Plugged In to Public Health: The public health case for period products

Period poverty affects millions of people, yet it remains one of the least discussed public health challenges. In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, Lauren sits down with Maanya Pandey, public health student at the University of Iowa and founder and president of Love For Red, to discuss how a nonprofit she started in high school has grown into a statewide organization working to improve access to menstrual products across Iowa. Published July 6, 2026

Webinar: the HPV vaccine, progress, gaps, and the path to cancer elimination

The College of Public Health and Iowa Immunizes have launched a new webinar series celebrating two decades of cancer prevention, protection, and progress made possible by the HPV vaccine. The next webinar in the series is August 6, with a session on progress, gaps, and the path to cancer elimination. Published June 30, 2026

CERT Fellowship accepting applications

The Environmental Health Sciences Research Center is pleased to announce that applications are open for the 2026 Community Engagement and Research Translation (CERT) Fellowship. Awards of $5,000 available to facilitate community engaged and translational research related to environmental health. Application due August 14th, the grant period will be October 1, 2026 - March 31, 2027.  Published June 29, 2026

CPH student awarded Leona Zaharis Scholarship to study abroad

Sercie Gee, a junior majoring in public health with minors in sociology and leadership studies, is studying abroad this summer as part of the Maternal Health Abroad program in Costa Rica thanks to a Leona Zaharis Scholarship from UI International Programs. Published June 29, 2026

Community raises more concerns at Linn County meeting on Morgan Valley power plant 

UI professor Peter Thorne, a former chair of the EPA Science Advisory Board, spoke at a recent meeting about the health impacts associated with the criteria pollutants a gas turbine plant would emit — primarily nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, ozone, and fine particulate matter. Published June 26, 2026

O’Shaughnessy talks potential impacts of proposed energy center in Linn County

University of Iowa College of Public Health professor Patrick O’Shaughnessy recently spoke about monitoring emissions and potential health impacts of the proposed Morgan Valley Energy Center near Cedar Rapids.  Published June 25, 2026

Creating Accessible Content: A Conversation with Public Health Professionals

Join this 1-hour webinar on July 14 to learn the basics of digital accessibility, hear from a panel of public health professionals about real-world implementation of new guidelines, and participate in a live Q&A. Live captioning will be available. Published June 25, 2026

Healthier Workforce Center hosts workshop on building recovery-friendly workplaces

The Recovery Friendly Hawkeye Initiative (RFHI) seeks to make the University of Iowa a national leader in Recovery Friendly Workplace practices by promoting a “culture of care” that supports well-being, mental health, and recovery. RFHI will host a campus-wide meeting on July 15 to connect providers and researchers across prevention, treatment, and recovery, featuring lightning talks, roundtables, and collaboration opportunities. Published June 23, 2026

UI researchers say many moms unbuckle while driving

Cara Hamann, a University of Iowa associate professor of epidemiology, is part of a team of UI researchers who examined seat belt habits among pregnant and postpartum women.  Published June 22, 2026

Student Spotlight: Olivia Caldera

Check out this new student profile of recent MPH graduate Olivia Caldera. She's transitioning to a new role as a research associate in the Prevention Research Center for Rural Health (PRC-RH) while pursuing her PhD in Community and Behavioral Health.  Published June 17, 2026