Ozair Naqvi is a third-year PhD student studying epidemiology, with a passion for applied public health practice. His interests are focused on the fields of infectious disease, emergency preparedness, and implementation science. Ozair completed his MS in Epidemiology at the Hudson College of Public Health in 2018 and worked as a communicable disease epidemiologist at the Oklahoma State Department of Health for 2 years before returning for his PhD. In this capacity, he investigated over 44 different state reportable conditions and played an active role in 16 different outbreak responses, including COVID-19, Mpox, and EVALI. Most recently, Ozair worked as a graduate research assistant on two federal grants designed to advance health literacy among vulnerable communities in Oklahoma City. A cornerstone of this project was a partnership with community-based organizations, and ensuring that individuals have access to information, understand it, and trust it to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Ozair is an accomplished scholar, with seven peer-reviewed articles related to infectious disease published in notable journals, including Pediatrics and MMWR. He has demonstrated a strong commitment to student life and support, as reflected by his past service as the President of the Biostatistics and Epidemiology Student Association and Vice President of the College of Public Health Student Association. In these roles, he was dedicated to connecting students to vital resources, ranging from research opportunities to interdisciplinary collaboration and service initiatives across the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. When he isn’t buried in research or in class, Ozair enjoys traveling, trying out new local food places with friends, and being a sports fanatic. Following the completion of his doctoral studies, he is intent on pursuing a fulfilling and impactful career at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he aims to continue his work in epidemiology and public health.