She served as the 1995-1996 president of the Student Council, acting as a bridge between Dean James Curran, then new on the job, and members of the student body, who were settling into new spaces in the recently completed Grace Crum Rollins Public Health Building. She completed internships at the CDC and CARE as part of her thesis research. By her graduation this spring, she had earned the honor of being listed in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. As communications manager, Brand remains responsible for promoting linkages. She is the conduit between managers in the field to the home office in Atlanta, enabling access to information and preparing manuals and documents for a lay staff.
Brand also summarizes quarterly reports on food commodities.
Partnerships are vital to Brand's approach to public health. Together they can tackle the magnitude of poverty and human development needs throughout the world. Outside the international offices of CARE in downtown Atlanta, Erin Brand takes a break from her job as communications manager for the development and relief organization. The work is difficult, with program staff going each day into the city's red light district to educate a largely illiterate population that has little access to health care services. Because of the dedication of the group and the rapport that they have developed with prostitutes in the district, they have made some progress.