prevent diseases. She saw the job as an opportunity to make vaccines more available to children in poorer parts of the world, such as Africa. Now, Dr. Gerberding is one of the top leaders at Merck. She wants to continue to help people in Philadelphia and around the world. For instance, she says, she is involved in a $500 million pro- gram to help women who are pregnant receive needed healthcare before and after the birth of their babies. Even though Dr. Gerberding leads a busy life, she pays attention to her own health. She practices pilates, which is a form of exercise like yoga. She wears a bracelet to track the number of steps she takes. Her goal is 10,000 steps daily. Sometimes she tricks herself into exercising by parking farther from the entrance of a building and by taking the stairs instead of using an elevator. And she likes to scuba dive with her husband. She is motivated to make life better for other people. It’s advice she shares with children. “Try to make a difference, no matter if it is big or small,” Dr. Gerberding says. For her, being a doctor allows her to make a difference. “That has been my passion since I was 4 years old,” she says. — By Jacey Captis, Hadil Jarhale, Courtney Knight, Mia Laquidara, and Robert Miller Marshall Street Healthy Bulletin 19 Illustrations by Sariyah Thomas, James Dobson Fit Fin