By: Ellen N. Woods
On May 9, 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Liberia was over. Lt. Cristina Ortega, B.B.E. 2008, a member of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) commissioned corps, recalls hearing that news. “It was humbling in every sense of the word.”
Ortega was deployed to Liberia for 47 days in February and March of 2015 as a logistics officer at the Monrovia Medical Unit (MMU), a 25-bed field hospital that was the only Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) in Liberia specifically designed to treat infected health care workers and responders. The deployment of the USPHS was part of the U.S. government’s overall Ebola Response Mission in West Africa.
“Our mission was to provide optimized care to local and international workers who were taking this great risk in such a selfless way. It was reassuring to them that the United States government was putting its best resources on the ground to take care of those who became infected while caring for the sick,” says Ortega.
During the peak of the outbreak in August and September of 2014, Liberia was reporting 300 to 400 new cases every week. Altogether during the outbreak in Liberia, 375 health care workers were infected and 189 lost their lives.
“We absolutely made a difference. I heard firsthand from international health care workers that the reason they came to Liberia was because there was an ETU specifically for them,” says Ortega. “And it was encouraging to the nationals to know that we were there for them.”
The USPHS commissioned corps deployed the first team of 74 officers in October 2014 to staff the MMU.
Ortega served on the third of four overlapping teams. She deployed for 47 days in country, in addition to seven days of training in Alabama. “The training was intense. We learned about the virus, including all the safety protocols and how to put on protective equipment to ensure
there would be no breach. Two masks, two sets of gloves, boots with outer coverings. By the time you were done, your colleagues could not recognize you. It was important to have our names on our suits,” says Ortega, whose job as a logistics officer responsible for the facility did not require her to go into the “hot zone” for direct patient care. Still, all officers at the MMU had to be trained.
Because of the risks involved in traveling to West Africa during the outbreak, let alone living in an ETU, the deployment was optional. Ortega admits, “I thought about it for a few minutes. I was cautious. By that time, we had seen cases of American health care workers who had become infected. So it was real.
“But the reason I accepted the deployment came down to the reason I joined the commissioned corps to begin with — my desire to help others. I had to answer the call to serve.”
Ortega was resolute in her decision to head to Liberia, but her large and protective family took some convincing. Her parents and siblings worried about her safety. “In order to convince them all that I would be safe during the deployment, I had to Skype with them daily while I was in Alabama and update them on everything we were learning to protect ourselves while at the MMU,” says Ortega. “They were worried, but also proud.”
Ortega deployed with her fiancé, Lt. David Dar, also a logistics officer with the USPHS. “We were fortunate to both be assigned to team three,” she says.
Their responsibilities included procuring and managing all of the equipment needed to run the MMU. In addition to medical equipment, this included everything from shower heads to lights.
“We lived in a camp made up of various large tents where there once was nothing. Everything was community driven. I slept in a tent that had 10 double bunks. We all got up at the same time. Lights went on at the same time. We went to chow at the same time. For our protection, we seldom left the camp grounds.
“We were focused on minimizing risk factors. We all adhered to the very strict protocols that we learned in training. We didn’t even shake hands. We did a lot of elbow bumps,” says Ortega.
Following her deployment and a period of isolation, Ortega returned to her position with the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, where she is responsible for the evaluation of medical device importation programs and the development of new importation policies for all of the medical devices being imported to the U.S., such as heart valves and contact lenses. “It is very rewarding to have a direct role in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of products that improve people’s health,” she says.
She credits an internship she had at the FDA while an engineering student at CUA with introducing her to the USPHS. “It was there that I met officers in the commissioned corps and became interested in their work. I liked the idea of using my degree to serve public health,” she says. Ortega’s internship led to a postgraduation fellowship and a career with the FDA and USPHS.
Ortega grew up in El Salvador until she was 12. Before she was born, her family had to flee their home and town because of civil war, starting over in another part of the country. Her oldest siblings came to the United States in search of a better life through an asylum process. Years later, Ortega, with her parents and her younger siblings, joined them. Most members of the family now live in the Washington, D.C., area.
“I’ve always known I wanted a career that allowed me to help people. I thought about being a nurse or medical doctor, but I also loved the kind of science and math involved in engineering,” says Ortega. “It wasn’t until I came to an orientation program at CUA’s School of Engineering as a high school student that I learned about biomedical engineering. They showed us the labs and explained the program. And that was it. I knew in my heart this was for me.”
About her time at CUA, she says, “The access to professors was amazing. Those relationships made a big difference in my education. My experience was more than I envisioned. I made lifelong friends and grew in my spiritual life.”
She says that positive experience as a student is why she is involved with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. “I want students to know about this field at an early age. Especially girls and minorities — they need to experience science and math in an exciting and interactive way and to know about the available career options,” she says.
“I can honestly say I have my dream job. The end result of my work improves the quality of life for others. As a young student I didn’t even know this career existed. But now I am right where I was meant to be.”