About the Author
I was born in San Diego, California. My father, a United States Marine Corps Officer (retired), is nothing more than a big teddy bear. My mother, short in stature, embodies a pit bulllike personality. She is extremely loving and capable of doing anything; as a family we learned to never get in her way. I also have a younger brother who was my best friend growing up. My father once said to me, “Son, for every action there is a reaction. If you don’t like the reaction, change your action until you get the reaction you want. Then, go forward, as you have life figured out.”
I was never the best student. Focused on my strength in sports, I was able to get into a school both my grandmother and father had attended— San Diego State University. When I first entered the University, I believed I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I coasted through my first semester and then joined a fraternity. From that point on, school was never about academia, it was about where the next party was.
I will never forget the day I opened the mailbox and received the letter letting me know that I had been academically disqualified as an incoming junior. I truly did not know what to do. My parents were going to kill me. So, dressed in an old suit jacket, I drove myself across campus to the office of the director responsible for dismissing me from school. Once there, I ran right past the secretary and directly to Dr. Cathie Atkins, whom I refer to as one of the first angels of my life. I said to Dr. Atkins, “I just got this letter, and I need a second chance. Please!” After waiving her secretary Gloria off, Dr. Atkins looked at me and said, “What makes you think you deserve a second chance?” I looked at her and said, “I messed up. Lost my way. Please, I need your help.”
She requested that I work with her all summer and told me that my second chance would be considered as I did so. I said that I had a job and other obligations. She demanded I resign from the job and the fraternity, which I did immediately. By the end of the summer, she called me into her office and changed my career path forever. “Sean, I notice you are not doing well in most of your classes, but you have straight As in all of your public health courses. I have enrolled you in a semester of public health courses, and we will see what you make of this second chance.”
I never looked back, getting straight As and an occasional B for the rest of my undergraduate career. I brought Dr. Atkins flowers at the end of every subsequent semester, along with my report card, to say thank you for the second chance.
The last summer of my undergraduate career, I was summoned to her office. On hearing that I didn’t know what my plans were after graduation, she asked if I had considered going to graduate school for public health. I responded with hesitation because of my past academic performance. She smiled and told me that the last 60 credits are the only ones considered. She suggested I take the GRE and work for Dr. Mel Hovell, who would eventually become the chair of my thesis committee.
I could go on about everything Dr. Atkins did for me but I think the greatest gift was one she gave to my father. She had nominated me for the growth and achievement award, which meant that I got to sit on stage with her during the graduation ceremony. My family was in attendance and began looking around for me among the throngs of students in the graduate seating area, but they could not find me. Dr. Atkins then stepped up to the microphone and said, “I remember the day I first met Sean Kaufman. He rushed into my office, past my secretary, and said he needed a second chance. I asked him why I should give him one and was surprised by his answer. Most of the time students blame teachers or something else but Sean didn’t. He blamed himself; at that very moment I knew he deserved a second chance.” From my seat on the stage, I saw my father cry, which in turn made me cry. I will never forget that day and will never be able to thank Dr. Atkins enough for everything she did. She is the reason I entered the School of Public Health and earned my MPH, and is part of why I am where I am today and writing this book.
There are many more qualified individuals than myself who are hard at work, right on the frontlines of this topic, and yet here I am sitting behind the computer with an opportunity to share the knowledge I have gained during my years working in this field.
I first fell in love with the field of infect
