My goal is to contribute to society by developing and putting to use the skills and knowledge necessary to promote health, prevent disease, and improve lives in a community.

There is an interconnectedness between individuals, communities, and the environment. Nobody exists in a vacuum. Public health focuses on improving the health of all people in a society.

My top three areas of interest are epidemiology, research methods, and environmental health. I think that researchers and policy makers need to work closer with the communities they are trying to help. A human-centered design approach to public health research could increase the translation of data into real-world results and problem-solving. Public health professionals should focus on interventions with realistic strategies that will be accepted and useful to real-world communities. An example is the food environment in low-income areas. Simply building a grocery store in a food desert will not translate into improved health outcomes in the community. Other variables must play a part also. Public health should focus on holistic approaches to improving communities while utilizing input from community members from the beginning of the research process.

•