The Public Science Collaborative (PSC) created the 2025 Iowa Legislative Report to guide individuals and organizations working in the substance use and behavioral health space as they navigate and monitor Iowa’s legislature. This report is the first in an annual policy series that summarizes legislation from the prior session and previews the upcoming session.
2025 Iowa Legislative Report: Behavioral Health Read More »
This user manual guides ISU-UP and CSRL staff, as well as cocoa farmers, through the process of composting their cocoa pod husks. Husks are a waste product that generate quickly and can cause environmental and human health concerns, such as black pod rot, or create breeding grounds for mosquitoes. By composting the husks, farmers can
Composting Training Manual for Cocoa Farmers Read More »
Mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue Fever, Zika, and Malaria remain among Uganda’s most urgent public health challenges, undermining individual well-being, community resilience, and national development. This report demonstrates how regenerative landscape design and low-cost environmental interventions can simultaneously reduce disease risk and strengthen agricultural productivity. Grounded in a One Health framework, this report emphasizes integrated
Reducing Disease Burden by Design: A One Health Approach Read More »
In July 2025, the Public Science Collaborative research team conducted two weeks of fieldwork in the Busoga region of Eastern Uganda to investigate how cocoa farming practices intersect with environmental and health risks related to mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria. This work builds on a growing body of research that links landscape features and agricultural
Sustainable Agriculture in the Context of High Burden of Disease: A One Health Approach Read More »
The Public Science Collaborative at Iowa State University conducted journey map workshops throughout the state to document and explore the pathways and experiences of people in recovery from a substance use disorder. The goals of the workshops were to 1) identify unique and emergingpathways of recovery, 2) document real experiences of people navigating recovery services
Tailored Recovery: Many Journeys, Multiple Personas Read More »
As part of the Public Science Collaborative’s substance use recovery work, PSC created a first in the nation, statewide recovery-ready community index (RRCI) comprised of recovery readiness scores for hundreds of Iowa communities. Since 2020, Iowa has witnessed the founding of seven recovery community organizations, including five recovery community centers and two collegiate recovery programs.
Update & Extension of the Recovery-Ready Community Index Read More »
As part of Public Science Collaborative’s Alcohol Research Initiative, this overview and explanation of methodology describes PSC’s Iowa Alcohol Density Monitoring Program to help understand the relationship between concentration of alcohol outlets and violence in Iowa.
Measuring Alcohol Outlet Density in Iowa Read More »
As part of the Public Science Collaborative’s substance use work, PSC sought to strengthen the Iowa Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) surveillance of substance use in Iowa, with particular attention to intergenerational impacts, through the deployment of an ethnographic assessment of active and former substance users. The goal of these activities is to help IDPH
An Ethnographic Assessment of Drug Use among Iowa Families Read More »
As part of the Public Science Collaborative’s Substance Use Recovery work, this executive summary shows that Methamphetamine use in Iowa is rising faster than national trends, spreading across diverse populations, increasing overdose risks, and highlighting urgent needs for expanded treatment and support services.
Methamphetamine Use in Iowa, Executive Summary Read More »
As part of Public Science Collaborative’s substance use work, this report analyzes substance use and its correlates across Iowa’s 99 counties using mixed methods and comprehensive data sources. It supports public health policy by identifying key risk factors, social conditions, and health indicators linked to substance use.
