My legacy is not to have one, because championing public health is what we all should be doing.
Joanna Buffington kept going to school because she loved learning—and, in her words, because she didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up. She discovered a passion for science while an undergraduate at Wesleyan, but it wasn't until graduate school at Tufts that she decided to continue on to a medical education, rather than work in labs that conducted experiments on animals.
At the time, Joanna had a limited view of what public health entailed. “I thought it was mostly just reporting on gonorrhea,” she joked. Still unsure of her long-term path, she earned her MD from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. “Since no one in my family took the medical path, except maybe a great or a great-great, I knew that it would be great fun to go to medical school,” she said.
But during her medical internship, she had an alarming realization—she did not enjoy taking care of people who were hospitalized mostly due to chronic and preventable illnesses. It was during this turning point that she met Marc LaForce, who introduced her to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), the globally renowned and highly competitive two-year post-doctoral public health service fellowship in applied epidemiology. Thanks to his guidance, Joanna spent two years in EIS, which she described as “fabulous,” working in influenza and addressing outbreaks in many countries.
Her first EIS assignment involved persuading young, healthy adults to get the flu vaccine not for themselves, but to protect the people at high risk with whom they worked or lived.
“That’s public health,” Joanna said. “People don’t think about it until there’s something in their neighborhood affecting their day-to-day lives: from COVID-19, all the way to an algae bloom in a nearby pond that could hurt their dogs. Although it can be frustrating when people don’t understand public health’s importance, it’s not our job to scold them. It’s our job to ask, ‘How do we help people get it?’”
Seeing hospitals as a last resort, Joanna became increasingly frustrated by preventable health crises. “Rather than treating someone who smoked for 50 years, wouldn’t it be better to prevent them from ever starting?” she asked. She saw CDC as one of the few institutions taking this big picture approach, connecting the dots across silos and working holistically to solve public health problems.
Joanna Buffington rescued stranded and cold-stunned endangered Kemps' Ridley sea turtles while volunteering with Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Joanna Buffington and friends on Coast Guard Beach at sunrise in Eastham, in January, taken before a cold plunge into the ocean. Most are volunteers with Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary turtle programs.
A diamondback terrapin hatchling
During the second year of EIS, Joanna was accepted into CDC’s Preventive Medicine Residency Program, which included spending the following year in a state health department (New Hampshire) and attending the Harvard School of Public Health for her master’s in public health. Degree in hand, she went back to CDC, where she would spend the next 16 years. Her first role at CDC brought her full circle, overseeing the very program that had begun her love of public health: EIS.
“I loved my work with CDC, especially when I was out in the field. I realized how lucky we are to have such incredibly dedicated people working all over the world. There are so many wonderful people in public health, not for the money, but because they care.”
Of her many accomplishments at CDC, one stands out. As the acting head of EIS, Joanna played a key role in the admissions process. She advocated fiercely for two candidates she believed belonged in the program—individuals who likely wouldn’t have been accepted without her voice at the table.
It was also during her time at CDC that Joanna first encountered the CDC Foundation. Working with the Foundation, Joanna permanently endowed the annual Alexander L. Langmuir Prize.
“Thank goodness there was the vision to start the CDC Foundation,” Joanna said. “It can move faster and is more flexible than federal entities. It was the perfect partner to help me give back in a meaningful, lasting way.”
Now retired, Joanna spends her time volunteering with causes she holds dear, like stranded sea turtle rescues and serving on the board of her local land trust. She is a great lover of animals, and she jokes that she should patent the term “catupuncture,” resulting from her cat Blender’s use of his claws.
Her view of public health has only deepened with time. “We are all connected here on earth,” she said. “We can’t do it all as individuals, but as a network, we can do amazing things. If we take the right steps today, they ripple out and make tomorrow better.”
Peter Buffington
Joanna Buffington stands quietly on Lieutenant Island, Wellfleet, as a diamondback terrapin digs a nest near her foot, beside an earlier one protected by a predator excluder. She’s volunteering with Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Joanna Buffington's cat, Blender, showcasing his “catupuncture” use of his claws
In that spirit, Joanna recently chose to reimagine her own endowment to maximize its impact. She merged it into the EISAA Leading the Way Endowment, aligning it with the long-term goals of the EIS Alumni Association.
Her passion for giving back is shared across generations. Joanna honored the legacy of her late uncle, Peter Buffington, by continuing the charitable giving he valued. A quintessential New Yorker who adored libraries, museums, parks and the arts, Peter embraced life with curiosity and generosity. “When I visited, he’d say, ‘Oh, I’ve already seen this exhibit six times—but I’ll go again with you!’” Joanna recalled.
Peter spent his career helping others on investments and estate planning at Chase Manhattan Bank but did not plan for himself. Joanna eventually became his health proxy and the director of his trust, ensuring his philanthropic intentions were carried forward, including gifts to the CDC Foundation.
“Peter was a ‘today’ person,” she said. “He enjoyed life so much and gave generously but never thought about estate planning. I hope to strike a balance. As George Carlin said, ‘I want to slide into home base at net zero.’”
Her experience managing Peter’s trust reinforced a lesson she shares with others: “If you don’t make your own plan, someone else will. We don’t like to think about the end of life. And it’s so much more fun to give while you’re here to enjoy it.”
Joanna believes strongly that giving is both joyful and necessary. “People with means need to keep investing in things that matter—especially in challenging times,” she said. “It’s not just fun to give. It’s crucial.”
When asked about her legacy, she responded with humility: “It’s not mine, it’s ours. It’s our planet and I share it with a lot of creatures, including humans. My legacy is not to have one, because championing public health is what we all should be doing.”
The CDC Foundation helps extend CDC’s lifesaving work through partnerships and philanthropy. Like Joanna and Peter Buffington, you can make a lasting impact by including the CDC Foundation in your will or estate plan. To learn more about legacy giving, visit our Planned Giving website.
