During the 2024-25 academic year, Iverson Cabral was selected as a science ambassador fellow for the CDC. This experience brought her to the center\u2019s headquarters in Atlanta and then back to UW Bothell where she has since implemented what she learned into her own courses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
An infectious drive to teach<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\nGrowing up, Iverson Cabral caught the teaching bug at a young age from her mother, who worked in early education. Education was always a priority, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn college, I enjoyed what I was learning a lot, but I also really enjoyed watching some of my professors deliver lectures and how excited they would get,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought that if I could be a teacher, I could keep learning but then also get other people excited about learning, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI get so much more out of inspiring the next group, and I get to be an expert in more than just one protein or bacteria.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iverson Cabral completed her bachelor\u2019s in Microbiology at California Polytechnic State University before moving to Seattle to attend her parents\u2019 alma mater: the University of Washington. There, she completed her doctorate in Pathobiology. She then served as a post-doctoral fellow for UW\u2019s Center for AIDS & STD. She has since taught at several Seattle-area colleges and universities and has worked as a research scientist in an infectious disease laboratory associated with Harborview Medical Center since 2012. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2015, Iverson Cabral joined the faculty at UW Bothell \u2014 drawn in particular to the school\u2019s Health Studies program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTeaching was always sort of my end game,\u201d she said. \u201cThe Health Studies program seemed like the perfect fit for combining the public health aspect with the more basic bench science in the classroom.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A science camp for adults<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\nIverson Cabral currently teaches courses in microbiology, infectious disease and global health. It was while she was looking for resources for her Intro to Epidemiology course that she came across the CDC\u2019s fellowship program. She applied and was thrilled when she was selected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/stefanie-at-the-cdc.png\")
Dr. Stefanie Iverson Cabral at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta. (Image courtesy of Iverson Cabral). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe fellowship kicked off in July 2024 when Iverson Cabral and the other fellows spent a week together at the CDC\u2019s headquarters. She toured the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, the CDC\u2019s Emergency Operations Center and the Biosafety Level-4 lab training facility, where the highest level of biological contaminants, such as Ebola, are studied. With the COVID-19 pandemic still fresh in her mind, she said the experience was especially impactful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even more memorable, she said, was the time she spent connecting with fellow educators as they explored ways to integrate public health and epidemiology into STEM education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs someone who is in public health and knows a lot about infectious disease, I don\u2019t think I necessarily appreciated how hard the last five years have been on me,\u201d she said. \u201cIt refilled my bucket to see all of these things that we teach about and to be with other people who are passionate about the same things that I am.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the week, she learned about various teaching resources, and the group worked together to brainstorm strategies for active learning. The fellows also collaborated with the epidemic intelligence service officers to complete an outbreak exercise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the week in Atlanta, the fellowship work continued. Over the course of the academic year, Iverson Cabral collaborated remotely with a team of fellows from the West Coast to work on a case study of their own \u2014 about a traumatic brain injury \u2014 and how to incorporate it into their curriculum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A case study for all learners<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\nHer fellow team members encompassed educators of all ages \u2014 early to higher education \u2014 so the case study and learning materials had to be adaptable for all learners. They each also approached the subject from different areas of expertise, from the physics of an injury and visualizing the movement that happens inside the brain to prevention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iverson Cabral was able to pilot a section of the case study in her Community Health Promotion & Communication course in the spring 2025 quarter. The course focused on health literacy and effective public health messaging. Early in the course, students evaluated various health communications, such as social media campaigns and flyers, which Iverson Cabral tied back to the case study with resources for parents on traumatic brain injury in sports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The students discussed methods of prevention, such as helmets, but also what some of the barriers to prevention might be. As in many of her classes, Iverson Cabral felt it was important to weave in the social determinants of health as it related to the case study as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDespite going through 10 years of college, I didn\u2019t learn the term \u2018social determinants of health\u2019 until I started working here at UW Bothell,\u201d she said. \u201cThinking about my own gaps in my education, in every space where I teach the basic science aspects, I also try to fold in the public health stuff because none of it exists in a vacuum.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iverson Cabral currently teaches courses in microbiology, infectious disease and global health. It was while she was looking for resources for her Intro to Epidemiology course that she came across the CDC\u2019s fellowship program. She applied and was thrilled when she was selected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The fellowship kicked off in July 2024 when Iverson Cabral and the other fellows spent a week together at the CDC\u2019s headquarters. She toured the David J. Sencer CDC Museum, the CDC\u2019s Emergency Operations Center and the Biosafety Level-4 lab training facility, where the highest level of biological contaminants, such as Ebola, are studied. With the COVID-19 pandemic still fresh in her mind, she said the experience was especially impactful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even more memorable, she said, was the time she spent connecting with fellow educators as they explored ways to integrate public health and epidemiology into STEM education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs someone who is in public health and knows a lot about infectious disease, I don\u2019t think I necessarily appreciated how hard the last five years have been on me,\u201d she said. \u201cIt refilled my bucket to see all of these things that we teach about and to be with other people who are passionate about the same things that I am.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the week, she learned about various teaching resources, and the group worked together to brainstorm strategies for active learning. The fellows also collaborated with the epidemic intelligence service officers to complete an outbreak exercise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After the week in Atlanta, the fellowship work continued. Over the course of the academic year, Iverson Cabral collaborated remotely with a team of fellows from the West Coast to work on a case study of their own \u2014 about a traumatic brain injury \u2014 and how to incorporate it into their curriculum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her fellow team members encompassed educators of all ages \u2014 early to higher education \u2014 so the case study and learning materials had to be adaptable for all learners. They each also approached the subject from different areas of expertise, from the physics of an injury and visualizing the movement that happens inside the brain to prevention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Iverson Cabral was able to pilot a section of the case study in her Community Health Promotion & Communication course in the spring 2025 quarter. The course focused on health literacy and effective public health messaging. Early in the course, students evaluated various health communications, such as social media campaigns and flyers, which Iverson Cabral tied back to the case study with resources for parents on traumatic brain injury in sports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The students discussed methods of prevention, such as helmets, but also what some of the barriers to prevention might be. As in many of her classes, Iverson Cabral felt it was important to weave in the social determinants of health as it related to the case study as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDespite going through 10 years of college, I didn\u2019t learn the term \u2018social determinants of health\u2019 until I started working here at UW Bothell,\u201d she said. \u201cThinking about my own gaps in my education, in every space where I teach the basic science aspects, I also try to fold in the public health stuff because none of it exists in a vacuum.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nA case study for all learners<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n