Ambitious senior tackles health disparities and criminal justice reform
Bhaavna Yalavarthi, BA ’25
Community and Global Public Health
Bhaavna Yalavarthi's resumé rivals those of graduate students who have spent many more years at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. That’s because the senior has packed a lot into her four years.
As an undergraduate pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Community and Global Public Health, Yalavarthi has gone above and beyond to demonstrate her commitment to public health, criminal justice reform and policy advocacy.
Through her involvement in the Prison Birth Project, CURIS Public Health Advocacy, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), campaign organizing, and internships at the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office and Friends of Cancer Research she has gained practical experience, honed her leadership skills, and made significant contributions to meaningful initiatives.
Through these experiences during her four years at Michigan, Yalavarthi, who aspires to one day be a physician, has developed a deep understanding of complex health disparities and social justice issues.
It started when Yalavarthi was a freshman, as she sought involvement in criminal justice reform, inspired by her previous campaign work as a high school student with a local prosecutor.
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I was in high school when the pandemic happened, and it really opened my eyes to how medicine isn’t enough for improving health in populations,” she said. “It opened my eyes to the importance of social determinants of health and health communication.”
At Michigan, she identified the Prison Birth Project as a perfect fit, integrating criminal justice reform and reproductive health, and joined as a committee member. Enthusiastic about addressing health disparities, Yalavarthi advanced to policy director and then president, engaging with state senators and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Her time working with the Prison Birth Project surrounded her with like-minded individuals and provided inspiration from seniors pursuing medical and policy careers, allowing her to lead and mentor others in a field that combines public health with justice reform.
“When I first joined the Prison Birth Project, it was incredible to be surrounded by so many people who were also interested in criminal justice reform from a public health lens,” said Yalavarthi, who also is minoring in Policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Policy. “A lot of the people who were seniors when I was a freshman have gone on to med school and are hoping to do health policy work or work in prisons.
“Now, as a senior, it’s been great to lead the team and sort of be that older person that I looked up to when I was a freshman. It’s great to pay that forward.”
Her involvement at the university stretches beyond the Prison Birth Project.
She found herself equally engaged in CURIS, a public health initiative partnering with community organizations in Washtenaw County. As leader of the Washtenaw Health Initiative committee for CURIS, Yalavarthi has played a key role in helping the nonprofit aimed at improving health outcomes for uninsured and underinsured residents.
“We worked on a policy brief about integrating health and social services, an effort to see how these two essential services could better complement each other,” she said.
Yalavarthi first became interested in public health as a high school student during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was in high school when the pandemic happened, and it really opened my eyes to how medicine isn’t enough for improving health in populations,” she said. “It opened my eyes to the importance of social determinants of health and health communication.”
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Yalavarthi had always been keenly aware of the University of Michigan’s prestige and its influence on her hometown.
“The university was such a big part of my life,” she said. “I knew that if I wanted flexibility in my career path, Michigan would be the place to provide a great education in so many different areas.
“By the time I was applying, I knew I was interested in both public health and public policy and that the Ford School and Michigan Public Health were both incredible. Michigan just offered a great opportunity to get both experiences.”
Yalavarthi said that she was inspired by many faculty at Michigan Public Health, but highlighted Lewis Morganstern, professor of Epidemiology, and Jennifer Garner, the John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences.
“I think both Dr. Morgenstern and Dr. Garner are incredible,” Yalavarthi said. “I’ve taken two classes with Dr. Morgenstern, and he is both a physician and does public health work, which is exactly what I’m interested in doing in my future. I had Dr. Garner this past semester, and she’s just so incredible and so knowledgeable about food assistance programming—I got to learn more about that policy area.”
Throughout her undergraduate experience, Yalavarthi discovered a love for health equity research as she participated in UROP. Her research with Rachel Bergmans, MPH ’13, research assistant professor in the University of Michigan Department of Anesthesiology, Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, looked at racial disparities in lupus—a chronic illness disproportionately affecting Black populations.
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I've learned to use my voice and gained confidence in contributing to discussions about policy solutions. Michigan offered everything I needed to get both public health and public policy experiences.”
“I had the chance to interview many Black patients about their experiences managing lupus and navigating the healthcare system,” Yalavarthi said, whose mantra that public health is “empathy in action” reverberates through everything she does. It’s a philosophy coined by yet another influential faculty member, Emily Youatt, clinical associate professor of Health Behavior & Health Equity and director of Undergraduate Education.
“When Dr. Youatt said that it just stuck with me,” Yalavarthi said. “It was a one-liner that encapsulated what I want to do with the rest of my life.”
Outside of public health, Yalavarthi is invested in local politics. In 2020, she campaigned for Eli Savit, the prosecuting attorney for Washtenaw County.
“I would say I am pretty involved in political science and politics, which is very integrated with public health,” she said. “I’ve done a lot of campaign organizing. I’ve also worked at the prosecutor’s office for a couple of years doing expungement work.”
Striving to combine health policy and clinical practice, after graduation Yalavarthi plans to pursue an MD followed by a master’s degree in public policy.
“I hope to get into a medical school that offers a five-year program combining both,” she said.
Whether caring for incarcerated individuals or serving at a federally qualified health center, she aims to emphasize community care and health equity.
Her ambitions were further shaped by an internship with Friends of Cancer Research in Washington, DC, where she engaged in public affairs work, legislative tracking and observing Congressional hearings. This opportunity expanded her understanding of health policy at the federal level.
“I've learned to use my voice and gained confidence in contributing to discussions about policy solutions,” she said. “Michigan offered everything I needed to get both public health and public policy experiences.”
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