WEST DES MOINES, IOWA (December 1, 2025) — Gabrielle Hammond DO ('27) MPH ('27), has been named a recipient of the 2025 US Public Health Service Physicians Professional Advisory Committee Excellence in Public Health Award.
The award honors medical students from across the US who have made significant contributions to advancing public health through research, advocacy, and outreach. Recipients are selected for the impact of their work, the level of leadership demonstrated, and their potential for a future career in public health or preventive medicine.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine at Des Moines University (DMU) Medicine and Health Sciences nominated Hammond for her innovative approach to addressing today's complex health challenges.
For Hammond, receiving the award affirms that her efforts and experiences are being noticed.
"This award serves as a reminder of why I chose to pursue both medicine and public health — to make a meaningful difference in my local community and people's lives," she says.
"I've always been passionate about community health and social prescribing, and I work to engage in research and projects that reflect those interests. Being recognized by the US Public Health Service for work I pursue out of genuine interest and passion is truly meaningful and encouraging."
Integrating Art, Health, and Community
Hammond's work bridges creative expression and evidence-based care. Her research explores how arts-based interventions can improve health outcomes in marginalized populations. She has co-authored publications examining innovative strategies for addressing mental-health challenges.
As a collaborator with the University of Florida's Center for Arts in Medicine, Hammond helped create vaccine-confidence resources with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During her gap year, Hammond worked at a free clinic providing primary and specialty care, mental-health services, and nutrition support. She developed and implemented a visual-arts program for children with elevated adverse childhood experience scores. The program encouraged resilience and coping strategies among participants and promoted social connection — a key factor in preventing chronic illness.
"Seeing my ideas evolve into a real public health program within a primary care clinic showed me that integrating public health principles into clinical practice is possible and essential to create healthier, more resilient communities, especially among marginalized groups," Hammond says.
Finding the Right Fit at DMU
For Hammond, the opportunity to pursue dual degrees in osteopathic medicine and public health is the perfect fit — and so is DMU.
"Both medicine and public health seem inherently linked in my mind, as public health innovations and ideas help enhance medical care on an individual level," she says.
"Eventually, I realized I didn't have to choose one over the other, and instead I could pursue both through a dual degree."
During her medical-school-application process, DMU stood out to Hammond because it allows dual-degree students to take MPH coursework simultaneously with their medical training. In contrast, many other schools require an additional year to complete the MPH degree.
A Future Grounded in Public Health
While still deciding on a medical specialty, she knows her future will remain grounded in public health. She hopes to continue engaging in community-based medical research and developing arts-in-health programs that promote connection and well-being.
Big picture, Hammond envisions a career that bridges clinical medicine and public health, where she can care for individual patients while also addressing the broader social factors that influence community health.
"I'm passionate about approaching patient care through a public health lens by focusing on prevention and the social determinants that shape well-being. I hope to continue building programs that utilize community — based resources to prevent and treat chronic conditions," Hammond says.
Located in West Des Moines, part of Iowa's capital metro, Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences offers ten graduate-level professional-degree programs in anatomy, biomedical sciences, health-care administration, occupational therapy, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, physician-assistant studies, podiatric medicine, and public health. Founded in 1898, the institution offers superior academics in a collaborative environment. DMU students' scores on national examinations, pass-rates on board certifications, and match-rates for medical-residency programs are consistently higher than national averages and rates at peer institutions.
