John McCarthy
By Virgin Islands Free Press Staff
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Virgin Islands Department of Health’s (VIDOH) Epidemiology Division has secured prestigious national acclaim, distinguishing itself on the main stage at one of the country’s most elite public health forums.
The division was honored at the 2026 Annual Conference of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), held recently in Boston, Massachusetts.
The pinnacle of the event came when Dr. Hannah Cranford, a lead epidemiologist and data scientist for VIDOH, was awarded the highly competitive CSTE Rising Leader Award. Handed out individually by CSTE leadership, the award recognizes just a single emerging public health professional nationwide who exhibits exceptional innovation, scientific excellence, and a measurable impact on the field of applied epidemiology. Dr. Cranford was selected from a massive pool of candidates spanning all fifty states and U.S. territories.
Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion praised the division’s historic showing, stating she is “extremely proud of the entire Epidemiology Team for representing the Virgin Islands so well on the national stage.”
“Their work has consistently helped us better understand and respond to public health challenges while ensuring that the people of the Virgin Islands benefit from the latest tools, data, and best practices,” Encarnacion added.
Data Modernization Shines in Featured Breakout Sessions
Beyond the individual accolades, the territory’s epidemiology team delivered seven comprehensive oral presentations to national peers, covering a wide range of local surveillance upgrades, environmental tracking initiatives, and immunization systems.
The presentation topics included:
- The launch of the territory’s modernized disease surveillance infrastructure.
- The development of the USVI DataPulse Dashboard to oversee electronic lab reporting.
- An evaluation of the territory’s pediatric blood lead monitoring systems.
- A specialized investigation into adult blood lead exposure levels linked to a Virgin Islands shooting range.
Notably, the team’s formal report on a 2024 Legionnaires’ disease outbreak linked to two Virgin Islands resorts was handpicked by the national conference planning committee for a featured breakout session—highlighting its deep relevance to public health protocols across the United States.
Dr. Esther Ellis, Territorial Epidemiologist and leader of the division, emphasized that the accolades are a direct result of collective, dedicated effort. “This award reflects Dr. Cranford’s dedication to protecting and improving the health of Virgin Islanders through data-driven public health action,” Dr. Ellis noted, adding that the entire division collaboratively united behind the nomination.
Driving Health Equity Through Modernization
The national recognition comes amidst a broader technological and infrastructure transformation within VIDOH. By investing heavily in informatics and cloud-based tracking, the department has emerged as a blueprint for territorial health management.
Key homegrown portals, including the automated disease surveillance maps and the nationally acclaimed Virgin Islands Immunization Registry System (VIIRS), are actively bolstering local vaccination compliance and allowing epidemiologists to make rapid, predictive decisions to protect residents and visitors alike.
