Michael Kelleman and his younger brother, Tim, cycled 40 miles at the Five Boro Bike Tour in New York City, held every first Sunday in May. It is the largest recreational cycling event in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Boro_Bike_Tour).

Michael Scott Kelleman grew up in Ashland, Ky., and saw firsthand the impact of poor lifestyle choices, including lack of physical activity, high prevalence of smokers and poor nutrition. With an ever-increasing portion of the population obese and a higher incidence of diabetes, this early exposure led him to seek a second graduate degree -- a Master of Science in Public Health in biostatistics at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health.

Kelleman's extensive knowledge in biostatistics and clinical trials made him a highly qualified candidate as an intern with the Georgia Department of Public Health's (DPH) STD epidemiology section.

Linda Allen-Johnson, STD epidemiology program manager, supervised Kelleman's work at DPH.

When he moved to New York, Michael Kelleman joined the New York Cycling Club as a way to explore the city and to stay fit.

"Michael's previous research experience was indeed an asset to our selection to have him analyze the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) database. He was tasked to see whether the unique identifier for a physician/provider would help to standardize our providers in our electronic laboratory reporting (ELR) system," Allen-Johnson said. "He completed enough of the project that this unique qualifier would work for any program."

This unique identifier system would be in accordance with the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Kelleman's findings could improve the quality of provider-related information captured within a public health surveillance system that utilizes electronic laboratory reporting (ELR).

"DPH has allowed me to have firsthand experience at the state level," said Kelleman. "My project involved a more streamlined approach to working with the STD SENDSS database by reducing errors in providers, physicians or patients due to duplicate or ever-changing field information. I also learned how to work independently and remotely with public health professionals. My mentor, Linda Allen-Johnson, was very supportive of my objectives, and provided reinforcement and inspiration to pursue continuing education classes at DPH. Without a doubt, this overall experience has solidified a career in the public health workforce."

Michael set an impressive record during his internship, according to his mentor. He has been invited to return in September to continue working on this project along with the epidemiology section and the SENDSS team.

Prior to DPH, Kelleman conducted clinical research involving sleep and energy intake, ginger consumption and thermic effect of food, as well as conducted a funded Capsinoid Weight Loss trial. While working on these studies, he analyzed the numbers from data collection.

"As we worked on the sleep and energy intake studies, I became really interested in not just the people involved in the studies, but also the data," said Kelleman. "After working for almost three years in a clinical research setting, I decided to go to public health school to earn a master's degree in biostatistics to expand my public health career choices."

Kelleman will return to the Rollins School of Public Health this fall to complete his course work in biostatistics and will continue as an intern in September, working on the CMS database project.

"I hope to use the tools and skills that I have learned in both coursework and through my in-the-field internship at DPH to help underserved communities," said Kelleman

-Story by Connie F. Smith, DPH Communications