Bloom Where You Are Planted

​About Dr. Denise Eblen:

​Dr. Denise Eblen was appointed as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in May 2018.
In 2015, Dr. Eblen joined USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in Washington D.C., as a Deputy Director. In this role, she led NIFA’s Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, which supports research, education and extension activities in food safety, food quality, nutrition and obesity.
Dr. Eblen first joined USDA in 1999 as a Research Associate at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. She joined FSIS in 2001 as a Food Safety Fellow.
A native of Ireland, Dr. Eblen is a naturalized U.S. citizen. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Ulster at Coleraine in Northern Ireland, a Master of Science Degree in Food Science from Queen’s University, Belfast, in Northern Ireland, and a Ph.D. in Food Safety Microbiology from the University of Ulster at Jordanstown, Northern Ireland.

​Dr. Denise Eblen, the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), hosted a gathering for WIFS members on March 27th, 2024.  Dr. Eblen shared many of her experiences and described the growth of her distinguished career within the US Government from when she started her journey as a Research Associate with the USDA about 25 years ago.
In her current role, Dr. Eblen leads OPHS, the team at FSIS that provides expertise in scientific analysis, outbreak investigations, and the testing of regulatory samples within the FSIS laboratory system. Her team provides recommendations on all matters involving public health and related sciences at FSIS.
Her duties directly support FSIS’ Strategic Goals 1: Prevent Foodborne Illness and Protect Public Health, and 2: Transform Inspection Strategies, Policies, and Scientific Approaches to Improve Public Health.
Dr. Eblen’s career development in her words has been strong and steady. Looking back, she believes that her willingness to move was the key, and she mentioned that she was always looking for something new to learn or to do.  Although she has spent most of her career with the same government agency, Dr. Eblen took the opportunity to work for different offices and agencies.  Although not necessarily representing a promotion, working at these various positions did offer a range of multiple experiences. She emphasized that “Advancement of career sometimes is not just money or promotion, it’s about self-development, which is just as important.”
Another aspect that has been important to Dr. Eblen is mentoring and cultivating people.  She discussed how as one’s career advances, managing people plays a significant role, so the development of soft skills is important. Dr. Eblen also considered that leadership is not necessarily granted by titles, but by yourself.  She advised “Lead where you are!  Mentor and cultivate people when you can and where you are to make an impact and influence others.”
One of the questions asked by the engaged audience related to project management and balance of time. Dr. Eblen answered that there is always a need to discern urgency vs. importance. Ultimately, you can only control what you can control.
Lastly, Dr. Eblen concluded the conversation by emphasizing again the importance of self-development, whether it relates to work or not. “We can always look out for something new to learn!”. 

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