SUNY ESF
Student Profile Magdala Klein

Magdala Klein ’27: Climate Epidemiology

Experts warn climate change will make infectious diseases more likely and more widespread. That’s why ESF junior Magdala Klein is majoring in climate epidemiology. “You can help a lot of people on a large scale with epidemiology,” she says.

The daughter of a medical historian, Klein was exposed to scientific literature throughout her childhood. A natural problem solver, she got hooked on epidemiology when she was nine and read about a deadly outbreak of E. coli being traced to contaminated cookie dough.

After attending climate summits at her hometown high school in Hamilton, New York, Klein combined her passion for epidemiology with climate activism. She was drawn to ESF because of the Environmental Health program’s unique resources, where students can specialize in water, food studies, GIS, or public health, “you can't get that at any other college.”

Klein says the coursework at ESF pushes her in ways she wants to be pushed. Many of her professors incorporate cutting-edge research into their lectures, connecting theory to real-world problems. She also finds that climate epidemiology opens the door to numerous internship opportunities. Last summer she shadowed her local public health inspector and is currently applying for internships through public health departments in Syracuse and Madison County. She’d eventually like to get involved with the US Public Health Service and the CDC.

Receiving a scholarship not only lets Klein focus on her research but also safeguards the security of her education. “It's made me feel that my studying will never be put in jeopardy,” she says gratefully.

Klein is hoping to go for a master's in public health, possibly at Yale or Johns Hopkins. True to her initial inspiration, she wants to protect the public from outbreaks of foodborne illness exacerbated by the higher temperatures of climate change.