After Nichols
Gale Burstein ’82 by Blake Walsh ’98 Dr. Gale Burstein ’82 was appointed as Erie County Health Commissioner (or “the Commish,” as she calls it) in January 2012. Amidst a busy role that finds her wearing multiple hats, from public spokesperson to focused pediatrician, Gale reflected with us on her career since Nichols. Congrats on your appointment as “Commish!” This has been the best job I have ever held. Although this position is very busy, I feel hopeful that I can contribute to making Erie County a healthier place to live. I also continue to practice clinical medicine at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo general pediatrics clinics two evenings a month. I can’t give that up! I love taking care of kids. What motivated you to get involved in this line of work? I think I always knew I wanted to be a physician, but my Nichols experiences exposed me to thinking about opportunities working in international and public health. My junior year summer exchange student experience in Quito, Ecuador opened my eyes to the effects of socio-economic and health disparities. The following summer entering my senior year, [former Nichols faculty member and Honorary Alumnus] Ed Williams took me and three other Nichols students on the trip of a lifetime to Kenya. I was so inspired by the excitement of a new, exotic world and realized that career opportunities had no borders and that I had to think out of the box. I feel that Nichols truly prepared me for college and life beyond by teaching me to 1. study, 2. budget my time and 3. write. I continue to use these invaluable skills every day! Where did you go to college? I attended Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. I majored in math and biology. I was also able to study abroad for two trimesters and truly enjoyed my four years at Union. Where do you live currently? I currently live in Amherst, N.Y. I moved back from Atlanta in 2005. My husband, Peter Bloom, who grew up in Snyder, N.Y., and I felt that Erie County was a great place to raise a family. We both had good jobs in Atlanta, but felt that it was more important to make the investment to move so our sons would know their extended family and enjoy the rich educational opportunities and quality of life that we enjoyed growing up. 14
Nichols School
What advice do you have for others who may want to work in your field? For those interested in medicine, try to go to the least expensive medical school. I had the good fortune to attend SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences where I received an excellent medical education. Essentially free from the heavy burden of large debt from medical school tuition loans gave me the financial independence to do anything after I graduated, such as travel, getting another professional degree and working in public health. What is the most valuable lesson you learned at Nichols? I had some great female role models who ingrained in me that gender was not a professional barrier. What is your favorite Nichols memory? Where do I start? I cherish my happy memories from that summer [in Kenya] with Ed Williams and my classmate and friend, Peter Upson ’82, who have since passed away. My Nichols memories are studded with numerous unforgettable parties in classmate David Rosenthal’s basement. On the academic side, I remember “spieling” in Dave Strachan’s math classes and discovering that I really love math. I will never forget the fun of learning about the male and female reproductive track in Mr. Titus’ 10th grade science class alongside my male classmates. The openness and comfort of sexuality discussions at that impressionable age helped to set the stage for me to pursue a medical career in sexually transmitted diseases research and prevention. What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment? My greatest personal accomplishment is raising with my husband two really nice and bright sons, Zachary and Joshua. So far my greatest professional accomplishment was to define chlamydia epidemiology and put chlamydia on the map as a huge public health problem with an important paper published in 1998 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Chlamydia is the number one cause of preventable tubal infertility and ectopic pregnancy. But I am not done yet. I hope to be able to make some great contributions to Erie County in the next three years. What do you like to do for fun? I love to spend time with my family. I have not been able to shake that travel bug. Although I love to swim, can’t seem to get to the pool in those early mornings as much as I would like.