Emily Townsend pursues public health through three degree programs

University of Georgia College of Public Health doctoral student Emily Townsend came to campus with a knack for biology and chemistry and a goal to enter the medical field. However, a trip to Japan in 2019 changed her path, helping her discover a future in health promotion.

Townsend’s experience in the city of Kosai (Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan) shifted her perspective and sparked her interest in community service and public health initiatives. She had the opportunity to create a program plan for community members with disabilities, narrowing down a focus on increasing accessibility. After pitching her thoughts and plan to the mayor of the city, she saw it implemented.

“Seeing our work be fulfilled was very rewarding and made me realize that going from a prospective to treating a person and going more into prevention and inclusivity was something I was really passionate about,” said Townsend, a fourth year PhD candidate in the department of Health Promotion and Behavior.

Following a talk with her mentor, Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Assessment Jessica Muilenburg, Townsend forged a new path for herself.

“It was after that conversation, after a lot of self reflection, that I realized my passion and my talents would do really well in a career in academia and research,” Townsend said. “That led me to where I’m at now.”

Townsend is a Triple Dawg with a Bachelors of Science in Health Promotion and a Master of Public Health from UGA. She’s always had a special connection to this school, having grown up in nearby Oconee County.

With Muilenburg’s support and other faculty encouragement, Townsend honed in on her eventual dissertation topic—substance use and best practices related to recovery. She worked in Muilenburg’s lab as a research assistant, reviewed existing research and literature on the topic, and brought with her a passion stemming from family experiences with substance use disorder and addiction.

Townsend is currently working on writing an F31 grant, which supports her predoctoral research training process for up to five years. Her dissertation objective, which is still pending approval, is to take a curriculum called mindfulness based relapse prevention and allow people exiting formal treatment to partake in the intervention. This curriculum was established in 2009 and teaches those with addiction how to meditate and handle their stress.

“I’m super excited about it. I would have people exiting formal treatment participate in an intervention that delivers mindfulness-based relapse prevention via website,” Townsend said. “It’s a dual innovation point where I’m working with this group of people who have yet to be targeted for this treatment and delivering it through a web based intervention.”

Following her dissertation defense, Townsend hopes to continue her research through a postdoctoral program. Inspired by her mentorship experience with three undergraduate students, Townsend will also continue to educate others on her path.

She offers a few words of wisdom to younger students pursuing the field of public health.

“Take any and all opportunities that come to you of which I can reflect and say that I was able to do that,” Townsend said. “And I would give that piece of advice to any student. But I would say the biggest takeaway is that change is good and is necessary.”