By Samantha Miller
When Breyana Williams (BA ’18) arrived at the University of Iowa, she imagined a future working directly with patients, perhaps as a pediatrician or physician assistant. She knew she wanted to help people live healthier lives, but she hadn't yet considered how many different forms that work could take.
That changed during her junior year, when she enrolled in CPH:1400 Fundamentals of Public Health, taught by Gayle Walter, associate professor of instruction. "It helped me realize I can help communities of people instead of just focusing on one patient at a time like I would in health care," Williams says. The realization opened a new professional direction for Williams, graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in health studies.
She went on to take additional public health courses at Iowa before pursuing a Master of Public Health at Mercer University in Atlanta. She later earned a Master of Business Administration from The University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Today, she works for the Task Force for Global Health’s Voices for Vaccines, an affiliate of Emory University, educating people about vaccination and equipping community members with the knowledge to advocate for their health.
Empowering the next generation
Williams' commitment to community health took shape at Morehouse School of Medicine, where she served as a program coordinator for a community health worker training program for high school students and young adults.
In that role, she worked directly with young people, preparing them to become health advocates in their own communities. She taught students how to share health information and support the well-being of their families, friends, and neighbors. For Williams, the opportunity to encourage young people to take an active role in community health was particularly meaningful.
Her connection to that work was also personal. Williams shared that witnessing chronic health conditions within her own family strengthened her desire to help others improve their health. Those experiences helped her relate to the students she trained, many of whom wanted to make a difference for the people closest to them.
"I can resonate with wanting to do whatever you can to keep everyone around you as healthy as possible," Williams said.
The work reinforced a belief that had begun taking shape during her time at Iowa: improving community health starts with giving people the knowledge and confidence to care for themselves and others.
Helping communities build trust
After her time at Morehouse, Williams joined a task force for Global Health as a public health associate. Her work focuses on vaccine education, training advocates to address questions about vaccination, and connecting people with preventive care resources.
She has also helped develop educational courses covering how vaccines are created, how they work in the body, and how individuals can become trusted messengers in their communities. Williams works with immunization coalitions across the country and contributes to a vaccine access project that connects people with providers offering vaccinations. Across these efforts, she has learned that effective public health communication requires more than sharing facts. It requires building relationships and trust.
“I think what I've learned the most is that you need to meet people where they are,” Williams says. That means avoiding complicated medical terminology, listening to concerns, and finding ways to communicate clearly and address individual questions.
Her work has also given her opportunities to grow as an educator. Williams recently developed a training session focused on resilience, stress management, and preventing burnout among vaccine advocates.
After delivering much of her work virtually, she traveled to Arkansas to present the session in person to approximately 175 attendees. Although speaking before a large audience was outside her comfort zone, creating and delivering the training has become one of her professional accomplishments she is proudest of so far.
Embracing the unexpected
Williams never imagined she would build a career in vaccine education. Her graduate studies provided a broad foundation in public health, and the opportunity to enter the vaccine advocacy field emerged as she explored different professional roles.
But the unexpected direction has allowed her to continue pursuing the same goal that first drew her to public health at Iowa: helping people and their communities live healthier lives.