Israel Atobrhan

Israel Atobrhan

Ph.D. Student

Israel Atobrhan began his academic journey with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Asmara College of Health Sciences in Eritrea, a Master of Public Health from Ege University in Turkey, and a Master of Science in Data Science from Eastern University.

Israel commenced his career in 2011 as the Head of Health Promotion for Eritrea’s National Blindness Prevention Program at the Ministry of Health. In this role, he contributed to the nationwide initiatives to prevent and control trachoma. His efforts included coordinating mass drug administration campaigns and training community health workers, contributing to a significant reduction in trachoma prevalence across the country.

Over the past four years, Israel has supported the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention, where he has provided programming, technical, and analytical support for the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS). He has developed specialized skills in survey programming, data management, and advanced statistical analysis, supporting multi-country projects with global impact.

In August 2025, Israel transitioned to the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Immunization Services Division (ISD), where he coordinates the Immunization Information Systems Annual Reports (IISAR). In this role, he manages IISAR databases and supports the analyses of nationwide immunization information system data, supporting efforts to strengthen vaccine access, delivery, and equity.

Israel is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Epidemiology at Georgia State University under the mentorship of Dr. Alexander Kirpich. His research interests span genetic and infectious disease epidemiology with a focus on leveraging secondary data analysis to address health disparities. Integrating his backgrounds in public health and data science, Israel is committed to developing innovative, data-driven solutions that advance public health nationally and globally.