Career Spotlight: A Conversation with Alvaro Carrascal

April 20, 2023

Having begun his public health career in the 1980s, Dr. Alvaro Carrascal’s work has addressed some of the most significant public health challenges of the past century. In this interview, we asked Dr. Carrascal, who is an Emeritus Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, to reflect on his own career and share his insights with current UAlbany School of Public Health students.

What first drew you to the field of public health?

"Although I started my career as a clinician, I always loved the humanities, social sciences, and history. I was drawn to the fact that public health uses multidisciplinary approaches, so I was able to integrate my interests and delve into and draw from different fields.

The year I arrived in the United States was also the year HIV/AIDS was first reported. The massive community mobilization it prompted was unprecedented in the history of medicine and public health, and these developments drew me further into the field."

You’ve had a long career in public health. In what ways have you personally seen the field evolve?

"I would say that one of the most significant positive developments in public health over the course of my career is that we have turned our focus to the crucial role of disparities and inequities, institutional racism, and the structural challenges that limit our goal of improving public health. Today we speak of public health as being inseparable from these contexts.

We also have more access to technology that can speed up the rate at which research can be done. For example, the time it took to develop several COVID vaccines in response to the pandemic is unprecedented and a major public health achievement that would not have been possible when my career began."

You have also worked on a variety of public health challenges. As you progressed in your career, how did you decide which projects to take on?

"Like many public health professionals, my focus developed naturally from the work I had already done. I worked in HIV/AIDS research for about 25 years, and as HIV became a treatable disease with patients living longer, we began to see an increase in cancer in this population. This led me to spearhead the first statewide survey of tobacco use among people living with HIV in care in New York, which showed a rate that was three times that of the general population. The urgency to address this led me to reach out and collaborate with the American Cancer Society, where I worked as the Eastern Division Vice President for Cancer Control until 2017."

How would you compare working for an NGO like the American Cancer Society to working for a government organization like the New York State Department of Health?

"I immensely enjoyed working in both settings. At the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute, we were doing pioneering work—developing, funding, implementing, and evaluating initiatives that addressed the needs created by the HIV epidemic. At the time, New York was leading the nation on developing ways to respond to the epidemic, so it was a very exciting time to work there.

At the American Cancer Society (ACS), we were in close contact with cancer centers, oncologists, researchers, and, most importantly, cancer survivors. At ACS I learned to advocate in city halls, state legislatures and Congress to advance policies that would reduce the risk of cancer or improve quality of life for cancer survivors. To summarize, I would say that there can be significant advantages and learning opportunities in both environments."

What are you currently working on?

"As affiliated faculty at the Center for Global Health, I am involved in developing and strengthening collaborations in Colombia, particularly with the Master of Public Health program at Universidad Javeriana in Cali. We have taught both virtual and in-person courses and have started creating internships and experiential learning opportunities for students from our school and their program. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, feel free to visit the Center's website and request more information."