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Student Spotlight: Esha Brahmbhatt, MPH ’27

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Reframing Public Health Through Media and Culture

For Esha Brahmbhatt, public health intersects with media, culture, and the ways people make meaning of the world around them. A current student in Dartmouth’s Online Hybrid Master of Public Health program, Esha is already shaping conversations on communication and health, most recently through her published work.

Esha’s article, “An Introduction to Media Epidemiology,” was newly published in Cabin Fever Magazine on Medium and selected by Dr. Jasmine Hawkins-White of the New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development as required reading for the course Global Culture Wars. The course, a core curriculum requirement, explores cultural studies and sociopolitical climate surrounding race, religion, and other pressing societal matters. In addition to being assigned reading, Esha’s piece created an opportunity for her to return to her alma mater as a guest lecturer, an experience she describes as especially meaningful.

The article marks the first time Esha formally articulated her theories on how media consumption influences health behaviors and outcomes. “I’m happy to have it received well at NYU,” she says, reflecting on the full-circle moment. The piece was published through Cabin Fever Magazine, an eccentric public health publication Esha founded in 2023. What began as a small student club at NYU has since grown into an independent magazine dedicated to making public health more accessible through culture, creativity, and timely commentary.

Esha’s path to public health began abroad. She started her undergraduate education in Paris, France, studying news media and cultural capital. During her time there, France raised the national retirement age, sparking widespread protests across generations. “As an American, it was beautiful to see such collective empathy,” she recalls. Witnessing public discourse unfold both in classrooms and in the streets inspired her to consider how communication shapes collective health and ultimately led her to add public health as a second major.

When it came time to choose a graduate program, Dartmouth stood out for its emphasis on cultural and regional nuance. “Dartmouth is dedicated to providing an education that touches upon regional and cultural nuances within the U.S. and around the world,” Esha says. She was also drawn to the program’s reputation for cultivating what Dr. Manish K. Mishra, MD, MPH, once described as public health “troublemakers.” As the youngest student in her cohort, after graduating from NYU in just two and a half years, Esha was eager to find a place that would support her bold ideas about reshaping public health communication. Dartmouth’s hybrid MPH program and its passionate student body felt like the perfect fit.

At Dartmouth, Esha has found space to integrate her academic interests in media, public health, and medicine. She plans to pursue a career as a physician and sees media as a critical, and often overlooked, determinant of health. “Dartmouth has given me a place to bridge together what I learned at NYU as a media and public health co-major,” she says. Through her coursework, faculty mentorship, and peer relationships, she has gained clarity on how to apply communication theory to the communities she hopes to serve.

One of the most surprising aspects of her Dartmouth experience has been the accessibility of faculty and staff. Coming from a large, nontraditional campus environment, Esha appreciates the sense of connection she has found. “Here, there’s always someone I can turn to, whether that’s through Outlook or within one of the offices at Remsen,” she says.

Looking ahead, Esha hopes to pursue a career in neurosurgery while working to establish media epidemiology as a prioritized field within public health. By acknowledging media’s growing influence, she believes public health can better protect families, children, and vulnerable populations from misinformation and harmful rhetoric that affect health both directly and through policy. Alongside her academic and medical aspirations, Esha intends to continue growing Cabin Fever Magazine as a platform that blends contemporary culture with credible public health information.

When asked what advice she would offer incoming students, Esha doesn’t hesitate. “Bring your biggest dreams with you… and snow boots.”

And for students attending Dartmouth’s intensive weeks in person, she recommends stepping outside the classroom to explore the Goat Path, a favorite walk that she says is especially beautiful in the summer months.

 

Written by: Mia Soucy

POSTED 1/22/2026 AT 10:54 AM IN #studentspotlight #onlinemph #2026