News

Plugged in to Public Health: The impacts of relaxed staff training and licensing requirements on nursing homes

Lauren welcomes Gulrukh Mehboob for a discussion about the impacts of relaxed staff training and licensing requirements on nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gul is a Fulbright PhD scholar at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, studying health workforce policy, particularly in long-term care settings. Published July 10, 2025

Pentella offers food safety tips for 4th of July cookouts

University of Iowa Professor of Epidemiology Michael Pentella says proper preparation and cooking food thoroughly are keys to avoid food-borne illnesses during holiday cookouts. (KGAN) Published July 8, 2025

College of Public Health renews appointments of two key leaders

The University of Iowa College of Public Health has announced the reappointment of Maggie Chorazy and Brandi Janssen following comprehensive reviews conducted this spring. Published July 8, 2025

Disaster PrepWise program and AmeriCorps volunteers team up in Linn County

Linn County Public Health and the Linn County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) announced Tuesday the addition of two AmeriCorps members to enhance disaster preparedness efforts for older populations. (KGAN) Published July 3, 2025

Maternal and Migrant Health in Costa Rica: Q&A with student Maggie Meehan

Maggie Meehan is an undergraduate public health student who traveled to Costa Rica this summer to study maternal health issues in the migrant community. She recently answered a few questions for us and shared her thoughts about the experience. Published July 2, 2025

Plugged in to Public Health: Culturally responsive breast cancer screening, treatment, and care

In this episode, Max Hansen welcomes Dr. Mikael Hartman from the National University of Singapore and Professor Cynthia Chou, a medical anthropologist from University of Iowa, to discuss the Breast Cancer Prevention Program, a multifaceted research initiative aimed at improving breast cancer screening, care, and prevention in Southeast Asia. Published July 1, 2025

Iowa Cancer Registry to present on cancer in Johnson County

As part of the Cancer in Iowa: 99 Counties Project, the Iowa Cancer registry will host a public meeting on Monday, June 30 to present cancer data and insights specific to Johnson County.  Published June 26, 2025

Plugged in to Public Health: Changing stigma to support with the Empower Project

Dr. Nichole Nidey, assistant professor in the University of Iowa Department of Epidemiology, joins Lauren to talk about the Empower Project, a collaborative effort that aims to improve research and clinical care related to substance use during pregnancy. Published June 18, 2025

Meet our CPH staff: Dixie Ecklund

Dixie Ecklund, Associate Director of the Clinical Trials Statistical and Data Management Center at the UI College of Public Health, talks about her journey from early HIV research to her current role at the CTSDMC and how her work in clinical trials and public health is improving lives in Iowa and across the nation. Published June 18, 2025

Study: Gut microbiome composition, food insecurity linked to risk of cognitive impairment in adults

Shoshannah Eggers, assistant professor of epidemiology, is part of a research team that found a compelling link between the composition of the gut microbiome and the risk of cognitive impairment in adults, underscoring the complex role that both biology and social determinants—such as food insecurity—play in brain health. (EurekAlert!) Published June 18, 2025