Marissa Hardin

I grew up in Springfield, MO and went to Truman State University for my undergraduate degree where I majored in biology with additional focus in chemistry and music. I then went to UNMC in Omaha, Nebraska for my MPH degree and married my husband in 2020. During my graduate training, I worked on several projects focused on improving the health and wellness of students, faculty, and staff. I am especially interested in using health policy to improve the overall quality of life of communities. We currently live in Iowa City, IA and have a cat and a puppy.

I found public health because of my desire to combine my interest in science with my interest in community and human connection. I explored laboratory neuroscience research and attempted to answer my questions but ultimately found that my real interest is in health promotion and mental well-being rather than biochemical understanding of mental illness.

I love the opportunity that public health provides to impact a wider range of people within a community rather than just an individual. I am particularly interested in the prevention of mental illness and the promotion of wellness by making the healthy choices the easy ones!
I am excited to have the opportunity to join the public health workforce and am really looking forward to learning how to make an impact on a federal level! I am looking forward to learning more about how we can better diffuse the innovative research being done into our communities.

This project is focused on sharing innovative best practices with the public health workforce. I will be interpreting recordings of synchronous workforce development trainings into asynchronous, online trainings to disseminate the information to a wider audience.