From Chance Discovery to a Career in Public Health

For Deirdra “Dee” Terrell, the path to public health began with a chance discovery—and a willingness to ask questions.

As an undergraduate biology student, Terrell planned to become a physician. Inspired by watching her brother battle cancer and her mother live with multiple sclerosis, she wanted to dedicate her life to fighting disease. But as graduation approached, she realized that a career in medicine—and the laboratory research often associated with it—wasn't where she could make the greatest impact.

Then one afternoon, she noticed a flyer sitting in a classroom trash can.

The flyer advertised an open house at the OU Hudson College of Public Health.

"I had never heard of public health or epidemiology," Terrell said. "But when a professor explained it to me as the study of disease, I thought, 'That's exactly what I've been saying I want to do.'"

That unexpected moment changed everything.

"Once I got here, I knew this was home."

After meeting faculty and learning more about epidemiology, Terrell discovered a discipline that combined scientific curiosity with a desire to improve people's lives.

"It fit the way my brain works," she said. "I'm analytical, I ask a lot of questions, and I wanted to understand disease in a way that could help people."

Today, Terrell serves as an epidemiologist in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, where she studies how disease affects patients beyond what clinical measurements alone can capture.

Looking Beyond the Diagnosis

Throughout her career, Terrell has focused on a simple but often overlooked question:

What is the patient's experience?

After earning her master's degree, she worked at the Oklahoma State Department of Health before joining the University of Oklahoma as a clinical trials coordinator. While she enjoyed coordinating studies, she realized she wanted to ask—and answer—research questions of her own.

That decision led her back to HCOPH to pursue a Ph.D. in Epidemiology.

A turning point came when she received advanced training in qualitative and mixed-methods research, allowing her to pair epidemiologic methods with conversations directly from patients.

"Research became much more meaningful when I could ask patients how their disease affects their daily lives and then bring those insights back to clinicians."

Today, her research focuses on rare blood disorders, including immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), examining how these diseases influence quality of life, treatment decisions and long-term recovery.

Rather than focusing solely on clinical outcomes, Terrell works to understand the daily challenges patients experience—and how those insights can improve care.

"Patients often have valuable perspectives that aren't always part of the conversation."

Building Community Alongside Discovery

In addition to her research, Terrell has become one of Hudson College's strongest advocates for creating an environment where every student, faculty member and staff member feels valued.

Her leadership in this area began during an accreditation process that highlighted opportunities to strengthen the college's culture. Those conversations eventually helped shape what is now the Office of Sovereignty, Opportunity, Belonging, and Engagement, where Terrell serves as Assistant Dean.

For Terrell, creating a welcoming environment isn't separate from public health—it is public health.

"I never want students, faculty or staff to feel like their voices don't matter."

She has helped lead initiatives focused on employee engagement, workplace culture and organizational well-being while guiding the college's Gallup engagement efforts.

"Students are important, faculty are important, and staff are important," she said. "It takes all of us to make this a great place to learn and work."

Curiosity That Never Stops

Whether she's mentoring students, conducting research or helping strengthen the college community, curiosity remains the thread connecting every part of Terrell's career.

Looking back, she still marvels that it all started with a flyer someone had thrown away.

"Public health gave me a way to combine science, curiosity and helping people. I get to ask questions, learn from patients and hopefully make a difference. That's exactly where I'm supposed to be."

Outside of work, Terrell continues embracing that same curiosity. As she celebrates her 50th birthday, she's been tackling a personal bucket list that includes glassblowing, cooking classes, learning sign language with her daughter and attending her first WNBA game.

It's the same willingness to explore, learn and grow that continues to define her career—and one that has helped shape generations of students and colleagues at the Hudson College of Public Health.