MPH

A photo of a wildfire

Fire season

Michele Birkner

“'Quick! Look out the window, do you see the sun and the sky?'” I hear my sister say. I put down my book, run to my window, and am instantly awed by the red sun and dark, smoky sky. I realize that 'fire season' has begun."

Photo of Sword Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam

The international problem of mental healthcare

Kieu Anh Phan

"Growing up in Vietnam, I had never heard of the concept of mental health. But after a traumatic experience traveling home during COVID and being placed in a quarantine camp, my mind fell into a very dark place. There were very limited, if any, therapists or psychiatrists in my home country."

Maeve Jones, my sister, feeding my Grandpa. He suffered a stroke in September of 2019 and was in a skilled nursing facility from then until he passed in December of 2021. He declined more rapidly during COVID, and this picture was taken 6 months before his passing. Photo courtesy of Melissa Jones

The reality of COVID-19 in assisted living facilities

Morgan Jones

“In my year and a half working at a nursing home, I bonded with many residents while also watching many of them pass. The relationships I formed were very personally impactful, but I realized that we could be doing more to address the systemic issues affecting nursing homes.”

Childhood photo of the author sitting at table eating a sandwich.

The smallest in the class

Hailey Jurgens

“Growing up, I was always the smallest child in the class. Not only was I short, but I was also thin, sometimes surprisingly so. Doctors were always scaring my parents by telling them that I was falling behind the “normal” growth chart and encouraging them to make me eat more.”