Dr. Rá-Jendra Hunter is bringing microplastics education into schools, faith communities and senior centers — one workshop, one activity book and one awareness campaign at a time. A Doctor of Public Health graduate from Capella University, she built her outreach model directly from her doctoral research, designed from the start to be scalable, evidence-based and community-centered.
Looking back at your time in the DrPH program, what experiences or coursework most shaped the way you approach public health challenges like single-use plastics today?
Dr. Rá-Jendra Hunter: My time in the Doctor of Public Health program at Capella University was transformative, shaping how I approach complex public health challenges, such as single-use plastics and microplastics pollution. The most influential experiences in the doctoral program were rooted in evidence-based practice, epidemiology and the integration of theory into real-world applications. Courses that emphasized the Social Ecological Model (SEM) fundamentally changed my perspective on how to approach public health challenges. I began to see that addressing microplastics is not simply an environmental issue—it is a multi-level public health challenge involving individual behaviors, community norms, institutional policies and broader societal systems. The SEM framework allowed me to design interventions that move beyond awareness into actionable, sustainable behavior change.
Additionally, my training in quantitative research methods and program evaluation equipped me to assess knowledge gaps and measure the effectiveness of educational interventions. This is directly reflected in my work today, particularly in my structured awareness campaigns focused on reducing single-use plastics and mitigating microplastic exposure.
How did your doctoral studies prepare you to translate complex public health research into an educational activity book for the public?
Dr. Rá-Jendra Hunter: My doctoral studies taught me the critical skill of knowledge translation, which is essential when bridging the gap between scientific research and public understanding. Public health research on microplastics can be highly technical, but my training emphasized the importance of making the information accessible, culturally relevant and actionable. Through coursework in health communication and community engagement, I learned how to distill complex findings into clear, meaningful messages. This directly informed the development of my book “Let’s Stop the Use of Single-Use Plastics: Awareness and Education Activity Book.”
Rather than presenting dense data, I transformed evidence-based content into:
• Interactive learning activities
• Visual storytelling
• Age-appropriate messaging
• Behavior-change prompts
This approach ensures that individuals—from children to adults—can understand not only what microplastics are, but also how their daily decisions contribute to exposure and environmental impact.
Can you share a moment during your DrPH journey when you realized the skills you were building would directly support your work in sustainability and environmental health?
Dr. Rá-Jendra Hunter: A pivotal moment occurred during the development of my doctoral project, “Microplastics Unmasked: From Macro to Micro – Understanding the Public Health Impacts of These Invisible Pollutants.”
As I designed a pretest/posttest educational intervention, I realized that I was not just completing an academic requirement; I was building a replicable model for real-world community education. The process of identifying knowledge gaps, designing evidence-based educational tools and measuring outcomes using statistical analysis made it clear that these skills could be directly applied to sustainability and environmental health outreach. That realization shifted my mindset from that of a “student researcher” to that of a public health practitioner and advocate capable of implementing scalable interventions in schools, community groups, non-profit, and faith-based organizations.
In what ways has your degree allowed you to combine advocacy, education, and practical action?
Dr. Rá-Jendra Hunter: Earning my DrPH has allowed me to operate at the intersection of advocacy, education, and implementation with a level of credibility and structure that would have been significantly more difficult otherwise.
Through my microplastics awareness and education campaigns, centered on “Let’s Stop the Use of Single-Use Plastics,” I can:
• Advocate with authority by grounding my messaging in scientific evidence and public health frameworks
• Educate effectively using structured, evidence-based curricula and tools (including my activity book and workshops)
• Drive practical action to encourage measurable behavior changes such as reducing single-use plastics, improving waste practices and increasing environmental literacy
My outreach goals include:
• Expanding programming across K–12 schools, universities, and senior centers
• Partnering with non-profit and faith-based organizations to integrate environmental stewardship with community health
• Developing intergenerational learning models that promote shared responsibility
• Scaling my programs nationally through workshops, speaking engagements, and digital education platforms
• Building a microplastics education and public health awareness hub to centralize resources and training
The DrPH has empowered me to design these initiatives with intentionality, evaluation metrics, and long-term sustainability in mind.
What advice would you give to someone considering a DrPH degree today, especially for public-facing or community education work?
Dr. Rá-Jendra Hunter: For anyone considering a DrPH – especially those interested in public-facing work – I would offer this guidance:
• Be clear about your purpose. The DrPH is a practice-oriented degree. Enter the program with a defined vision of how you want to impact communities.
• Embrace applied learning. Every assignment, project, and research opportunity should be viewed as a building block for real-world implementation, not just academic completion.
• Master communication. Your ability to translate complex public health data into accessible, actionable information will determine your effectiveness.
• Stay community-centered. Engage early and often with the populations you intend to serve. Their insights will strengthen your work.
• Think beyond the degree. Use your time in the program to develop tools, programs and frameworks you can immediately deploy upon graduation.
Most importantly, understand that a DrPH is not just a credential – it is a platform. When used intentionally, it enables you to lead, educate, advocate and create meaningful, measurable changes in public health.
Are you a proud Capella graduate making an impact in your field or community?
We’d love to hear your story. Share your accomplishments and be considered for a future alumni spotlight by submitting the Alumni Accomplishments Form. Your journey could inspire others to keep reaching their goals.
