Alessandra Pratt

What inspired you to study public health?

A professor at my undergrad institution explained to me the upstream versus downstream approach to solving problems. Public health has the ability to be upstream and thereby preventing problems in the first place which is why I fell in love with it. I am helping people before they even know they need it.

What has been the single most rewarding experience of your career/studies so far?

At the University of Iowa, we have a class where we go into the community and do a safety consultation for a business and not-for-profit. The ability to actually help someone while still in school really inspired me.

What is the one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were starting out in public health?

There is a wide range of careers in public health and I would encourage you to look through all of them to see what fits you best!

What do you think is the biggest challenge that the public health field should be focusing on?

There are currently a lot of things that need to be focused on for public health but I think a major one is the opioid crisis.