferences (Orange TV)
  • Managed surveillance/hazard analysis data for blood lead levels among children and children frequently visiting high-risk lead poisoning environments for a federal lead-based paint abatement grant

Veterinary Medical Laboratory Technician

Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostics Laboratory (BADDL)
Kissimmee
09.2019 - 05.2021
  • Performed necropsies of various animal species under the direct supervision of veterinarians
  • Monitored potentially zoonotic prion disease (Chronic Wasting Disease; CWD) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing statewide population samples of deer tissue through passive surveillance
  • Carried out gross trimming, hematoxylin and eosin stains, special stains, and IHC staining of biopsies and animal specimens to identify pathologies
  • Conducted complete blood counts (CBC), blood chemistry analysis, and cytology stains to recognize the pathology of animals
  • Completed fecal floats, microscopic identification, and speciation of parasites in the stool of various animal species
  • Performed routine administrative tasks, client consultations, quality assurance/control activities, and data entry into the laboratory information management system (USALIMS)

Laboratory Technician

University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
10.2018 - 05.2019
  • Company Overview: Center of Neuroscience
  • Supported research on neurodegenerative diseases such as Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) via genetic screening for predisposition in rats―now used in ongoing pharmacological remedies
  • Collected DNA samples from rats for PCR test of compromised genotype
  • Operated and maintained computer programs and applications that store specimen genetic data
  • Conducted general laboratory and animal maintenance in accordance with university standards
  • Maintained reagents, buffered solutions, and prepared stock dilutions
  • Center of Neuroscience

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Florida State University
Tallahassee
08.2017 - 05.2018
  • Company Overview: College of Psychology
  • Supported research on the expression of protooncogenes in rats following an induced stressors/rewards such as hunger or sweet food, via the retrograde labeling of central neural pathways and IHC detection of noradrenergic neurons
  • Prepared and isolated cross sections of animal brains through microtome slicing and tissue mounting
  • Performed Immunohistochemistry techniques to follow the pathway of sugar attraction in mouse and rat brain
  • Assisted in general laboratory and animal maintenance in accordance with university standards
  • College of Psychology

Education

Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) - Community Health/Program Evaluation

Nova Southeastern University
08-2024

Master of Public Health (MPH) - Epidemiology

Rollins College
05-2022

Graduate Certificate - Veterinary Medical Sciences, Toxicology

University of Florida
12-2019

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) - Biological Sciences, Physiology, Psychology

Florida State University
05-2018

Skills

  • Education
  • Research methodology
  • Data analysis
  • Surveillance systems
  • Infection control
  • Program evaluation
  • Health communication
  • Scientific writing
  • Policy analysis
  • Outbreak investigations

Fellowship Supplementary Education

  • Data Science Team Training Fellowship (DSTT)- Team Lead, Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), 05/2024
  • Approved Tropical Medicine Course-Certification of Tropical Medicine (CTropMed ), West Virginia University (WVU) and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), 05/2023
  • DODD Fellowship Recipient, Florida Mosquito Control Association (FMCA) and the CDC Southeastern Center of Excellence for Vector-borne Diseases (SECVBD), 05/2023, 05/2024

Honors And Awards

  • Member, National Society of Leadership and Success, 2015-2018
  • Member, Sigma Alpha Lambda Honor Society (ΣΑΛ), 2015-2018

Service To Students

Preceptorship, 12/2024-05/2025, Aysha Khan, MPHc, Evaluating the Possible Disruption of Sexual Health Services Following a Natural Disaster, Orange County, FL 2022-2024

Certification

Certification of Infection Control (CIC), Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (CBIC), 05/2024, 05/2029

Additional Preparation Not Reported Elsewhere

  • Authorship, Position Statement. Soil-Transmitted Helminths, Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), 05/2025
  • Training Completion, Motivational Interviewing, Accelerating Implementation of Multilevel-strategies to Advance Long-Acting Injectables for Underserved Populations (ALAI-UP), Florida Department of Health, 05/2025
  • Invited Abstract Reviewer, Epidemiology Abstract Submission Category American Public Health Association (APHA), 05/2024
  • Committee Member, Vector-borne Disease Forecasting, Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), 05/2024
  • Workgroup Member, Infectious Disease Forecasting and Modeling, Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), 05/2024
  • Training Completion, Introduction to R for Applied Epidemiology, Applied Epi, Live Synchronous Training, 05/2024
  • Committee Member, American Committee of Medical Entomology (ACME). American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), 05/2022
  • Committee Member, American Committee on Arthropod-borne Viruses (ACAV). American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), 05/2022
  • Workgroup Member, Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) Workgroup. Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), 05/2022
  • Training, Subject Matter Expert Media Skills Training for Interviews and Press Conferences, Florida Department of Health, 05/2022
  • Emergency Volunteer, Region 5 Epi Strike Team Member. Serve as field epidemiologist for Force Majeure events such as bioterrorism, large outbreaks, and natural disasters, Florida Department of Health, 05/2022
  • Voting Member, 2022 Position Statement Committee. Voted on issue to amend surveillance case definition for lead poisoning among adults and children. Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) annual conference, CSTE, 05/2022
  • Role, Epidemiology coordinator for the 2022 Emergency Support Function-8 (ESF-8) Drill in collaboration with Advent Health, Florida Department of Health, 05/2022
  • Role, Secondary Influenza Surveillance Coordinator. Collaborate with other County Health Departments for outbreak detection, novel variant monitoring, and surveillance of flu pandemic potential, 05/2022
  • Training, Epidemiological-Rash Illness Outbreak Training (Epi-RIOT), Florida Department of Health, 05/2022
  • Role, Regional Zika Coordinator investigating and controlling vector-borne illnesses within Orange County, Florida Department of Health, 05/2021
  • Certificate, Students/Faculty conducting research in the Social, Behavioral, and Educational Sciences, CITI Program, 05/2021
  • Certificate, Students/Faculty working with human subjects (Social, Behavioral, and Educational Sciences), CITI Program, 05/2021
  • Certificate, Conflict of Interest, CITI Program, 05/2021
  • Qualification, FEMA National Incident Management System (NIMS), Florida Department of Health, 05/2021
  • Database Proficiency, Merlin, Florida Department of Health, 05/2021
  • Database Proficiency, Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community-Based Epidemics (ESSENCE), Florida Department of Health, 05/2021
  • Application Proficiency, Epi Info, Florida Department of Health, 05/2021
  • Software Proficiency, Esri ArcGIS Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Florida Department of Health, 05/2021
  • Software Proficiency, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Rollins College, 05/2021
  • Mentor, ProfessioNOLE Alumni undergraduate mentoring program, 05/2021
  • Certificate, Division 6.2 Packaging and Shipment of Infectious Substances, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), 05/2020 (Recertified 05/2022 and 05/2024)
  • Database Proficiency, United States America Laboratory Information Management System (USALIMS), Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostics Laboratory, 05/2019
  • Research Assistant, College of Medicine, Florida State University, 05/2016

Manuscripts

  • A Summative Evaluation of a Medical Service Organization Providing Care in Rural Guatemala, Mitchell M. Michalak, Shamecka Douglas, Giovanna Sanguinetti, Oscar Gonzalez, Ashley Sweat, Preparing for Submission, International Journal of Allied Health Science and Practice, 05/2025
  • A Digital Toolkit for Introductory Training of Local Applied Epidemiologists, Mitchell M. Michalak & Jodi Clark-Locasio, Independent Study Project, Nova Southeastern University Internal Database, 05/2024
  • Vector-Borne Disease Prevention among Remote Indigenous Mayan Communities in Rural Guatemala: A Field Action Report, Mitchell M. Michalak, Doctoral Dissertation/Project, Nova Southeastern University Internal Database, 05/2023
  • Chikungunya Fever Susceptibility and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Among Host Toll-Like Receptors: A Systematic Review, Mitchell M. Michalak & Jodi Clark-Locasio, Independent Study Project, Nova Southeastern University Internal Database, 05/2022
  • Predictive Ecological Modeling of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Prevalence Among Census Tracts in Orange County, FL, Mitchell M. Michalak, Allen Johnson, Ashwini Tiwari, Rollins College MPH Thesis Internal Records, 05/2022
  • First Reported Case of Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) in Captive African Civets (Civettictis civetta), Mitchell M. Michalak, Jennifer Dill-Okubo, Manuscript Under Preparation, 05/2021

Professional Preparation

  • Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc), Nova Southeastern University, Community Health/Program Evaluation, 05/2024
  • Master of Public Health (MPH), Rollins College, Epidemiology, 05/2022
  • Graduate Certificate, University of Florida, Veterinary Medical Sciences, Toxicology, 05/2019
  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Florida State University, Biological Sciences, Physiology, Psychology, 05/2018

Presentations

  • Local, State, And Private Partnership to Address an Increase in Recent Humanitarian Refugee and Asylee Health Assessments and HIV Screenings at a Temporary Response Clinic, Andrea Vanegas, Mitchell Michalak, Alvina K. Chu, 09/2024, 2024 STI Prevention Conference, Atlanta, GA
  • The Application of a Weighted Linear Model as a Vulnerability Index to Guide Mpox Outreach Efforts in Orange County, FL−2023, Mitchell Michalak, Hudson Smelski, Ujala Lakhani, Alvina K. Chu, 09/2024, 2024 STI Prevention Conference, Atlanta, GA
  • Local, State, And Private Partnership to Address an Increase in Recent Humanitarian Refugee and Asylee Health Assessments and Tuberculosis Screenings at a Temporary Response Clinic, Mitchell Michalak & Alvina K. Chu, 07/2024, 2024 National Association for City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) 360 Conference, Detroit, MI
  • The Application of a Weighted Linear Model as a Vulnerability Index to Guide Mpox Outreach Efforts in Orange County, FL−2023, Mitchell Michalak, Hudson Smelski, Ujala Lakhani, Alvina K. Chu, 07/2024, 2024 NACCHO 360 Conference, Detroit, MI
  • The Application of a Weighted Linear Model as a Vulnerability Index to Guide Mpox Outreach Efforts in Orange County, FL−2023, Mitchell Michalak, Hudson Smelski, Ujala Lakhani, Alvina K. Chu, 05/2024, 2024 Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists Conference, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Working with the Community to Respond to a Tripledemic of Hepatitis A, Meningococcal Disease, and Mpox Affecting the Same At-Risk Populations, Jackie Pho, Mitchell Michalak, Alvina K. Chu, 05/2024, 2024 NACCHO Preparedness Summit, Cleveland, OH
  • Tripledemic: Three Concurrent Emerging Infectious Disease Outbreaks Among the Same Risk Groups, Mitchell Michalak & Alvina K. Chu, 05/2023, 2023 Annual Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Conference, Salt Lake City, UT
  • How a Local Jurisdictional Partnership Responded to the Possible Public Health Impacts of a Catastrophic Category 4 Hurricane, Mitchell Michalak & Alvina K. Chu, 05/2023, 2023 Annual Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Conference, Salt Lake City, UT
  • Pilot Launch of Combination HIV/STI Home Test Kits in a High Prevalence Central Florida County, Caitlin McMahon, Mitchell Michalak, and Alvina Chu, 05/2023, 2023 Annual Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Conference, Salt Lake City, UT
  • An Ecological Prediction of Chronic Kidney Disease Prevalence from Socioeconomic Indicators in Orange County, FL —2015-2019, Mitchell Michalak, Ashwini Tiwari, and Allen Johnson, 05/2023, 2023 Annual American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference
  • Generating a Vulnerability Index to Identify Census Tracts at Greatest Risk for Childhood Lead Poisoning in Orange County, FL, Mitchell Michalak, Cassandra Fonseca, Alvina K. Chu, 05/2022, 2022 Annual Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Conference, Louisville, KY
  • Generating a Vulnerability Index to Identify Census Tracts at Greatest Risk for Childhood Lead Poisoning in Orange County, FL, Mitchell Michalak, Cassandra Fonseca, Alvina K. Chu, 05/2022, 2022 Annual National Association for City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) 360 Conference
  • Hepatitis A and Meningococcal Disease in Orange County- Year in Review 2021, Mitchell Michalak, 05/2022, Association of Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) Central Florida Chapter End of Year Meeting
  • Proposal for U.S Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Lead Hazard Reduction Program Grant, Mitchell Michalak, 05/2022, Presented to Orange County government leadership and associated stakeholders
  • First Reported Case of Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) in Captive African Civets (Civettictis civetta), Mitchell Michalak & Jennifer Dill-Okubo, 05/2021, 2021 Wildlife and Aquatic Veterinary Disease Diagnostics Laboratory (WAVDL) Conference
  • Review of Mammalian Prion Diseases and their Pathophysiology, Mitchell Michalak, 05/2020, Monthly Veterinary Pathology Rounds

Languages

Spanish
Elementary

Timeline

Adjunct Professor

Rollins College
06.2024 - Current

Committee Chair, Sustainable Projects Committee

Hands of Esperanza
01.2024 - Current

Lead Epidemiologist

Florida Department of Health in Orange County
02.2023 - Current

Infectious Disease Epidemiologist

Florida Department of Health in Orange County
09.2021 - 02.2023

Health Data Analyst

Florida Department of Health at Orange County
05.2021 - 09.2021

Veterinary Medical Laboratory Technician

Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostics Laboratory (BADDL)
09.2019 - 05.2021

Laboratory Technician

University of Pittsburgh
10.2018 - 05.2019

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Florida State University
08.2017 - 05.2018

Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) - Community Health/Program Evaluation

Nova Southeastern University

Master of Public Health (MPH) - Epidemiology

Rollins College

Graduate Certificate - Veterinary Medical Sciences, Toxicology

University of Florida

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) - Biological Sciences, Physiology, Psychology

Florida State University

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