"Each duty station provides a unique opportunity to learn new skills, explore new areas of public health, and make a difference in the health of a community. That is what I love about the USPHS Commissioned Corps."

LCDR Erin Kincaid is an environmental health officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), where she helps the cruise industry prevent and control the spread of illnesses by conducting public health inspections on ships, reviewing ship construction plans, and training cruise ship leaders on public health practices.

Commissioned in 2015, LCDR Kincaid began her career drafting food safety policy at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. She then joined CDC's VSP for several years before transferring to the National Park Service (NPS) as a regional public health consultant in 2022. Two years later, LCDR Kincaid returned to CDC's VSP. She says: "Each duty station provides a unique opportunity to learn new skills, explore new areas of public health, and make a difference in the health of a community. That is what I love about the USPHS Commissioned Corps."

"I signed up for a freshman orientation environmental health class because it had an interesting course title. At the time, I didn't know what environmental health was," she recalls. A group of Public Health Service officers came to recruit for the Junior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program (JRCOSTEP). She continued: "Several of the visiting Public Health Service officers were alumni. I was impressed by their passion for public health and commitment to service. I changed my major to environmental health shortly after their visit. My goal from that day forward was to proudly serve as a Public Health Service officer in the USPHS Commissioned Corps after graduation."

The opportunity to serve came prior to graduation. "During my sophomore year, a professor encouraged me to apply for the JRCOSTEP. I did and was offered the chance to work for the Indian Health Service (IHS), to serve the Tohono O'odham Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe. That summer, I fell in love with public health and serving," says LCDR Kincaid. A couple years later, LCDR Kincaid completed another JRCOSTEP with CDC's VSP. Both experiences offered valuable insight into the essential, boots-on-the-ground public health work environmental health officers do every day.

Career highlights include conducting a construction inspection in Norway on a newly-built cruise ship to flying above the Arctic Circle to inspect water and wastewater systems, each day offers a new challenge with many rewards. LCDR Kincaid considers herself fortunate to be able to travel while serving her country and improving health. "Being a Public Health Service officer means serving others and protecting public health across the globe. It means putting others' needs before your own to achieve a common goal." A personal highlight was serving as a JRCOSTEP preceptor to two students. "I feel like this part of my career has come full circle. I had amazing JRCOSTEP preceptors and mentors, and I am honored to have had the opportunity to be a preceptor for the future generation of public health leaders."

LCDR Kincaid deployed with CDC in March 2020 to a cruise ship in the San Francisco Bay during the pandemic. "Our mission was to support the implementation of the onboard quarantine and disinfection plan, while also conducting environmental assessments to prevent gastrointestinal illnesses among the quarantined crew. This meant adapting daily operations like food service, housekeeping, laundry, potable water, and pest and waste management to meet the unique challenges of a shipboard quarantine." After returning home, LCDR Kincaid was deployed to CDC's Global Migration Task Force's Maritime Unit, where she served in various roles from April 2020 to February 2022.

"When I retire, I want to look back and see that I made a difference, no matter how small. Being a small service, we make a huge impact in public health, and that is incredibly rewarding." I would impart the following wisdom: "Outside of your comfort zone is where you grow and make the most impact - do not be afraid to step out of it. Be passionate and excited about the work you do, and pass that on to those who come after you."