Advancing Public Health Through Research and Community Care
Kelly Ylitalo, PhD, first discovered her passion for public health as an undergraduate student at Baylor University when a trip to Haiti, with the nonprofit organization Mission Waco|Mission World, opened her eyes to the importance of community health and the infrastructure needed to support it. Now, as Associate Professor and Director of the PhD Program for the Department of Public Health in Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Ylitalo is committed to using public health research to make a difference. Particularly, her research examines aging, with a focus on physical functioning, chronic disease, healthy aging, and the behaviors and opportunities that shape long-term health outcomes.
“We often think that aging is something that happens to someone else, and really, aging is something that’s happening to all of us,” she shared.
One of Ylitalo’s primary interests is fall risk among older adults—a significant issue that affects one in three people each year. These falls are not only common within the population, but they can also trigger a significantly negative impact, both on the aging adults themselves and on their families.
“About half of these falls result in injury, which can lead to hospitalizations, disability, a loss of independence, and even mortality,” she said. “Fall injuries account for about $50 billion a year in healthcare expenditures.”
Ylitalo’s research process for studying fall risk has involved both large-scale population studies and smaller local studies. Her large-scale studies involve analyzing data from cohorts of hundreds of thousands of adults to identify patterns and risk factors for falling. On a more localized level, Ylitalo partners with the Baylor BioMotion Lab to conduct in-person gait assessments, evaluating how mobility and walking patterns correlate with fall risk in older adults.
Through these studies, she seeks to understand the causes of falls and identify ways to reduce risk. Ylitalo collects and analyzes data to uncover patterns in fall-related injuries and their long-term impact on health. By focusing on preventive measures—like setting people up for healthy aging through nutritious eating and consistent exercise—Ylitalo hopes to improve health, independence, and overall quality of life for older adults.
Ylitalo’s passion for improving quality of life extends beyond the lab. In addition to her research, Ylitalo emphasizes her enthusiasm for supporting the local community. Through her work with Waco Family Medicine, she has witnessed first-hand the power of local initiatives improving health outcomes for older adults.
“Waco Family Medicine has given me a chance to partner on some of its projects, largely under the ‘Exercise is Medicine’ and ‘Food is Medicine’ research domains,” she said. “These programs focus on building access to exercise opportunities while also improving confidence and skills, so people have the chance to live longer, healthier lives.”
As part of her collaboration with Waco Family Medicine, Ylitalo developed an assessment approach to evaluate the effectiveness of its exercise prescription program. In this program, patients are referred to an on-site exercise facility and are paired with a fitness advisor to help them build exercise skills and confidence. In analyzing data from more than 1,000 adults who participated in the program, Ylitalo found that older and less active patients were more likely to use the exercise facility, indicating that the program was effectively meeting a crucial need in the community.
The public health profession says, “think globally, act locally.” These initiatives, particularly in supporting health equity and access, align closely with Ylitalo’s overarching goal of providing opportunities for healthy aging in her community.
“I love living and working in Waco, and I think there are a lot of fantastic organizations who are doing great work in our community,” she said. “There’s a shared sense that we’re only as healthy as our neighbors, and so we must support one another to create a healthy community that can work for everyone.”
For Ylitalo, research is not just about numbers and statistics—it is about people. As an epidemiologist, she makes it a point to remain focused on the individuals behind the data.
“In epidemiology, we have opportunities to use data, collect data, do research, and a lot of that is very heavy in terms of statistics and numbers. But I think one of the really important things—which I always remind myself and my students as we’re doing research—is that there is a very real person who lives in a complex environment that provided that data,” she shared. “So, there’s a face behind that number, and we really should never lose sight of the people that matter in our research.”
Ylitalo believes that growth in public health research comes from being open to new ideas and experiences. She encourages her students to step outside of their comfort zone or expectations and explore the ways they can make a meaningful impact.
“I think sometimes students come in and they only have one idea of what they want to do or what they think research looks like,” she said. “But there are a lot of ways to do good work, and there are a lot of ways to learn.”
As she continues her work in research, teaching, and service, Ylitalo remains focused on connecting scientific discovery and community impact. Whether in the lab or the classroom, her mission remains the same—empower individuals and communities to live healthier lives.