{"id":76096,"date":"2026-04-16T14:22:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=76096"},"modified":"2026-07-15T16:38:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T20:38:03","slug":"olympian-olivia-reeves-finds-a-bigger-picture-in-utcs-mph-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/olympian-olivia-reeves-finds-a-bigger-picture-in-utcs-mph-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Olympian Olivia Reeves finds a bigger picture in UTC\u2019s\u00a0MPH\u00a0program\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Olivia

Olivia Reeves (left) and Dr. Amir Alakaam pose in a UTC exercise lab, where Reeves is pursuing her Master of Public Health degree with a focus on chronic disease prevention and control. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Olivia Reeves could have chosen a field tied directly to her sport.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, the <\/span>2024 Olympic gold medalist<\/span><\/b><\/a> in weightlifting chose public health.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to think bigger picture in terms of who has access to certain things and how that translates into health,\u201d Reeves said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reeves, a native of Hixson, Tennessee, is a <\/span>graduate<\/span> student in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s Master of Public Health (MPH) program<\/strong><\/a>, studying chronic disease prevention and control.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Olivia

Photo by USA Weightlifting<\/p><\/div>\n

During her undergraduate years, after transferring <\/span>to UTC<\/span> from the University of Alabama, she initially pursued exercise science but quickly realized it wasn\u2019t the right fit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She later changed her major to sociology <\/span>and earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in December 2024.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted sociology as a background to help give context to public health in terms of when you\u2019re looking at social determinants of health,\u201d Reeves explained.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now nearly a year into the MPH program, Reeves said she finds a special interest in how communities shape health.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can work out a certain <\/span>muscle,<\/span> and you as an individual can be healthy and live a healthy lifestyle,\u201d she said. \u201cBut if the whole community isn\u2019t healthy enough to support you, it won\u2019t work out.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA healthy individual doesn\u2019t mean a whole lot versus having a healthy community.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That idea is the core of UTC\u2019s MPH program, according to Dr. Amir Alakaam, associate professor and program director.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPublic health is never related to the individual,\u201d Alakaam said. \u201cIt is all about community.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The program offers two concentrations\u2014chronic disease prevention and control, and nutrition and dietetics\u2014and is designed to be flexible for students with different needs and schedules. A new graduate certificate in public health leadership and practice will launch in the fall, which is fully online and can be completed asynchronously in one year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Courses in the master\u2019s program follow a hybrid format, with limited in-person meetings each semester.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This works out well for Reeves, who is often traveling the world for weightlifting competitions. She plans to complete the program <\/span>over a three-year span so<\/span> that she has time to prepare for the 2028 Olympics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alakaam said Reeves\u2019 experience has pushed the program <\/span>to rethink how<\/span> it supports students.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to adapt,\u201d he said. \u201cNot just me as a program director, but throughout the instructors in the MPH program. We think of how we can modify the program in order to make it more flexible for students like her.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reeves said she hopes to eventually connect her work in public health with her experience in weightlifting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow can we address barriers within different sports to make that more accessible for people?\u201d she said. \u201cWhat is it about weightlifting that is so special versus swimming and soccer? You can do that anywhere.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She also sees a connection between strength training and long-term health, especially at a community level.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat things are affecting our health and health outcomes?\u201d she asked. \u201cI want to look at people\u2019s lifestyles and how you can integrate weight training and strength-based <\/span>movements\u2014as<\/span> well as how communities function and the context in which we live our lives, which does not always promote a healthy lifestyle.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the MPH program, Reeves has also researched topics such as firearm policy, incarceration rates and health care bias.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alakaam said the program is designed to teach these topics and <\/span>to show how<\/span> policies, environments and access influence long-term health.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we created an intervention that reduces the impact or reduces the obesity rate in that community, that is what public health is,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alakaam said Reeves\u2019 presence in the program exemplifies something much larger than her athletic accomplishments.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about winning a gold medal,\u201d he <\/span>said, \u201cbut<\/span> about how knowledge in public health can extend the impact to improve lives at the community and population level.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her accomplishments, however, do bring a new kind of visibility to the program.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOlivia is very unique. She brings value to the MPH program,\u201d Alakaam said. \u201cShe\u2019s a global champion doing her MPH degree in a local program and small university.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter she graduates, she will have a stamp in the program \u2026 the program after Olivia is different; It\u2019s bigger and stronger.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Olivia<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

UTC Master of Public Health<\/a><\/p>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Olivia Reeves could have chosen a field tied directly to her sport.\u00a0Instead, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting chose public health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":76102,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,56,122493,7712,52,12806,83654,661],"tags":[122231,123827,127070,127079,72870,124776,72868,122276,123829],"class_list":{"0":"post-76096","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-college-of-health-education-and-professional-studies","9":"category-education","10":"category-faculty-and-staff","11":"category-graduate-school","12":"category-health-and-human-performance","13":"category-health-and-wellness","14":"category-news","15":"category-students","16":"tag-amir-alakaam","17":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","18":"tag-goal-1-1-expand-utcs-educational-footprint-strategic-plan-2030","19":"tag-goal-1-4-alumni-development-and-engagement-strategic-plan-2030","20":"tag-master-of-public-health","21":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","22":"tag-mph","23":"tag-olivia-reeves","24":"tag-operating-with-excellence","25":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nOlympian 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