This past spring, Riley Wilgenbusch, a 2020 ISU agronomy and global resource systems graduate, earned his Master’s in Public Health; International Health concentrated in Health Systems, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Wilgenbusch calls his MSPH a good fit to meaningfully build upon his undergraduate studies in global resource systems at Iowa State. He also completed two graduate certificates at the Bloomberg School, one in humanitarian health and the second in food systems, the environment, and public health from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future complementing his undergraduate degree in agronomy.
“Iowa State was a great opportunity for me to grow into where I am now. The Agronomy Department challenged me to think critically about our food production systems while other experiences across campus rounded out my perspectives on many issues including healthcare. Pursuing a degree and career in public health just felt like the right next step,” Wilgenbusch said of his time at Iowa State.
Wilgenbusch also has fond memories of his time at the Bloomberg School, “My two years carried me to Peru to study nutrition and food security in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and deep into the legislative systems of Washington, D.C., which impact the way we live each and every day. I am so excited to carry out my mission of achieving a more sustainable, equitable world for all as I support research for this year’s farm bill.”
Wilgenbusch recently accepted a job at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in Denver, Colorado working on health service provisions for persons experiencing homelessness. He is developing a career in research and policy to leverage food and health systems to build global public health systems that are resilient, sustainable, and equitable.
While Wilgenbusch’s career path may not be the norm for an agronomy graduate, he says it also highlights one of the fascinating things about the field. “The food we grow is fundamental to how we live each and every day – all 8.1 billion of us. Food supports livelihoods and is deeply ingrained in my work addressing the root causes of poverty and improving quality of life for those experiencing poverty. Food, health, and housing are fundamental rights that go hand-in-hand and that is a universal truth that guides my career path forward from the Agronomy Department into the world.”
In photo at top, Riley Wilgenbusch sits on a mountaintop in Peru.
