AMAlec McCarthy

Resume

Experience & skills

Work history, research, and education.

Summary

Public health data scientist with a Master of Public Health from Emory University, specializing in environmental health and epidemiology. I build data workflows for global health programs: ODK pipelines, QA systems, geospatial analysis, and reproducible reporting that works in resource-limited settings. I have led field teams, managed program budgets, and worked across languages and cultural contexts.

Systems-mindedField-firstBilingualClear communicator

Experience

Data Science Consultant

The Carter Center, Guinea Worm Eradication Program · Atlanta, GA

2025 – Present
  • Designed and maintained an automated ODK API data pipeline in R/Quarto to ingest and export 10+ Guinea Worm surveillance forms from ODK Central servers
  • Built modular data cleaning and validation workflows in R, including automated quality checks across South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Cameroon
  • Developed hierarchical fuzzy matching to standardize administrative unit names across inconsistently formatted multi-country datasets
  • Produced publication-quality geospatial maps integrating WHO shapefiles with Azure-hosted case linelist data for program-wide reporting
  • Created bilingual (English/French) data workflow training materials for field staff, technical advisors, and Ministry of Health stakeholders
  • Cleaned and restructured 2018–2025 endemic cluster case datasets, generating analytical outputs across multiple infection classifications

Data Scientist

The Cloudburst Group · Landover, MD (Remote)

2024 – 2025
  • De-identified and standardized datasets for external submission, establishing a repeatable framework for privacy compliance
  • Designed interactive maps and developed 100+ graphics for program reporting and geospatial analysis
  • Automated Python-based visualization workflows for Uganda project indicators, reducing analysis time and improving accuracy
  • Automated 508 PDF compliance remediations using Python (Tesseract, PyTorch, Deepdoctection) and OpenAI API
  • Integrated Python and OpenAI Whisper to streamline PowerPoint translation across project languages
  • Spearheaded company-wide GitHub integration and created a shared repository of R and Python data templates

Program Assistant

Centers for Disease Control, Division of Bacterial Diseases · Atlanta, GA

2022 – 2024
  • Assisted MenAfriNet epidemiology team with meningitis surveillance activities across West Africa
  • Modernized SAS codebase into R for improved clarity and team accessibility
  • Synthesized meningitis epidemiology data for Burkina Faso and Niger into quarterly surveillance bulletins using RStudio
  • Translated data surveillance tools from English to French for dissemination to French-speaking MenAfriNet countries
  • Automated annual surveillance bulletin generation using RStudio and Quarto

Technical Advisor, Guinea Worm Eradication Program

The Carter Center · Chad, Central Africa

2021 – 2022
  • Managed logistical, technical, administrative, financial, and human resources for GWEP operations in a highly endemic zone
  • Supervised 58 field-level staff across 173 villages implementing transmission-stopping interventions
  • Analyzed surveillance data to identify epidemiological trends and implemented evidence-based field interventions
  • Developed and managed a yearly field budget of $300,000+
  • Conducted in-depth interviews and compiled surveillance reports to enhance disease tracking

Community Health Volunteer

Peace Corps · Ngomedzap, Cameroon

2018 – 2020
  • Coordinated 7 malaria and nutrition-focused youth group activities with local NGOs, the health center, and community health workers
  • Implemented a capacity building malaria training program, equipping 3 health workers with prevention and water sanitation skills
  • Wrote and implemented a grant for a 10-day HIV/AIDS campaign in cooperation with SOS Children's Village, PEPFAR, and CAMNAFAW
  • Facilitated a 1-week girls' camp for 40 young women covering health skills, nutrition, and gender norms

Research

Evaluating and Improving the Meningitis Early Warning System (MEWS)

2023 – 2024
  • Compiled and cleaned weather, district-level surveillance, and aggregate data from WHO, ACMAD, and CDC across 39 countries
  • Created 12 district-level choropleth maps comparing risk prediction levels to retrospective outbreak data
  • Improved the early warning system by incorporating population density into risk assessment

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for Food Assistance in Sub-Saharan States

2016 – 2017
  • Performed a literature review evaluating food insecurity and improvement strategies in Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia
  • Developed a 70-page report and action plan with 4 team members for Boston University capstone review
  • Presented findings to partners at Action Against Hunger for cost-effective, targeted implementation

What I bring to a team

Reliability

Pipelines that fail loudly and are easy to debug. Not things that quietly produce wrong numbers.

Field awareness

I have worked in resource-constrained settings. The tools I build account for that.

Communication

I write docs, train teams, and can present findings in English and French.

Pragmatism

If a solution only works in theory, it does not ship. I say that early.