Dr. Eeks: Not made in a lab nor a star of a scifi series (yet)
(Yes, it’s a nickname.)
You can read my book Manic Kingdom here (fair warning: it’s based on a true story and it is not a comfortable read.)
Good Mantras to live by:
“When you can’t laugh, laugh.”
“The truth sits alone at lunch.”
“Never get in a tinkling contest with a skunk.”
“The art of war is winning without firing a shot.”
“It’s better to be alone than wish you were.”
“Never take for granted that people understand you.”
“What matters is who you are today. Not who you were in the past.”
“I’m not everyone’s cup of tea…but I’m someone’s 5AM shot of Apple Cider Vinegar.”
(The writings & opinions on this website are my own (Dr. Eeks) and not reflective of anyone I work or consult for.)
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FYI: For the blog, I write the blogs that are NOT listed in the “Other-Ad” category. The “Other-Ad” category in the blog section is MOSTLY advertisement blogs written to promote specific links. They support my dog Barnaby’s treat habit, my frozen yogurt habit and the Causes or Cures podcast. I do not scientifically review any of them and from the ones I have read, they are usually terrible. But the dog needs his treats.
Now for writing in 3rd person, because that’s healthy:
Eeks grew up in a small town, went to Catholic school, was her high school valedictorian and spent most of her time playing lots of soccer, getting into trouble and doing martial arts (mainly Krav Maga). Somehow she survived and graduated from a military academy called West Point where she was recruited to play soccer for the Division 1 Lady Knights, majored in both chemistry and environmental engineering, and got commissioned as an officer. While a cadet, she taught bayonet and close quarter combat to cadets, and yup, was dropped on her head a lot. (She also painted the female latrine in Bradley Barracks hot pink, though she thinks the Higher Ups have since changed the color.)
She eventually went on to receive a global health leadership scholarship to earn a MPH degree, with a focus on global health & epidemiology. She also earned a MD degree, though she does not practice medicine, as she realized that patient care wasn’t her cup of tea and did not make her happy. In fact, she completed 2 years of medical school in Philadelphia, suddenly quit and went on a wild adventure to squelch her wild soul and tortured brain…, then a batshit crazy ride, a few tattoos, 1 manic marriage/divorce later, went back and finished her last 2 years at a different medical school so she could complete her clinical rotations in her favorite city, NYC. (Yup, her mom had a heart attack over that, but a different path ain’t always the wrong one.) All she will say is make sure you choose a career YOU want to do, not one that you think will make someone love you.
Somewhere along the way, she discovered that she was more passionate about preventing diseases before they begin, so the holistic nature of public health felt like a really good fit. While in public health school, she did a cool research project with an organization that models and predicts emerging infectious diseases around the world & has stayed interested in how the way humans interact with their fellow species and environment can lead to new health issues and diseases.
She currently works as a public health consultant/contractor at the federal level and for some private organizations, and remains involved in digital health. She digs creativity and variety in work projects, and if you’d like to know more about any of them, just ask. Recent projects include working on the COVID-19 response at the federal level; global immunization strategic frameworks; creating drug-free communities for kids and teens, health communication interventions for special populations, and data modernization initiatives, like the childhood cancer STAR Project.
Prior to her current public health projects, Dr. Eeks spent several years managing the evidence base for an international digital health company that was based in London and used gaming, digital CBT et al to create population-level, cost-effective interventions for addictions, obesity, phobias, anxiety, depression and other chronic illnesses. The programs were utilized in the US, UK, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and Israel and had impressive and cost-effective recovery rates for a wide variety of populations. She likes the idea of digital interventions because of their scalability and creativity but understands that they need to be balanced with the need for human “face-to-face” interaction and frankly, human touch.
Work Together?
If you are interested in public health consulting, qualitative or quantitative data analysis or health communications work, you can learn more about what she does here or please email her directly at: erin@bloomingwellness.com.
What Else?
Oh, 3rd Person Again…
You’ll most likely find her exploring new countries, on an island or glamping in the Woods. #gypsysoul #remotework
Dr. Eeks laughs a lot, often when it’s inappropriate, and writes health jokes just ‘cuz. If you’re unsure, ask before you take her seriously.
Her dog Barnaby is the best. He is the Chief Everything Officer (CEO) of Blooming Wellness.
She’s a fatalist. The good news about being a fatalist is that you know it will end soon.
She’s been told that she’s on the spectrum. Aren’t we all????
She loves to write.
Dr. Eeks practices minimalism. (Furniture…, what?) She wishes minimalism was cool when she was poor, then she could have said she was a minimalist, not poor.
As a hobby, she likes to study the medicinal nature of plants & herbs, including how they could be used as criminal or bioterror agents. It’s just a hobby, calm down.
Her favorite hobbies include: running, soccer, krav maga, swimming, yoga (including face yoga and laughter yoga!), playing the violin, podcasting, meditation, reading, soccer, finding the humor in life, interval training, writing, animal rescue, gardening and bird-watching.
She is a BIG live theatre fan and will almost always go to a play. Also, a huge Grateful Dead fan.
She’s known for turning pathos into humor and mastering the mundane. It’s a shit, short world, have some fun.
She’s played the violin for years and started when she was 6 in the Catholic choir. Everyone in her family plays a musical instrument, except mom. She yells a lot though, and sometimes it’s even in tune.
Her father is a wildly popular veterinarian with a heart of gold.
Her favorite diet is whatever she wants…in moderation. ;) She practices intermittent fasting. She also overcame bulimia (nearly killed her) and is open to discussing that fight with anyone and sharing what worked for her.
She gets up really early and goes to bed early. Not much for parties.
She follows a very strict wellness routine. It annoys her too. She doesn’t promote any supplements, because at the end of the day, the field is too unregulated for an endorsement. It’s like the “EAT ME” scene in Alice in Wonderland.
She dislikes censorship, because she thinks it ultimately does more harm than good in a democracy, and we are better off teaching people how to think critically about any and all information. In the digital age, it’s impossible to try to control everything a person reads or sees. Plus, critical thinking is very vintage these days, as is listening. Let’s work on building those critical thinking and listening skills.
She doesn’t like loud noises or loud conversations. Noise pollution is legit.
She thinks Big Pharma has way too much power & influence over health policy, public health & healthcare and strongly feels that research agendas need to focus more on prevention.
She’s left-handed, and as all of the soccer coaches she’s played against know, very left-footed on the field as well.
She loves the game of soccer & was a Division 1 soccer recruit in college. Her travel team, the Dragons, was one of the best in the state of PA. Talk about great memories…
She despises factory farms. My God, they are horrid.
Most of Dr. Eeks’ charitable causes involve animals, mainly because they are better than humans. #justsayin
She thinks we take life too seriously. I mean, when the sun melts and kills Earth (or a nuke does it first), who gives a shit about your trophies, looks, salary or credentials? Plus, think about all the life in space…yet to be discovered by us…that probably flies by Earth and thinks, “What idiots.”
Intellectual humility goes a long way.
She doesn’t really believe in time or age, and if those are delusional beliefs, she’s cool with’em.
She believes in a higher power or at least is very, very hopeful.
Love is everything.
That list covers the basics, right?
Barnaby: Chief Everything Officer (CEO)
In 2019, Dr. Eeks launched a health podcast, Causes Or Cures, and invites you to check it out and listen. It’s very organic, low-budget and not sponsored by anyone, but it’s experienced tremendous growth during the pandemic. It’s a total passion project. There are no bells nor whistles, but she once opened an episode with a verse from “Send in the Clowns.” The goal of the podcast is to feature experts, researchers, stakeholders, perhaps a dissenter or two, and interesting characters on timely (sometimes controversial) health topics, who can explain things in easy-to-understand ways. She’s been lucky to feature super-smart, amazing guests from all over the world. Please check it out and subscribe, but of course remember: It’s not health advice. If you take everything you hear as “advice”, it’s best not to listen to the podcast. The podcast is to host balanced, curious conversations for curious minds.
Dr. Eeks is passionate about promoting common-sense health & wellness and has an inner fire for empowering individuals of all walks of life to take charge of their health, make positive lifestyle changes and live happier lives. She feels anyone on any budget can live a healthier life, which is why she gets frustrated when wellness is often portrayed or presented as a luxury brand with lots of products, supplements, detoxes, cleanses, retreats, etc. She wants wellness to be more inclusive, because folks with lower incomes are shown to have more health issues than folks with higher incomes. Making the idea of wellness more accessible and more affordable is one of her public health goals with this website.
There are different views on healing in the world: Ones that focus on the body. Ones that focus on the mind. Ones that focus on the spirit. Ones that focus on the body and mind connection. Dr. Eeks likes to focus on the mind, body and spirit connection. As untrendy as it sounds, she does believe in a Higher Power.
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Dr. Eeks has a fondness for making quirky wellness videos for her Instagram feed and blogging about her health adventures, while having a natural love for irreverent, blue-collar comedy. She curses, sorry. She’s very interested in how health information is relayed to people and how it is interpreted. She thinks effective, positive, honest, creative communication is Public Health 101, because getting through is 90% of the battle, right?
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Feel free to follow her on Twitter too. She tries to stay away from politics, but, you know, sometimes it’s hard. And she has a bad habit of posting pictures on Twitter and trying to turn it into Instagram.
