Dr. Lisa Harrison Gulla

Tell us about yourself!

I am a mother, educator, advocate and 30+ year public health professional. I have spent most of my adult life focusing on improving the health of the population that I serve be it as a Health Officer, Board of Health member, association leader, or professor. I find that focusing on the next generation and helping them to become leaders is one of my greatest passions whether it is with my own children or those I mentor professionally. My dissertation married my passions between my first masters degree in psychology and supporting the local health system in New Jersey. It specifically focused on Perceptions, Experiences and Symptoms of Mental Health Conditions of Governmental Public Health Workers in New Jersey Post COVID-19 Pandemic. This study was unique because New Jersey has never been able to be fully represented is national data due to its local health structure. Creating this picture is vital to protecting the infrastructure.

Why did you pursue a DrPH?

I chose to pursue a DrPH for a few different reasons. First, I am a lover of education and truly believe that a thirst for knowledge and the pursuit of that knowledge helps to keep you young. Second, I wanted to get a degree that was reflective of my years of experience and utilize skills learned through the degree to apply to current career as a Professor. Third, I wanted to use this program to help me continue my advocacy journey and not only improve my skills but use my dissertation as a platform for change. Finally, and probably the most fun/self-serving is that my children and I are very competitive and so I couldn't have them pursue doctorates and not do the same. My son is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and my daughter is just launching her post-grad career as an MPH student.

What are you currently excited about in your job?

While I touched on it a little before, love being an educator and helping to usher in the next generation of public health professionals. Whether it is directly teaching courses such as Principles of Public Health, Applied Practice and Leadership/Management or hosting interns at my consulting firm, I just love working with the students. Hearing from my students that I had either opened them up to a world they weren't very sure about in public health or how I have helped create a foundation for them to be great leaders and advocates, has fueled me to continue even when I felt I was struggling to keep them engaged during the pandemic.

If you could write a book about your life, what would the title be and why?

I would title my book, "Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Finding Your Path is Almost Never a Straight Line." I started out in the addiction treatment field thinking I would better the world saving one addict at a time. Through a series of twists and turns I landed where I was always supposed to be. It definitely took time and had quite a few bumps and potholes, but in the end this part of the journey was definitely worth the effort. Now I look forward to seeing where the next path takes me.

What is something interesting about you that we should know?

I have decided to start working on my bucket list and one of those items was skydiving which I did last March.