Bradley Longman, a first-year public health PhD student from Brooksville, Fla., not only wants to end malaria, but also to help train the next generation of public health leaders.

Balancing a family, full-time employment, volunteer activities and life as a student, Bradley recently presented his malaria research in Ghana.

What inspired you to pursue a public health PhD?

I’m pursuing a public health PhD to improve the research rigor of questions we’re answering when managing malaria programs.

For example, which types of vector control interventions work best, in what settings, and for what reasons? Or how would we make choices between more effective—but more expensive—types of insecticide-treated nets versus standard nets?

My program is helping me design the data collection methods and research protocols to answer these types of questions, which in turn improves the quality of program outcomes.

Tell us about your time at Oregon State. Is there someone or something who/that has helped you succeed? 

I’m in my first year but have already been challenged to grow both as a researcher and a program manager.

Some courses I took immediately were Infectious Disease Epidemiology taught by Jeff Bethel, as well as a series of courses taught by my advisor, Chunhuei Chi. Both have been thought leaders in OSU’s response to COVID-19 and the intersections of infectious disease research, policy and practice.

I’ve also taken interdisciplinary coursework through OSU’s Center for Supply Chain Management in the College of Business, which allows me to transfer private sector best practices in logistics management to optimize supply chains for malaria commodities and reduce costs.

What challenges have you overcome along your academic journey?

It is not easy to balance public health PhD coursework with competing priorities in study design, full-time employment managing new and ongoing projects, family life, work travel and personal self-care.

But it’s extremely fulfilling when everything comes together and works harmoniously.

Do you participate in any campus or community clubs or organizations?

I think it’s important to reserve time to contribute to your community in areas that reflect your values. So, I coach and serve on the board of the Corvallis Little League and volunteer as president of the local chapter of Trout Unlimited.

Late last year we won a major victory with EWEB’s vote to remove the Leaburg Dam and restore a free-flowing McKenzie River! This will improve the health of the river and native fish populations while also making wildfire recovery efforts more sustainable and climate resilient following the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire.

Please tell us about your research.

My research mostly stems from my work with Abt Associates and the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative.

I recently shared presentations at the RBM Partnership to End Malaria’s Annual Meeting in Accra, Ghana.

Those two poster presentations highlighted project results from using new insecticide types for indoor residual spraying in Zambia and Madagascar, as well as community-led mobilization activities in Uganda to increase coverage.

What are your post-college dreams?

I want to make larger impacts in supporting malaria control programs globally in alignment with WHO’s goal to end malaria in our lifetime.

I also want to continue to support OSU’s Center for Global Health to train the next generation of global health scholars and leaders.

What message do you have for your peers or future students?

“If access to health care is considered a human right, who is considered human enough to have that right?” – Dr. Paul Farmer