In Remembrance of Stan Foster

Dear Dottie and Family,

I first met Stan in April 1981. At the time, I was working as a medical volunteer in Sudan and had just been accepted into CDC’s EIS Program.

When I arrived in Atlanta for the EIS Conference, I reviewed the EIS job listings and was drawn to a position offered in the newly established International Health Program Office (IHPO) where Stan worked. I interviewed for that job with Stan, Andy Agle, and Billy Griggs. While it was an interesting position, it was very programmatic and I couldn’t see how it offered much opportunity to learn epidemiology.

I agonized over my choice of options for days and the decision deadline was fast approaching. On the final evening of the match and still unable to decide, I called Stan and explained my dilemma. He invited me to his home to talk things over.

We sat on the couch in his living room, and I explained how much I wanted to work for IHPO, but worried their job offering wouldn’t provide an opportunity to learn basic epidemiology. I was also concerned that if I didn’t apply, Stan and his colleagues might think I wasn’t serious about a career in global health down the road.

Stan listened patiently, and when I finished, he told me that the questions I raised during the interview made them reconsider whether their offering was really a good fit for an EIS Officer. Stan reassured me that I shouldn’t have any concerns about applying for other positions, and that I would always be welcome in IHPO.

Much relieved by his understanding and encouragement, I didn’t apply for that position in IHPO and instead, matched in Florida – a state with an excellent supervisor and a wide variety of public health problems to learn from. A year later, my supervisor left for another job and I had an opportunity to return to CDC Headquarters. Stan immediately reached out and offered me a second-year EIS position in IHPO. With his guidance and support, I spent the rest of my career at CDC in global health.

Throughout my career, Stan remained a friend, colleague, and mentor, as he was to hundreds of other young public health professionals. It was my great good fortune to have met Stan that April forty years ago, and his passing leaves me (and no doubt many others) wondering just how much less fulfilling my career might have been had it not been for the grace of one Stanley O. Foster.

Michael D. Malison, M.D., MPA