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10/09/2024 08:30 AMThe East Shore District Health Department (ESDHD) finished September by celebrating its 50 years of serving the public health needs of East Haven, Branford, and North Branford. The celebration was the culmination of the department’s “rich history” which has brought dedicated staff together with many partners and supporters to “enhance the quality of life and the public health of our residents,” says Michael Pascucilla, the ESDHD’s director.
“Our success slowly lies within the network and partnerships,” he says. “I am blessed with a great staff, and I sincerely mean that.”
While people in the district will thank Michael for the ESDHD’s work over the years, including the 15 years in which he has been its director, Michael humbly acknowledges the members of his “great staff” who are key to implementing and guiding programs which enhance public health and wellness.
When he became ESDHD’s director, Michael made sure that he “let my managers run the programs as they see fit.”
“I give them the freedom to run their programs,” he says.
Nonetheless, there is a lot on Michael’s leadership plate as he holds a role which includes personnel management, networking, forming partnerships, and dealing with the politics side of the department, along with handling the financial side which involves budgeting and grant writing.
Even with plans of his own, calendar dates filled with meetings, and continuing efforts to see through, Michael says that every day in public health is different from the other. This is Michael’s favorite part of a field in which he has been involved for over 32 years.
“Just when you think you have it set, there are these nuances that happen, and that's why I love public health. In fact, it's not just a job or a career for me. Personally, it's my calling,” says Michael.
Reflecting on his time with the department, Michael says that he feels “very proud” of the fact that ESDHD’s work is being recognized on an international scale. The department’s work in building the world’s first solar electric pump-out vessel and conducting microbial source tracking to determine local water quality, has garnered attention from around the globe, while being lauded by Yale University, the National Environmental Health Association, and the European Public Health Association.
The ESDHD’s research in microbial source tracking, which found that the source of water contamination in Branford was primarily due to canine waste, has shown that the department's “interventions are working” to prevent further contamination in the area, says Michael. This will be further explained at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association in Minnesota in October and also at the European Public Health Association conference in November.
“They only take 12% of American research,” Michael says of the European conference. “So, for us, that's pretty significant.”
Michael gives credit to the people who are a part of the department’s network, including students from Southern Connecticut State University and Yale, as well as community foundations along the shoreline, for their success in tracking. Their success is something he hopes to see replicated on a greater scale.
“It's something that we really want to see other health departments use in the state of Connecticut, and so we're talking to the state about how we could take it to the next level,” says Michael.
Aside from the lauded research and programs which a department like the ESDHD conducts for its community, another major element of public health is continuously giving back to the community. For Michael, one of the most important examples is ensuring that the department has the next generation’s best-trained officials. In those who show up to ESDHD, the results have been promising so far.
“We have these students that come in, and they're just amazing,” he says. “In fact, sometimes they come in, and we talk to them about these different research projects, and they come up with ideas, and I look at my staff and [say], ‘Why didn't we think of that?’”
Michael says that the young researchers are opinionated, determined, and bring into public health “a breath of fresh air and new ideas that require us to be ultra flexible.” He adds that they are also very tech-savvy, providing a great benefit to the department, in addition to being particularly interested in the subjects of climate change and environmental health.
In reflecting on his public health career, Michael expresses humility and gratitude to the people around him, including his friends, colleagues, and his “wonderful, supportive family” which includes his wife Maureen and his two sons, Sands and Grady.
“Anyone who is successful never does it alone,” Michael says. “It's really the people around you who supported you. I have to thank the people who have gotten me to this place.”