Meet Courtney Dage, Practicum Student

Hello! My name is Courtney Dage, and I am excited to begin my practicum experience at the Iowa Cancer Consortium this spring! For my project, I will be assisting with the Cancer in Iowa: 99 Counties Project by developing a toolkit for county public health and healthcare organizations that contains relevant resources and best practices for cancer prevention and control. I am looking forward to collaborating with a passionate team as well as connecting with other like-minded individuals outside the Consortium. 

I am from Bloomington, Illinois, and am currently pursuing my Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Iowa. I am in my second year of the program and will officially graduate this May! I am not sure what my plan is after graduation, but I hope to either work for a local or state public health department as an epidemiologist or to continue working in the non-profit sector. I graduated in May of 2024 from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Science in Global Health Studies and a minor in Journalism. During the past five years, I have taken on many different roles within the health sector. I have worked as a nursing assistant at UIHC, conducted research within the College of Public Health on the role of weight stigma in cancer care delivery, and currently serve as a Teaching Assistant for an undergraduate course on climate change and health. 

My interest in cancer research arose when my grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer during my second year of college. She was fortunate enough to have access to screening services and quality care close to home, but for so many people this is not the case. My passion for health equity and cancer control grew this past summer when I was an intern for the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. I had the opportunity to work on a project with the Iowa Cancer Registry to help expand cancer services across the state by reaching financial donors in rural areas. Everyone deserves the ability to access comprehensive cancer care as well as screening services close to home, and I hope the work I do in the future will help make this a reality.