Anushree Gade

What inspired you to study public health?

Through volunteering, I had come to see that there are many ways (policies, health disparities, etc.) health can be impacted aside from the most obvious ways. As I recognized this, I wanted to gain a more insightful understanding of why that was and what can be done to address those issues in order to enhance the health of populations.

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

I find my broad understanding of what impacts health to be the most rewarding experience of my studies so far. I started off with this tunnel vision that eventually grew into a broader understanding that there are many factors that impact health, not just individual choices and physician interactions. Things like policies, education levels, socioeconomic status, social support, and more can all negatively impact people. Being able to understand this was definitely the most rewarding to me.

Advice:

One piece of advice I wish someone had given me when I started studying public health is that getting involved with public health research early will help you apply and reinforce what you are learning in the classroom.

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

I believe that the the field of public health should focus on bridging the gaps causing health disparities. Health disparities have a large impact on health outcomes; addressing the health disparities can alleviate the differences in health between populations.