Ron Watson, Dan Murphy’08, and Steven Soli’22

Prof. Ron Watson

• Current position: Assoc. Professor of Political Science and Health & Society, Co-coordinator of the Health & Healing Career Channel.
  
• Advice for Beloiters: Be flexible in your thinking and open to new opportunities, recognizing that others can see potential in us that often we cannot. My graduate advisor’s insistence that I consider teaching in higher ed is why I’m here today, and I cannot imagine doing anything else.
• How are you a “Healthy Healer”? I follow the science on health issues, sharing my understanding with those who may be hesitant to do so and listening to their sometimes very valid concerns about trust and reliability in healthcare settings. 
• What drew you to your current profession? For me, it was the chance to interact with students and share with them my passion for health and politics, as well as having amazing colleagues. 

• What do you consider the biggest challenges in health or public health? In the US, the impact of healthcare affordability and access is still a significant barrier for too many Americans, while the pandemic has exposed a gulf of trust in politics and health that we must work harder to surmount.

Dan Murphy (biochemistry ’08)

• Current position: Outreach and Lab Manager, Morgridge Institute for Research. Area of expertise: Informal Science Education
  
• Advice for Beloiters: Take opportunities as they come about because the paths in life are winding and that mindset may lead to some unexpected triumphs. Likewise, recognize that not everything may work out according to plan, which is valuable as well, so don’t take yourself too seriously, just seriously enough to keep learning and trying. The people in your life will have a profound effect on you, so embrace community.
• How do you promote health within your community: Doing informal science education and programming for a non-profit biomedical research institute encourages an awareness of science and scientists in people’s lives, the impact of research and curiosity on our understanding of human health, and that anyone can participate in the process of discovery.

Steven Soli (biology ’22)

• Current position: student, president of pre-health professionals club.
• Advice for Beloiters: Get involved fast, don’t be afraid to talk to older students, remember everyone is still just another person. Make sure you are doing something that makes you happy and is worth your time. Be nice to people, this is a small community, the friendships you make last a lifetime.

• How are you a “Healthy Healer”? Self-care was ignored for a large part of my childhood because I tried to internalize emotions but learning to cope and manage them through lacrosse, music, and longboarding was monumental making me a healthy healer.