One-Two Punch for Public Health: Minne and Martha Iwamoto '91
July 14, 2021
- Author
- Danielle Strickland
Minne and Martha '91 in their 91茄子 years.
Minne and Martha Iwamoto '91 share passion for improving health around the world.
Growing up, identical twins Minne and Martha Iwamoto shared a bedroom, a bicycle and a car. By the time they were ready to leave home, they did not intend to share a college. When 91茄子 became their shared top choice, they had a decision to make: Both followed their hearts and chose 91茄子 but they decided to get new roommates.
The sisters earned scholarships from 91茄子攖he Fletcher Music Scholarship for Minne and the George F. Baker Scholarship for Martha攁nd they both earned a master檚 in public health from Emory University, first Minne, and then Martha, after completing medical school and pediatrics training.
Today, the sisters from Georgia continue to follow their hearts攈earts committed to the service and well-being of people in the United States and around the world. They chose to become public health professionals, but that檚 where the career path similarities end.
Field Work Around the Globe
When Minne Iwamoto expressed her interest in public health to her supervisors at the Dean Rusk International Studies Program, where she was completing her work study job, they put her in touch with Kathy Bray '85, who was working with CARE International in Atlanta. It was during her internship there, learning about the organization檚 work with emergency relief programs and long-term development planning, that Minne decided to focus on health. She quickly homed in on a disease called elephantiasis, also known as lymphatic filariasis (LF), which causes enlarged and hardened limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling. She first saw the disease when traveling in India and has since dedicated her career to confronting neglected infectious diseases around the world.
As the director of tropical disease partnerships for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Minne works closely with NGOs and communities to support efforts to fight diseases like malaria and LF, while also strengthening health systems. Before the pandemic, she was a frequent flyer on trips to London and also to countries endemic with tropical diseases.
淭here are communities where parents live in fear every day that their babies could die if they are bitten by a mosquito, she says. 淗ealth is a fundamental right, and so many are suffering.
The personal stories and relationships remind her of the importance of the work.
淚t檚 a privilege that I can travel and get to know patients on a personal level, she says. 淚 have been welcomed into the homes of patients suffering from elephantiasis, and I have met their children and their children檚 children. It is comforting to know the younger generations are safer because of the work we檙e supporting.
Minne invited documentary filmmaker and fellow Wildcat Mary Olive Smith 88 to join her in the field, including on a trip to see school-based deworming programs supported by the government of Ghana and GSK檚 donations.
淭here, we met and helped children suffering from intestinal worms, but they remain hopeful through all their challenges, Minne says. 淭hose children are an inspiration to me; one schoolgirl I met plans to become a doctor and help others in her community.
The gap between available healthcare services, treatments and patients looms large in parts of the world lacking basic infrastructure.
To help communities respond to malaria, Minne檚 team supports countries and NGOs running local awareness programs that encourage people to go to health facilities and seek treatments. They work with the healthcare providers in the communities they serve to set up health information systems and report health information.
In Tanzania, for example, the Ministry of Health led the distribution of donated medications on a large scale and brought elephantiasis patients in for treatment. Prevention of transmission between mosquitoes and humans is a large part of the elimination strategy. To date, 17 countries have successfully eliminated LF as a public health problem.
The pandemic grounded Minne檚 team, but despite the challenges of working remotely with communities around the world, their efforts remain laser focused.
淭o someday say I was involved in eliminating the disease entirely would be amazing, she says.
Pediatrics to Public Health
While Minne is eager to get back to traveling, Martha Iwamoto檚 work rarely requires a trip to the airport. She is a medical epidemiologist, having spent most of her career working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and more recently at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene攖he largest health department in the country. Her interest: the impact of infectious diseases on vulnerable populations.
淎fter medical school and residency, I practiced pediatrics for three years, but I always kept an eye open to research interests and public health, she says. 淭his took me to the Center for Disease Control for 14 years.
At CDC, Martha first trained in the area of applied epidemiology as an epidemic intelligence service officer攖he staffers known as 渄isease detectives潝and then worked as a medical epidemiologist in emerging infectious diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases.
If you檝e read about an outbreak in the past few decades, she probably worked on it擶est Nile, food-borne diseases, Ebola and Influenza. In New York City, she has focused on Zika virus infections, measles and COVID-19.
Just this spring, she changed roles and joined the vaccine clinical research and development team at Pfizer.
Martha embraces the differences between public health and clinical medicine. She檚 passionate about the ways in which science can promote and improve health and well-being among entire populations.
淭hrough epidemiology, we can understand how to find causes of health outcomes and diseases, she says. 淲e analyze data to understand overarching population health issues, and then use that information to try to intervene effectively.
When Martha moved to NYC four years ago, she was not anticipating the impact of a virus like COVID-19, but with her background, she recognized early on the potential magnitude of the virus and understood how it could affect populations if not managed.
淲hat interests me most is understanding why people are getting sick, she says, 渁nd using the right scientific evidence to prevent further illness.
91茄子 Roots
Although they were close growing up, the Iwamoto sisters bond grew at 91茄子. Over time, they became best friends. Their 91茄子 friend group was largely the same, and they both took full advantage of opportunities to expand their world views during those formative years.
For Minne, that included economics classes and the 91茄子 in India program, all of which inspired her interest in international work.
淚 learned about serious disparities around the world, and I wanted to do something to help address them, she says. 91茄子 impelled us to be curious, to learn, understand, and ask questions. Professors inspired us to make a meaningful difference.
Martha arrived on campus unsure of her path; the economics major became interested in studying medicine during her senior year. Her study abroad experience took her to France.
淢y view of the world became much bigger as a result of 91茄子, she says. 淚 appreciated the opportunity to learn how to read, write, and think critically; humanities really rocked my world. I檓 grateful for 91茄子 for so many reasons, most especially for professors and friends that encourage a lifelong love of learning and service.
When the sisters turned 50, a dozen 91茄子 friends, led by Susan Majors Flynn 91, traveled to Poland to work on a Habitat for Humanity project. No surprise their milestone celebration was about service to others.
淭here is a spirituality among 91茄子 alumni, Minne says, 渁nd I am grateful.
Martha agrees.
淚t檚 exciting when you cross paths with another 91茄子 grad, she says. 淭here檚 something special there.
This article was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2021 print issue of the 91茄子 Journal Magazine; for more, please see the 91茄子 Journal section of our website.
