Garrett Bates

Faculty Advisor: Kirsten Beyer, PhD, MPH, MS
Year Entered MCW: 2021
Previous Education: MPH, University of Kansas Medical Center; BA, Biology and Communication Studies, Iowa State University

I grew up on a farm in rural Iowa near the town of Guthrie Center, which has a population of approximately 1,000 people. The world got a lot bigger when I went on to Iowa State University for my undergraduate degrees in Biology and Communication Studies. It grew even larger when I went on to Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC) for my Master’s in Public Health. I now work for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services as a health analyst under contract by General Dynamics IT. Much of what I do now involves data management and delivery for researchers across the country. To say we were “busy” during the pandemic would be an understatement. My research interests are mainly focused on vaccine coverage among underserved populations. At KUMC, I worked with American Indian populations to promote flu vaccination in the lower Midwest. I am interested in seeing if I can adapt my previous research to focus on COVID vaccination efforts. I currently reside in Des Moines, Iowa, with my fiancé, 2 cats, and our corgi. We have spent 2021 flipping a house in the Des Moines area and hope to flip another when I move to Wisconsin!