University of Iowa College of Public Health

What happens when we make space to slow down, pay attention, and simply be? In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, Lauren talks with Leslie Wright, executive director of Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center in Hiawatha, Iowa. Founded by six Franciscan sisters in 1996, Prairiewoods encompasses 67 acres of restored prairie and woodland and was created around the idea of ecological spirituality: an understanding that human wellbeing, community, spirituality, and our relationship with the natural world are deeply interconnected. Leslie shares the story of Prairiewoods and the many ways people use the space, from walking its trails and spending time in nature to retreats, yoga, qigong, meditation, spiritual direction, gardening, and simply finding a quiet place to pause. But the conversation quickly becomes about more than one place. Lauren and Leslie explore what it means to live in a culture that constantly rewards productivity and doing, why opportunities for quiet and contemplation can feel increasingly rare, and what we may lose when every available moment is filled with stimulation. They discuss wonder and awe, creativity and repetitive practices, belonging, resilience, grief, radical hospitality, and the many different paths people can take toward connection and wellbeing. Leslie also offers practical ways to begin, whether through breath, movement, time outside, creative practice, or simply becoming more intentional about what receives our attention. At its heart, this episode is an invitation to consider a different set of questions: What are the things in your life that matter enough to make space for? Where do you find quiet? What allows you to experience wonder? And what might happen if, every once in a while, you stopped trying to do more and gave yourself permission simply to be? Learn more about Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center: https://prairiewoods.org/ A transcript of this episode is available at https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/news-items/plugged-in-to-public-health-the-health-of-being-and-why-slowing-down-matters/ In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, Lauren talks with Leslie Wright, executive director of Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center in Hiawatha, Iowa. Founded by six Franciscan sisters in 1996, Prairiewoods encompasses 67 acres of restored prairie and woodland and was created around the idea of ecological spirituality: an understanding that human well-being, community, spirituality, and our relationship with the natural world are deeply interconnected. Have a question for our podcast crew or an idea for an episode? You can email them at [email protected] You can also support Plugged In To Public Health by sharing this episode and others with your friends, colleagues, and social networks. #publichealth #healthcare #mentalhealth #ecological #spirituality #meditation #wellbeing #creativity #selfcare #iowacity

In 2006, the first HPV vaccine was approved in the United States, giving public health a powerful new tool: a vaccine capable of preventing infections that can eventually cause cancer. Twenty years later, what have we learned? In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, Lauren sits down with Dr. Aloysius “Al” Klingelhutz, professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Iowa. Dr. Klingelhutz has conducted research examining how human papillomaviruses, or HPV, interact with human cells and contribute to the cellular changes associated with cancer. The conversation begins with the basics of HPV, a group of more than 200 related viruses. While many HPV infections cause no serious health problems, persistent infection with certain types can cause cancers of the cervix, anus, penis, vagina, vulva, and oropharynx, or back of the throat. Dr. Klingelhutz walks us through the scientific story behind the HPV vaccine, beginning with the research that established HPV as a cause of cervical cancer and continuing through scientists’ efforts to understand how the virus transforms human cells. He explains how that knowledge eventually made it possible to develop virus-like particles that could train the immune system to recognize HPV without exposing someone to the cancer-causing components of the virus. Lauren and Dr. Klingelhutz also discuss how HPV vaccination recommendations have evolved over the past 20 years, why vaccination is most effective before exposure to HPV, and why vaccination is important for both males and females. Finally, the episode turns from discovery to implementation. Despite two decades of research supporting HPV vaccination, vaccination coverage remains an important public health issue. The conversation explores vaccine misinformation, conversations between healthcare providers and parents, and the challenge of translating an effective scientific intervention into widespread cancer prevention. Twenty years after the HPV vaccine first became available, this episode looks back at one of modern public health’s major cancer-prevention advances and asks what it will take to realize its full potential. Learn More For more information about HPV, HPV-associated cancers, and HPV vaccination: CDC: Cancers Caused by HPV https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/about/cancers-caused-by-hpv.html National Cancer Institute: HPV and Cancer https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-and-cancer National Cancer Institute: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Fact Sheet https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-vaccine-fact-sheet FDA: Gardasil https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/gardasil A transcript of this episode is available at https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/news-items/plugged-in-to-public-health-a-vaccine-against-cancer-20-years-of-hpv-prevention/ Have a question for our podcast crew or an idea for an episode? You can email them at [email protected] You can also support Plugged In To Public Health by sharing this episode and others with your friends, colleagues, and social networks. #publichealth #healthcare #HPV #vaccines #cancer #cancerprevention #research #microbiology #immunology #iowacity

What can studying public health abroad teach us about healthcare, migration, and the social factors that shape health? In this episode of Plugged In to Public Health, Lauren talks with Sarah Chen, a fourth-year undergraduate student in the University of Iowa College of Public Health who is also pursuing a certificate in human rights. Sarah spent eight weeks in Taiwan interning with Harmony Home Foundation Taiwan, an organization whose work includes supporting people living with HIV, migrant workers, undocumented individuals, and their children. During her internship, Sarah worked primarily with migrant families and children, developing English lessons, assisting with health education programming, and accompanying clients to clinics, hospitals, vaccination appointments, and other healthcare services. Sarah shares what it was like to work largely in Mandarin and navigate public health in a different cultural context. She also discusses her firsthand experience with Taiwan’s national health insurance system and some of the striking differences she observed between healthcare in Taiwan and the United States. The conversation also explores the challenges facing migrant workers, the relationship between citizenship and access to healthcare and social services, provider burnout, community advocacy, and the role that nonprofits and healthcare organizations can play in filling gaps in care. Finally, Sarah reflects on what she brought home from Taiwan and why international experiences can be particularly valuable for public health students. Her experience illustrates how concepts like social determinants of health, health equity, and cross-cultural communication can look very different when encountered in people’s everyday lives rather than discussed in a classroom A transcript of this episode is available at https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/news-items/plugged-in-to-public-health-from-iowa-to-taiwan-public-health-beyond-the-classroom/ Have a question for our podcast crew or an idea for an episode? You can email them at [email protected] You can also support Plugged In To Public Health by sharing this episode and others with your friends, colleagues, and social networks. #publichealth #healthcare #migrants #humanrights #internship #studyabroad #healthequity #healthinsurance #nonprofit #iowacity

What does it actually take to become a stem cell donor, and what happens when you find out you’re a match? In this episode of Plugged Into Public Health, Lauren sits down with Grayson Wills, a fourth-year nursing student at the University of Iowa, to talk about stem cell and bone marrow donation from both a deeply personal and practical perspective. Grayson’s connection to the donor registry began when his twin brother, Calder, was diagnosed with stage four blood cancer as a child. Years later, Grayson joined the registry himself and eventually learned that he was a match for a patient in Canada. Grayson walks through the process from joining the registry and completing a cheek swab to medical screening, preparing for donation, and spending several hours actually donating stem cells. He also discusses some of the misconceptions that can make people hesitant to register, including concerns about pain, cost, missed work, and what bone marrow donation actually involves. The conversation also explores why diversity within donor registries matters, how Grayson’s experiences with his brother and his own donation have influenced the nurse he hopes to become, and why he believes simply joining the registry is an important first step. To learn more about stem cell and bone marrow donation or joining the donor registry, visit the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) at https://www.nmdp.org/ A transcript of this episode is available at https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/news-items/plugged-in-to-public-health-what-it-really-takes-to-be-a-stem-cell-donor/ Have a question for our podcast crew or an idea for an episode? You can email them at [email protected] You can also support Plugged In To Public Health by sharing this episode and others with your friends, colleagues, and social networks. #publichealth #healthcare #stemcells #bonemarrow #donorregistry #nursing #donation #healthscreening #healthconcerns #iowacity

What happens when the community pharmacy becomes a front door to healthcare? In this episode of Plugged In To Public Health, Lauren talks with Mylo Wells, PharmD, owner of Wells Hometown Drug and Wells Hometown Clinic in southeast Iowa. After graduating from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2018, Mylo opened his first independent pharmacy in Bloomfield just months later. He has since expanded to a second pharmacy location and, in November 2025, opened Iowa's first pharmacist-led walk-in clinic. Mylo explains how changes to Iowa's pharmacy practice framework have allowed pharmacists to use their clinical training in new ways, including evaluating and treating certain health conditions, prescribing medications, and ordering tests. He walks through what patients can be seen for at the clinic, how the clinic determines when someone needs a higher level of care, and why same-day access is particularly important in rural communities where other walk-in options may be miles away. Lauren and Mylo also discuss the economics behind the model, including Medicaid coverage, cash-pay visits, challenges with commercial insurance credentialing, and the larger question of how pharmacists can be compensated for clinical expertise that has historically been provided informally or for free. The conversation also explores the unique role of rural pharmacists as trusted members of their communities, the importance of practicing at the top of one's license, relationships between pharmacists and other local healthcare providers, workforce development, and whether similar models could expand to other communities and states. At a time when many conversations about rural healthcare focus on closures and declining access, this episode looks at a different story: how one rural pharmacist is building new access points to care and rethinking what community pharmacy can look like. Resources: Iowa Pharmacy Association: Standard of Care https://www.iarx.org/soc Iowa Pharmacy Association: Standard of Care FAQs https://www.iarx.org/soc_faq Wells Hometown Clinic https://www.wellshometowndrug.com/clinic/ Wells Hometown Drug https://www.wellshometowndrug.com/ A transcript of this episode is available at https://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/news-items/plugged-in-to-public-health-rural-pharmacy-reimagined-and-expanding-access-to-care/ Have a question for our podcast crew or an idea for an episode? You can email them at [email protected] You can also support Plugged In To Public Health by sharing this episode and others with your friends, colleagues, and social networks. #publichealth #healthcare #ruralhealth #pharmacy #healthclinic #insurance #communityhealth #workforcedevelopment #localbusiness #iowacity