Commitment to Physical Fitness Leads Alumna to College of Public Health
| Jennifer Wessel, J.D., MPH, works to improve health outcomes, and her love for health and wellness paved the way for her to become a public health professional.
“We tackle a multitude of issues to have a broader lens on ways to improve Arkansas’ health status. Therefore, I’m learning something new each day.”
Wessel’s journey to a career in public health started in Bryant, Arkansas, where, due to being a youth gymnast, she was introduced to fitness and the value of staying active.
Upon graduating from Bryant High School, Wessel continued her education at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, majoring in economics. She also became a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer.
After earning the economics degree, Wessel moved to Little Rock and attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law. While in law school, she also worked as the wellness coordinator at the UAMS Fitness Center. Naturally, she learned a lot about the health field due to interacting with a variety of UAMS team members.
But it was an encounter with Liz Gates, J.D., MPH, College of Public Health assistant dean for planning and policy, that prompted Wessel to make a life-changing decision. Gates told Wessel that she’d benefit from enrolling in the College of Public Health/Bowen School of Law J.D./MPH program.
“It seemed like a natural fit with my background in wellness and my interest in policy,” Wessel said. “Gates helped me see how I could apply my abilities to helping people on a population-based level instead of in one-on-one situations. I was already in the law school’s J.D. program — so it made sense to combine the degrees and get the MPH.”
Due to the format of the program, Wessel was able to take courses across the college that interested her. That helped her gain an understanding of the impact of public health.
“I was trying to get beyond the law and policy courses,” she said. “I focused on taking classes that allowed me to explore other aspects of public health that I did not learn about in law school. Those classes helped me realize how broad public health can be and opened my eyes to the many systems and supports that influence health.”
A guest speaker during a medicine of law class gave Wessel additional confirmation that she made the right decision.
“Craig Wilson, current president and CEO of ACHI, spoke to us about ACHI’s role in policy and system reform,” she said. “That lecture resonated with me. It helped me connect all the pieces at the intersection of law, health care, and policy. I knew then that that was the direction I wanted to pursue.”
Having easy access to public health professionals is just one of the reasons why Wessel speaks highly of the J.D./MPH program.
“If a person has interest in improving health at the community level, the college is a great place to start,” she said. “There are so many opportunities that come with a Master of Public Health. Once you are in the program, you start to see the areas that interest you and how many different career paths public health can offer.”
After completing the J.D./MPH program, Wessel worked on various government and policy projects. That included being part of the Arkansas Food Desert Working Group and ACHI’s lead in the Arkansas Department of Health Healthy Active Arkansas initiative.
“I enjoy coordinating with other organizations and supporting different types of policies and environmental changes that will improve the health of Arkansans,” she said.
Though her career duties are plentiful, Wessel said she will always take the time to encourage her staff and colleagues to implement regular physical activity into their lives. It’s yet another way that she helps to advance public health in Arkansas.
“The opportunity to help people get healthy on a larger scale, for the community, for the state — it’s very rewarding,” she said.