Student Epidemic Intelligence Society (SEIS)


History

The Student Epidemic Intelligence Society (SEIS) at the University of Texas Health Science Center - Houston's School of Public Health was founded in 2003 by Dr. Kristy Murray, who continues to serve as the organization's faculty advisor.  Since its inception, the SEIS has become one of the most prominent graduate student organizations at the UT SPH.  The program is organized in collaboration with the CDC-supported Center for Biosecurity and Public Health Preparedness, which serves as the mentoring organization.

Mission

Our mission is to provide service to the School of Public Health and local health departments in response to emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism.

Objectives

The SEIS seeks to:

  • Train public health graduate students to respond in support of state and local health departments during emergencies
  • Enhance students' graduate school education experience by providing training and hands-on field experience in outbreak and disaster preparedness and response
  • Develop knowledge of unified command, incident command systems, emergency operations center management, the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the National Response Plan (NRP)

Membership

All registered students in good standing at the School of Public Health are able to be members of the SEIS.  Members are encouraged to complete at least three of the following activities:

  1. Complete the Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS) training course
  2. Attend at least two outbreak investigation or disaster response lectures offered by the SEIS
  3. Volunteer in a community preparedness or training exercise as announced by SEIS
  4. Complete the online introductory NIMS training course (email SEIS a copy of the PDF certificate you will receive upon completion of the course - SEIS@uth.tmc.edu)

Benefits of Membership

SEIS members have access to resources and opportunities, such as:

  • Opportunites to provide faculty-supervised outbreak investigation and disaster response services to the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) and to local health departments
  • Weekly outbreak e-mails, announcements with valuable practicum and research opportunities, and job announcements within the School of Public Health and the community
  • Training and hands-on experience in the field of epidemiology that is unattainable via classroom and research experience alone
  • Opportunities to explore applied public health careers with public health officials
  • Eligibility to run for SEIS officer positions

To become a member of SEIS, please complete and submit this form.