Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) youth experience disproportionately high rates of sexual violence. In response, the PRC-RH and Monsoon Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (Monsoon) established the Monsoon Rape Prevention Education Program Evaluation: an academic-community partnership that guided the participatory development of the culturally specific logic model and evaluation plan, for youth sexual violence prevention in AAPI communities.

The PRC-RH is continuing its commitment to Iowa’s health and well-being through PEAQ (Partners Engaging to Advance Quitline), a community‑driven project focused on supporting tobacco and nicotine prevention and cessation among young adults (ages 18–29) living in Iowa’s micropolitan communities.

The objective of the Public Health in Balance project, in partnership with the Iowa Public Health Association, is to gather stories in Iowa from the local public health workforce about the current state of public health in the United States right now. Public health professionals were invited to share short stories of their experiences —based on the prompt: “Imagine you are trying to explain to someone the current state of public health in the United States right now, what story might you tell?"

At the PRC-RH, students don’t just learn about public health—they live it. Olivia Caldera, an MPH student, exemplifies this mission through her research into tobacco and nicotine use among young adults. Olivia's projects range from analyzing vaping trends on TikTok to investigating community perceptions in Muscatine, Iowa.

Dr. Shannon Watkins received a Student Supervisor of the Year Certificate of Distinction for the University of Iowa's Career Impact Awards.

Prof. Mark Vander Weg of the Prevention Reserach Center for Rural Health (PRC-RH) was recently featured in the Gazette's recent article, "Can Iowa do more to help people quit smoking?"