When a mysterious cluster of illnesses appears, when an outbreak crosses borders, when the data doesn't add up — the CDC deploys its Epidemic Intelligence Service Officers. Known as "Disease Detectives," they are the elite federal investigators trained to find the source, stop the spread, and protect the public in real time.
Dr. Paul Kilgore is one of them. As a former CDC EIS Officer, he has investigated outbreaks on the ground and applied epidemiological methods under pressure where the stakes were measured in lives. That training shaped everything that followed — 150+ peer-reviewed publications, COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, environmental health research on the Flint Water Crisis, and eventually the DETECTIVE Method™, his 9-step personal health framework that translates outbreak logic into individual health strategy.
This session takes attendees inside the process: how Disease Detectives think, how they investigate, and how they turn incomplete data into life-saving decisions under time pressure. Dr. Kilgore shares real cases from his career and then pivots to the powerful insight at the center of his work — that the same investigative framework used to solve outbreaks can be used by anyone to solve the puzzle of their own health.
Equal parts storytelling and science, this talk gives audiences a rare look at public health's front lines and a new way to think about their own health decisions.

Format: Keynote (ideal for opening or closing). Duration: 45–60 minutes. Target audience: All audiences — general public, students, healthcare professionals, corporate events, leadership conferences. Highly engaging storytelling format with practical takeaways. AV needs: screen, microphone, HDMI.