Spring 2026 Graduating Student Profile
Precious Mastala
MPH in One Health
Top MPH student supported One Health research and evaluated rabies prevention in Pima County
Precious Mastala graduated with a Master of Public Health in One Health and a perfect 4.0 GPA. A trained veterinarian from Malawi, Precious not only distinguished himself as a top scholar, he also used his skills to serve the community through work with Pima County Health Department and supported research projects to investigate health risks where human health, animal health, and environmental health intersect. Precious won the Spring 2026 Outstanding MPH Student Award.
Precious Mastala
MPH in One Health
Precious Mastala graduated with a Master of Public Health in One Health and a perfect 4.0 GPA. A trained veterinarian from Malawi, Precious not only distinguished himself as a top scholar, he also used his skills to serve the community through work with Pima County Health Department and supported research projects to investigate health risks where human health, animal health, and environmental health intersect (One Health).
During his Applied Practice Experience, he evaluated rabies prevention efforts with the Pima County Health Department (PCHD), work that has helped improve risk assessment, reduce unnecessary treatment costs, and strengthen public health decision-making related to rabies outbreaks.
Precious also supported eco-epidemiological research through the Spatial Temporal Epidemic Prediction Lab and the Combrink Lab at the University of Arizona, where he worked on projects examining how urbanization, environmental change, and climate-related factors influence mosquito populations and arboviral disease risk. Additionally, he participated in a program to prevent Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in Arizona, including work with the White Mountain Apache and San Carlos Apache tribal communities.
Notably, Precious volunteered with the PCHD’s Healthy Companions Clinic that supports people experiencing homelessness by providing integrated care for both individuals and their pets. He also served as the college’s representative on the UA Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC).
Precious won the Spring 2026 Outstanding MPH Student Award.
Thank you Precious for all your service to our Arizona communities, and congratulations on your MPH degree!
For this profile, we asked Precious about what shaped his experience in the college.
Q: What inspired you about the projects and/or programs you worked on? What did you learn?
A: What inspired me most was seeing how research and public health practice can directly affect people’s lives and communities. My interest in zoonotic diseases and surveillance comes from experiences I had growing up and working in Malawi, where I saw how delayed detection, limited access to care, and fragmented surveillance systems can have devastating consequences for preventable diseases like rabies.
One of the things I unexpectedly became very passionate about during the MPH was spatial epidemiology. I became fascinated by how geography, climate, land use, and environmental conditions shape disease transmission and risk. Learning how to combine epidemiology with spatial and environmental data changed the way I think about public health problems.
Most importantly, throughout these engagements I learned to become more comfortable working through uncertainty. Public health problems are rarely simple, and research often involves incomplete data, difficult questions, and evolving situations. Learning how to stay curious and persistent through that process is one of the biggest lessons I will carry forward.
Q: What are some challenges or obstacles that you had to overcome in the process of your education in the college?
A: One of the biggest challenges was balancing multiple transitions at once: adapting to a new academic environment and country while also learning advanced technical skills. There were definitely moments where I felt stretched trying to balance coursework, research, leadership responsibilities, and community work at the same time.
Another challenge was learning how to work with real-world surveillance and epidemiological data, which are often incomplete, fragmented, or sometimes difficult to harmonize. At times, the difficulty was not only about analyzing the data itself, but also about understanding the systems, limitations, and realities behind the data.
There were also moments of personal and financial uncertainty. Support from mentors, peers, and the college community made a real difference during such periods. For example, the One Health Internship Grant helped me complete my Applied Practice Experience by providing support for internship-related costs and allowing me to fully engage in the work at the Pima County Health Department. Similarly, the GPSC Basic Needs and Preparedness Award helped me transition through a period when there was a pause in my scholarship support.
I do not think these challenges are unique to me. Graduate school, research, and public health work often come with uncertainty, setbacks, and periods of adjustment. What I learned is that having a strong sense of purpose, being willing to ask for support, and being surrounded by people and institutions that genuinely invest in students can make an enormous difference. Challenges are almost guaranteed, but having the right community and resources helps turn those challenges into growth rather than barriers.
Q: How will your education and experience as a public health student influence your path forward?
A: This program strengthened both my technical skills and the way I think about public health problems. It taught me how to approach health challenges from a systems perspective and how to connect research to practical decision-making and community needs.
After graduation, I plan to continue working in research and practice that advances One Health, with a strong focus on zoonotic disease surveillance, prevention, and control. Long term, I hope to contribute to strengthening One Health capacity in Malawi and beyond through research, mentorship, and public health practice.