Heath Kirby knows exactly where he came from and exactly where he’s meant to be-- leading community health efforts as a proud alumna of ±«Óătv’s (COPH).
“I’m from a small, one horse, one red light town in rural Tennessee with a population of less than 1000,” Kirby said. “It’s a quaint little town in the rolling foothills of peripheral Appalachia. My hometown got a Subway restaurant in the mid-2000s and everybody lost their minds. For a while, Subway replaced the town square as the local hangout spot!”
Growing up in such a rural area, Kirby said college wasn’t a given—but it was always on his mind.
“I come from humble beginnings,” he said. “My parents worked hard and they instilled in me the value of education and determination. I was a first-generation college student. There weren’t a lot of roadmaps laid out for me, so I had to figure a lot of it out on my own.”
Kirby attended Tennessee Technological University, where he earned two bachelor of science degrees in 2011—one in biology with concentrations in cellular and molecular biology and health science and one in political science. For a time, he said he considered medical school, but a transformative year abroad shifted everything.
“I spent time in Nepal and it completely changed how I thought about health care and my place in it,” he said. “I saw how deeply community, infrastructure and policy affected people’s ability to stay healthy. It became clear to me that I didn’t want to be a doctor—I wanted to be in public health.”
That realization led him to a job with the Tennessee Department of Health as a public health educator. From there, his path began to crystallize.
“I wanted to be a physician to prevent—not treat—disease as well as to promote health,” Kirby said. “Quickly after I began working for the health department, I realized what I had actually wanted to be all this time was a public health professional. I just didn’t know public health professionals were a thing.”
Eventually, Kirby relocated to Florida, where he continued working in community-based roles and began looking for graduate programs that could expand his knowledge and impact.
“I was drawn to the COPH because of its reputation, but also because I needed a program that would let me keep working full time,” he said. “The public health practice concentration aligned perfectly with the work I was already doing and wanted to keep doing.”
In 2021, a decade after finishing his undergraduate degrees, Kirby graduated from the COPH with an .
“While simultaneously working full time with the Florida Department of Health, trailblazing a nationally recognized Health in All Policies best practice and navigating new fatherhood, I somehow managed to graduate with a 4.0 GPA,” Kirby said. “During my degree program, I became a new father and soon after, I lost my father. I also lost my long-time pet dog one month after my father. One first born and two funerals in quick succession.”
Kirby credits the COPH faculty with shaping his lens on public health leadership and the work it requires.
“ inspired my continuing fascination with the intersection of public health law and ethics. inspired me to blend quantitative data with qualitative storytelling to create public health messaging that’s both informative and engaging,” he said.
He added that the group work required by COPH wasn’t just a model for community-based public health, it was the foundation of his professional network.
“I’m still in contact with fellow students from my COPH group projects,” Kirby said.
In December 2024, he was promoted to public health services district director of the Vermont Department of Health’s Burlington District Office, the state’s largest local health office, serving 25% of Vermont’s population.
“I lead the office’s implementation of a broad portfolio of public health interventions and programs in Chittenden County, including WIC[MOU1] [NP2] , oral health, infectious disease, immunization, school health, chronic disease prevention, substance use prevention, environmental health, family and child health and emergency preparedness,” he said.
Kirby’s work as a public health educator and manager taught him the value of collaboration and adaptability and helped him cultivate a reputation as a leader who brings people together.
“I relish the opportunity to learn from people with different backgrounds, experiences and insights than my own,” he said. “Being promoted to district director gave me the opportunity to expand my horizons into infectious disease prevention and response, WIC operations and emergency preparedness. Better understanding the comprehensive work of my office allows me to identify cross-programmatic touch points, force multiply our work and create a unified direction, which all ultimately improve population health outcomes in our community.”
Kirby credits his COPH education for laying a strong foundation for that alignment.
“My COPH coursework laid the theoretical foundation for my daily practice and leadership,” he said. “I took courses on program implementation and evaluation, which I apply across my office’s programs whether it’s WIC or emergency preparedness. I also took courses on understanding and communicating data, which I use in policy discussions with school administrators as well as town planners. Further, I took courses on assuring health care quality, which I practice when discussing immunization compliance and patient engagement with community-based providers. I practice the theory I learned at COPH on a daily basis.”
One of his proudest professional accomplishments to date is serving as principal author of the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Health in All Policies Evaluation Guidance for Local Health Departments, a national best practice guide for implementing and evaluating HiAP programs.
While the field continues to evolve, Kirby is especially encouraged by ±«Óătv’s efforts to embed students in meaningful community engagement—something he believes is essential to improving public health outcomes.
“I am excited to learn the COPH has created the, which gives public health students the opportunity to connect and engage with the community in a variety of ways: research, education, outreach and collaborative community events,” he said. “Further, the inclusion of external partners on the Community Hub’s advisory board ensures efforts are community-inspired and community-led, which is critical for efficacy and sustainability of population health improvement efforts.”
As for what’s next?
“I’m exactly where I want to be,” Kirby said.
Fast Five
What did you dream of becoming when you were young?
When I was four and asked this question in preschool, I apparently wanted to be a car. Then, at some point, my ambitions shifted to a firefighter, then to a professional basketball player, then to a meteorologist, then to a physician and finally to a public health professional. It’s been a wild journey.
Where would we find you on the weekend?
During the daytime, I’m usually building pillow and blanket forts, pretending to be a monster, or jumping up and down on the bed. I have two kids. At night, I’m at the gym so I can continue picking them up and carrying them for as long as possible.
What is the last book you read?
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov”
What superpower would you like to have?
Wile E. Coyote’s painting skills (i.e., the ability to paint tunnels, manholes, and other public works into reality) or clown car storage (i.e., the ability to somehow store lots and lots of things in super tiny spaces)
What’s your all-time favorite movie?
Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life.” I’ve never emotionally connected with a movie more than “The Tree of Life.” For me, it’s mandatory viewing at least once per year.