From late-night study sessions to launching podcasts and organizing service days, Wensday Worth (18MPH) made the most of her time at Iowa — and she’s still making an impact today.

As Deputy Director of Communications at the Scientific Consulting Group, Wensday works alongside NIH researchers to bring groundbreaking health discoveries to the public. Her days are filled with strategy, storytelling, and science — all aimed at improving lives and building healthier communities.

We recently asked Wensday a few questions about her work and how her education helped prepare her for her career.

Wensday Worth

18MPH Community and Behavioral Health

Current City, State: Washington, DC

What is your current job title and employer?

Deputy Director of Communications at the Scientific Consulting Group, Inc.

Tell us about the type of work you do, or what a typical day is like.

In my role, I support researchers and communicators at the National Institutes of Health with the development and implementation of communication campaigns on the latest studies related to health and scientific breakthroughs. Each day can be quite different, but I spend most of my time collaborating with researchers, writing health content for websites and social media, discussing performance and analytics, and discussing strategic approaches with my team.

What do you find most rewarding about your public health work?

The most rewarding thing about my work is the chance to have an impact on the health and well-being of people. The opportunity to share groundbreaking information to promote health and prevent disease as well as helping to connect community members to one another is incredibly fulfilling. Our focus in public health is to serve people by providing them with the best ways to be healthy and enhance their lives, and I love being a part of that!

What made you choose a career in health communication or how did you find yourself on this career path?

Health communication is a necessary thread within community and behavioral health and public health overall, and I found myself continuously drawn to it throughout my time in the MPH degree program. I also participated in other activities that centered around health communication, like my role supporting the Prevention Research Center’s Active Ottumwa project which has now evolved into Active Iowa. This project focused on promoting physical activity among adults with the help of training Physical Activity Leaders who were local champions within the community.

What attributes of your MPH degree program prepared you for success in your career?

The MPH program taught me how to understand and condense complex health and behavior information into consumable media for the general public. This has been vital in my role as a health communicator who supports federally funded research efforts! The foundational knowledge of conducting and evaluating qualitative and quantitative research provided by the MPH degree program has been critical in my position as we work to better understand the needs of the communities we serve and to assess the impact of our efforts. Additionally, I learned a lot about leadership and management from course work but also from CPH-related activities like participating in the Health Equity Advancement Lab or establishing the Graduate Student Ambassador Program.

What is your favorite memory of your time at Iowa?

There are too many to pick one favorite!

• I enjoyed connecting with and learning from other MPH students. We spent many nights studying at the CPH building and even signed up for intramural volleyball and basketball together.
• Launching the From the Front Row podcast [now called Plugged In to Public Health] where voices of students at CPH were given a platform to discuss topics of interest and interviewing professors for the Friday Faculty Feature.
• Organizing the annual Student Day of Service in 2017 where we coordinated with local organizations to provide incoming students with an opportunity to learn more about community engagement.
• Presenting my capstone project which was completed with mentorship from Johnson County Public Health prior to graduation.