Lindsey Palmer’s journey from photographer to MPH student in behavioral and community health sciences and public health advocate is anything but traditional, yet it's deeply intentional. Every experience has brought her closer to work that feels meaningful.
Palmer holds both a BFA and an MFA in photography, her first passion. Despite her academic background in the arts, her career began in the unexpected field of pediatric ophthalmology, photographing children’s eyes at a children’s hospital. The role was rooted in healthcare, but it was also emotionally intense and under-supported. The stress led to a pivot, one of many bold turns that have shaped her path.
As she continued her work with young people, Palmer found herself at a children’s museum co-teaching a free, arts-focused afterschool program for middle schoolers. The curriculum blended art making with age-appropriate conversations about social justice. As a youth mentor, Palmer focused on helping kids build communication skills, confidence and community.
“We encouraged failure, iteration and self-expression,” she recalls. “It was about helping kids build a sense of self in a safe place.”
“Kids are learning how to interact,” Palmer adds. “It’s so easy to label them as being ‘disrespectful’ but they’re just figuring out how to express themselves. And sometimes, all they need is someone to help them understand that.”
That transformative time at the museum helped Palmer realize she was already doing public health work by supporting youth development, promoting equity and addressing behavior through a social lens. It just didn’t have the name yet. Her experiences working with youth in both clinical and creative settings had given her a distinct and valuable perspective on behavior and development, even if she was still figuring out how to channel it into a clear path forward.
Eventually, she surprised herself by deciding to return to school to formally pursue public health. “I told my husband I’d never go back to school after my first master’s,” she laughs. “But this just felt different. It felt like purpose.”
Palmer’s current academic focus at the School of Public Health is on youth health equity, mental wellness and the role of environment in shaping behavior. She is especially concerned about how the pandemic disrupted young people’s lives and development. “Youth don’t have the same coping skills as adults,” she explains. “Their whole world changed overnight, and many are still in survival mode.”
Palmer’s creative roots continue to shape her vision, especially her belief in the power of photography as a tool for qualitative research and youth storytelling. She’s passionate about helping young people document and share their own lived experiences through the lens of a camera.
“Dr. Sara Baumann [assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences] has done a lot of collaborative filmmaking, and I think in a similar way, collaborative photography can be a really powerful tool,” she says.
One of Palmer’s dream projects is a region-wide study focused on adults who support youth—educators, clinicians, mentors—to better understand whether students in Pittsburgh are truly thriving. She envisions pairing that research with a photography project that invites youth to visually explore and reflect on their environments and personal journeys.
“I want to see their world through their lens,” Palmer explains. “When you understand the environment young people are growing up in, you understand their behavior better. Then you can actually build systems that support them.”
It’s deeply personal for Palmer. Photography, she says, saved her life.
“I wouldn’t be here without it,” she reflects. “It gave me something to care about, something that helped me make sense of the world. Public health is about caring for people beyond yourself. I’m just trying to be the person I needed when I was younger and to help others do the same.”
Palmer feels like she’s found her purpose and a place where her passions have converged. “I think it took me this long to be ready for it and that’s okay,” she says.
-Amber Curtaccio