Very few people will admit to an abiding love of statistics. But Emanuel Alcala, a second-year public health doctoral student, believes statistics are key to solving many of the San Joaquin Valley’s public health challenges.
“I grew fond of statistics when I started working at the Central Valley Health Policy Institute,” Alcala said. “I saw firsthand how statistics could impact people.”
Alcala spent three years as a research analyst at the CVHPI. It was there that he developed a passion for public health, finding himself drawn to the statistical tools in the public health researcher’s arsenal. He was recently named UC Merced’s first ever Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar, one of only 40 students nationwide admitted into this year’s class.
But public health wasn’t always on Alcala’s radar. The Kerman native attended Fresno State University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s in experimental psychology. Though he wasn’t sure where he’d ultimately end up, he was certain of one thing.
“I’ve always wanted to be a professor and independent researcher at a university,” Alcala said. “It’s what I always envisioned for myself.”
That meant pursuing a doctoral degree. With his newfound passion for public health and an eye towards helping the Central Valley’s most vulnerable communities, Alcala enrolled in UC Merced’s new public health Ph.D. program, which trains researchers to address the Valley’s endemic health challenges.
