Natalie Collins: All-around health

When Natalie Collins was a student researcher on a tobacco control study, she had little idea that she would end up shaping one of the hottest political issues to face Minneapolis: a smoking ban in the city's bars and restaurants.

After getting her M.P.H in community health, Collins, as policy aide for the Minneapolis City Council, drafted the ordinance for a citywide smoking ban. The ban passed and went into effect on March 31, 2005. And recent research shows that the ban has not had a negative affect on business.

Today, Collins is a partner in Community Design Group that focuses on working with communities to create and support walkable, accessible, and inviting human environments to encourage healthier living.

Collins says her public health background influences nearly every issue she faces in her work. "Public health—looking at how people can be healthy—couldn't be more relevant to local policy work," she says.

She is also working on a University of Minnesota research study examining the economic and public safety consequences of Clean Indoor Air ordinances.

(Updated: June 2009)

Community Health