From SDSU to the CDC: School of Public Health alumna Maira Torres Armenta’s career journey
San Diego State University School of Public Health alumna, Maira Torres Armenta, is a public health advisor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She works within the division of global migration health, where she serves as the referral manager with the agency’s CureTB (Tuberculosis) initiative.
Her role involves supporting tuberculosis patients, ensuring they have access to the healthcare they need regardless of the country in which they reside. This requires frequent communication with health departments and agencies within the United States, as well as international ministries of health.
She is in the process of developing an international agreement draft document which would “facilitate the exchange of information between the CureTB Program and CDC offices abroad,” she said. The agreement would make it easier to coordinate care for tuberculosis patients travelling internationally.
In addition to the CDC, Torres Armenta volunteers with the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, where she supports health initiatives along the southern border. She began working with the agency during the pandemic as a lead COVID-19 outbreak investigator.
Her current role within the logistics team and tuberculosis work group involve close collaboration with the Office of Border Health’s Consortium of the Californias — a partnership which brings together California and Baja California health professionals.
Her work with the agency ranges from survey development to data collection and outreach planning. She also helped create a binational resource directory, which improves access to health services on both sides of the border, she said.
“These experiences have deepened my understanding of how partnerships between government, academia, and community organizations can improve health outcomes for mobile and migrant populations along the U.S.– Mexico border.”
Supporting communities near the border has long been a goal for Torres Armenta, who grew up in Southern California. The daughter of immigrants and raised by her single mother, Torres Armenta understood early how some communities face different barriers to resources than others.
“Watching my mother work tirelessly to provide for our family instilled a deep appreciation for resilience and the importance of equitable access to resources,” she said. “Those early experiences inspired me to pursue a career in public health, where I could help bridge gaps and help support systems that support vulnerable and mobile communities so that health is not determined by circumstance.”
Torres Armenta became a first-generation college graduate in her family, graduating from SDSU in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in public health, with a concentration in epidemiology. She credits the mentorship and opportunities she received at SDSU with helping turn her “passion for epidemiology into a meaningful career.”
From her own journey, however, Torres Armenta learned that a career path is not always straightforward. She hopes her story encourages graduating students to persist when their paths seem uncertain.
“Remember that success looks different for everyone,” she said. “Be patient with yourself, celebrate small victories, and don’t be afraid to ask for support or mentorship along the way. Most importantly, stay grounded in your purpose and the communities you aim to serve.”
