This week, Lauren welcomes UI College of Public Health alumnus and recipient of the college's 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award, Dr. Vijay Golla. They discuss his journey into public health that began with his medical training in India, where he became interested in preventive medicine and social medicine. This led him to pursue a Ph.D. in industrial hygiene at the University of Iowa, where he focused his dissertation on assessing pesticide levels and related doses among farm families in Iowa.

After graduating, Dr. Golla returned to Western Kentucky University, where he obtained a training grant to support undergraduate and graduate students in environmental health sciences. In his current role as Vice Provost for Research and Health Sciences at Texas A&M, Dr. Golla has been able to significantly increase research funding and expand the university's health science initiatives, which he sees as a critical part of public health's future focus on disease prevention.

Dr. Golla emphasizes the importance of field experience, networking, and staying research-active for current public health students and young professionals. He is excited about public health's growing influence and its potential to play a pivotal role in providing personalized preventive healthcare recommendations, much like a vehicle's diagnostic system.

A transcript of this episode is available at https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/news-items/plugged-in-to-public-health-a-conversation-with-dr-vijay-golla/

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