From the Front Row

From the Front Row logo

Subscribe to our award-winning student-run podcast on public health. New episodes each week feature discussions with public health experts on topics relevant to everyone.

Where to listen

Spotify logo

Spotify

SoundCloud logo

SoundCloud

iTunes logo

iTunes

Meet our podcasters

Adriana Kotchkoski

Adriana Kotchkoski

Adriana is a first-year MHA student. She received a Bachelor of Social Work and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with certificates in Global Health and Leadership. She values multi-sector collaboration and working with social and community service agencies to promote health equity. Adriana holds that it is not just about delivering care but how you deliver it. Her professional mission is to increase communication among all stakeholders—healthcare providers, researchers, community leaders, and patients. Adriana enjoys baking, tea, and spending time with her cat, Dorian.

Lauren Lavin

Lauren Lavin

Lauren is a first year PhD student in Health Services and Administration from Sioux Falls, SD. Lauren completed undergrad at the University of South Dakota with a BS in Psychology and minors in Business Administration and Economics. After undergrad she launched a bakery, Bakologie, in her hometown before deciding to head back to school. Currently, she is doing research in the Emergency Department on the impact of COVID-19 on telehealth for underserved individuals. She is also interested in rural health topics. Lauren also loves to get involved on campus and is a part of several graduate and professional student groups.

Rasika Mukkamala

Rasika Mukkamala

Rasika is a first year Master of Health Administration student in the department of Health Management and Policy from Highlands Ranch, CO.  She received her BS in Health Administration and Policy from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. She currently works at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as a Strategic Relations Graduate Assistant and is the 2022 recipient of the Adrienne Astolfi Eddins Health Management Scholarship. Rasika’s professional interests include human resources, specifically physician recruitment and employee wellness/engagement.

Garrett Naughton

Garrett Naughton

Garrett is a 3rd-year undergraduate public health student. Originally a microbiology major with plans to study pathology after graduation, Garrett shifted gears after taking the fundamentals of public health course. He is still pursuing a minor in microbiology and plans to combine the knowledge of both disciplines in order to specialize in disease prevention. In 2022, Garrett worked alongside graduate students at the Johnson County Department of Public Health collecting data for a summer research project. He is also an undergraduate public health ambassador and informs new students about the possibilities that are possible to those that study public health.

Amy Wu

Amy Wu

Amy is a first-year master’s student in Biostatistics from Ankeny, IA. She received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University in cellular, molecular, and genetic biology with a minor in statistics. During her gap year, she worked in both pharmacogenetics at GlaxoSmithKline, as well as biotech for a cancer genomics company in Boston. Her academic interests include genomics, neurodegenerative disease, and Bayesian statistics.

Questions or comments for our hosts? Email us!