Emily Owens Pickle, Ph.D., is an infectious disease epidemiologist who studies tick-borne and zoonotic diseases, illnesses that pass between animals and people. Much of her current work centers on alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-triggered allergy to red meat and other products made with mammalian ingredients. She recently authored a review on the condition and is leading several studies on it, including one on its effects in children.

Her path to public health began, of all places, in journalism. There, she learned to ask the right questions and follow patterns to a bigger picture, skills that turned out to be just as useful for tracking diseases. She carried those instincts into years of pediatric clinical research and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline work with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County.

At Rollins, she found the support to turn that drive into direction.

“The faculty at Rollins take time to understand their students’ backgrounds, passions, and future career goals,” says Dr. Owens Pickle. “Each faculty member provided an inclusive and rich learning experience and helped tailor my experience to move my career forward so that I can have a meaningful and lasting impact serving vulnerable populations.”

After earning her Master of Public Health, Dr. Owens Pickle completed her PhD in infectious disease epidemiology at the University of South Carolina and graduated in May 2025. Epidemiology, she notes, literally means “among the people,” which is exactly where she wants to serve by helping communities prevent illness and stay healthy.

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