University of Iowa College of Public Health

Period poverty affects millions of people, yet it remains one of the least discussed public health challenges. In this episode of Plugged into Public Health, Lauren sits down with Maanya Pandey, founder and president of Love For Red, to discuss how a nonprofit she started as a high school student has grown into a statewide organization working to improve menstrual product access across Iowa. Toget...

What does support really mean for caregivers? In this episode, Lauren sits down with Emily Killian, a PhD candidate in Community and Behavioral Health at the University of Iowa, to discuss her research on caregivers of people living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Emily shares how her interest in aging and caregiving led her to study social support networks, particularly among care...

As America's population ages, access to long-term care is becoming an increasingly urgent issue, especially in rural communities. In this episode, Lauren sits down with Dr. Hari Sharma to discuss the growing challenge of nursing home closures in rural America and what those closures mean for patients, families, and communities. While nursing homes have always opened and closed over time, recent ye...

In this episode of Plugged Into Public Health, Lauren sits down with Professor Baker from the University of Iowa College of Law to unpack the complicated legal framework surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, parental leave, and workplace protections in the United States. Together, they explore how pregnancy became treated primarily through discrimination law, why the U.S. differs so dramatically from...

This week on Plugged In to Public Health, Raj and Faith sit down with renowned biostatistician and public health researcher Bhramar Mukherjee following her Hansen Distinguished Lecture at the University of Iowa College of Public Health. Dr. Mukherjee shares her journey from studying mathematics in India to becoming a leading voice in biostatistics, epidemiology, and public communication during the...

This week on Plugged In to Public Health, Lauren sits down with Dr. Erin Wissler Gerdes, recent PhD graduate from the University of Iowa College of Public Health, to discuss the mental and emotional realities of early parenthood, including anxiety, burnout, loneliness, and “parental rage.” Drawing from her dissertation research and personal experience as a parent of three young children, Erin expl...

In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, Lauren sits down with Rachel Valentine, a PhD student in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Iowa, practicing therapist, and Mental Health Director for Graduate and Professional Student Government. Together, they explore the growing issue of isolation among graduate and professional students and discuss how institutions can bette...

In part two of this conversation, we continue our discussion with Professor Hannah Shultz, shifting from rising food prices to the deeper policy and ethical questions shaping food access in the United States. This episode explores the debate around SNAP restrictions, including whether limiting certain food purchases actually improves health outcomes or instead reinforces stigma and inequity. We al...

In this episode, we sit down with Professor Hannah Shultz to unpack what rising food prices actually mean for food access and food insecurity in the United States. From grocery store sticker shock to broader policy decisions, this conversation connects everyday experiences to the larger systems shaping who can afford to eat and how. We explore how inflation, supply chain dynamics, and labor challe...

In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, Lauren sits down with Dr. Amy Herring, Professor of Statistical Science and Dean of Natural Sciences at Duke University, to explore how biostatistics shapes real-world public health research. From her early interest in applying math to meaningful problems to her current work across a wide range of health topics, Dr. Herring shares what it really look...

What does a local health department actually do and how do they decide what matters most in a community? In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, we sit down with Jamie Gade, Social Determinants of Health Coordinator at Johnson County Public Health, to talk about Healthy JoCo, the county’s community health assessment and improvement initiative. Jamie walks us through how public health teams...

A Public Health Internship Abroad: In this episode of Plugged in to Public Health, Lauren speaks with University of Iowa public health student Jahanvi Chawla about her summer internship abroad in London. Through a hybrid program that combined coursework and hands on experience, Jahanvi worked with Healthwatch Enfield, a community organization that gathers local feedback on healthcare access and co...

In this episode of Plugged into Public Health, host Lauren Lavin sits down with University of Iowa MHA alum Jim Skogsbergh to reflect on a 43 year career in healthcare leadership. Jim recently retired after more than two decades as a hospital CEO and shares what he learned about leadership, mentorship, and building strong teams in healthcare organizations. Jim discusses his early career path after...

In this episode, we sit down with Brian Gryzlak, Program Director at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, to talk about what it really takes to coordinate large multi-site epidemiological research. Brian directs Iowa’s participation in PCORnet, a national patient-centered clinical research network that standardizes healthcare data across institutions to support large-scale comparative...

In this episode of Plugged Into Public Health, three second-year MHA students reflect on their summer internship experiences and the lessons they are carrying forward into their administrative fellowships. Matt Mathew shares his experience at UCHealth in Colorado, where he worked across multiple service lines including trauma, oncology, cardiovascular, and neuro/spine. He discusses leading Lean Si...

In this episode of Plugged Into Public Health, Lauren speaks with Dr. Jill Kolesar about ovarian cancer, precision medicine, and the challenges of translating scientific discovery into real-world care. Dr. Kolesar explains why ovarian cancer remains difficult to treat, including late-stage diagnosis and limited response to immunotherapy. She shares her team’s work on a novel cell-based therapy des...

What happens when accessing health care requires booking a flight instead of driving down the road? In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, we talk with John Desfor, a University of Iowa MPH graduate now working in rural health research and policy in Hawaii. John shares what rural health looks like in one of the most geographically isolated regions in the United States and why transportati...

In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, we sit down with James Byrne, assistant professor of radiation oncology and biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa, to explore how interdisciplinary science is reshaping cancer care. Dr. Byrne shares his path through MD-PhD training and explains how his work bridges medicine, engineering, and biology to address some of the biggest challenge...

In Part Two of our conversation on yoga and addiction recovery, we continue our discussion with Noelle, a trauma informed yoga teacher whose work bridges holistic practice, recovery support, and community healing. This episode moves beyond introduction and into impact, exploring what healing can look like over the long term and why recovery is about far more than willpower alone. Noelle shares ins...

In this first episode of our two part series on yoga and addiction, we sit down with Noelle, a trauma informed yoga teacher who leads Recovery Yoga in Iowa City. Her work brings movement, breath, and community into addiction treatment settings, creating a space where people can reconnect with their bodies and experience healing without judgment. Host Lauren, a yoga teacher of nine years, reflects...

How we talk to older adults matters more than we think. In this episode of Plugged into Public Health, host Lauren Lavin talks with Dr. Claire Shaw, assistant professor at the University of Iowa College of Nursing, about her research on dementia care and the communication patterns that shape it. Dr. Shaw explains what elderspeak is, why it often appears in caregiving settings, and how even well-me...

In this episode, Lauren talks with second year MHA students Hayden Malven and Gracie Petersen about their summer internships and the lessons they carried forward from those experiences. Hayden spent her summer working in finance and service line strategy at University of Iowa Health Care, while Gracie completed an operations internship at UNC Children’s in North Carolina. They share how they chose...

In recognition of National Injury Prevention Day on November 18, this episode takes a closer look at pediatric agricultural injuries and what prevention looks like in real farm communities. Host Lauren sits down with Dr. Jenna Gibbs from the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and Libby Richie from the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health to discuss the risks children face o...

In this second episode of our two-part series on trade and economics, Plugged into Public Health host Lauren Lavin continues her conversation with Dr. Anne Villamil, professor of economics at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. Dr. Villamil breaks down what tariffs really mean, such as who pays for them, how they influence industries like manufacturing and agriculture, and why trade...

Trade policies shape everything from the price of goods to the stability of global economies, but how do they actually work? In part one of this two-part series, Plugged into Public Health host Lauren Lavin sits down with Dr. Anne Villamil, professor of economics at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, to unpack the history and complexity of international trade. Dr. Villamil shares h...