Keisha Houston, Lieutenant Commander in the United States (U.S.) Public Health Service, is an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Houston completed her bachelors of science at Kentucky State University, earned her Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) in 2002; and in 2011, a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in epidemiology at the University of Kentucky. In 2011, she began her career at CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, where she focused on surveillance of disparities in cancer incidence, and the impact of health policy on cancer disparity reduction in underserved populations.
Dr. Houston’s passion for linking scientific theory to public health practice has led her to assist in national and international public health outbreaks. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Dr. Houston served on CDCs Ebola Emergency International Response team, which was tasked with tracking and improving Ebola surveillance in West Africa high-risk countries. She also deployed to Sierra Leone to assist with the analysis of epidemiological data related to the Ebola outbreak and surveillance. Dr Houston has also served on CDCs 2016 Zika Response with the International Task Force, as partner coordinator, and on the After Action Zika Evaluation team to evaluate response activities.
Dr. Houston’s research interests extend across a range of issues relating to racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities, and she has worked on public health issues at the local, state and national levels. During her service in the U.S. Public Health Service, Dr. Houston has been recognized for many contributions including the Presidential Unit Citation, Achievement Medal, Outstanding Unit Citation, Global Response Service Award, and Unit Commendation Award. Currently, Dr. Houston works as an epidemiologist with CDCs Vessel Sanitation Program, assisting the cruise ship industry to prevent and control the introduction, transmission, and spread of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships.