Katarina Grande, MPH [Alumni]

Katarina “Kat” Grande pursued her BS in Journalism and Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and then earned her MPH in Environmental Health and a Global Health Certificate from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Kat was a Population Health Service Fellow from 2010 through 2012 and had dual placements at the Milwaukee Health Department and the Center for Urban Population Health.

Kat’s professional goals include working to bridge local and global health and improve health systems. She is currently living in Tanzania where she is employed as an Associated Schools and Programs of Public HealthAllan Rosenfield Global Program Management Fellow through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Kat is working hard to improve the management of HIV prevention, care, and treatment-focused cooperative agreements between CDC-Tanzania and local government partners, like the Ministry of Health.

The Wisconsin Population Health Fellowship had a significant impact on her career trajectory. During her Fellowship, she was introduced to and learned a lot more about the concepts of health equity, social justice, and systems thinking. Despite the distance, she continues to learn from the mentors and other Fellows she met during her Fellowship.

Kat’s advice to current and future Fellows: “The fellowship is a wonderful time to challenge your perceptions of public health, learn about a new area, and make lifelong connections. It's a pretty special time--so be proactive and make the most of it.”