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Department of Public Health

Faculty

Dawna M. Thomas, Professor of Sociology, Chair of Critical Race, Gender, & Cultural Studies, and Chair of Public Health
Leigh Haynes, Associate Professor of Practice and MPH Program Interim Director 
Valerie Leiter, Professor (On sabbatical 2023-2024)
Charlotte Powley, Assistant Teaching Professor and Bachelor’s Program Director
Meenakshi Verma-Agrawal, Associate Professor of Practice

Overview

This department provides a unique and challenging educational experience for students who wish to combine an interdisciplinary liberal arts education with a specialty focus on public health. The major provides conceptual foundations and empirical bases for analyzing the interplay between science, society, and health, and prepares students for a variety of public health careers. Undergraduate majors also have the option to pursue accelerated programs toward graduate students in public health or nutrition. The minor provides students with an opportunity to augment their specialty education with this broad perspective. There is a rising demand for public health professionals, due to increased global concerns regarding infectious and chronic disease epidemiology, food and water safety, sanitation, and environmental health issues as well as health inequities. Public health professionals have excellent employment prospects, as researchers, community health workers, and health program managers.

The department also offers majors in addiction studies and health care policy and management, both competitive fields of study desired by employers. The addiction studies major is designed to develop change makers who recognize the intersectionality of social determinants of health via intra- and interpersonally, culturally, politically and within the community to decrease risk factors that segue into substance use and addictive behavior. The health care policy and management major is designed to develop innovative professionals who can drive diverse, equitable and inclusive healthcare leadership collaboratively and globally. 

Learning Outcomes

The Public Health department has identified the following essential public health domains as learning outcomes for our undergraduate majors:

  • Address the history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts and functions across the globe and in society
  • Address the basic concepts, methods, and tools of public health data collection, use and analysis and why evidence-based approaches are an essential part of public health practice
  • Address the concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches and interventions that identify and address the major health-related needs and concerns of populations
  • Address the underlying science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course
  • Address the socio-economic, behavioral, biological, environmental and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities
  • Address the fundamental concepts and features of project implementation, including planning, assessment and evaluation
  • Address the fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the U.S. health system as well as to the differences in systems in other countries

The addictions studies major focuses on the following learning objectives:

  • Examine historical context of substance use issues in the United States and abroad.
  • Develop an understanding of healthcare systems, and treatment options.
  • Understand case clinical assessment process for addiction counseling.
  • Knowledge of case-management processes and continuing care approaches.
  • Demonstrate flexible critical thinking for ongoing treatment planning.
  • Provide effective communication, collaboration and teamwork.
  • Discuss best practices, standards and competencies implemented in Substance abuse counseling.
  • Apply cultural competence and humility, diversity, equity and inclusion in addictions counseling practicum.

The health care policy and management major focuses on the following learning objectives:

  • Develop understanding of healthcare systems, and delivery structures.
  • Apply cultural competence and humility, diversity, equity and inclusion in healthcare leadership.
  • Demonstrate flexible critical thinking for purpose driven results.
  • Provide effective communication, collaboration and teamwork.
  • Evaluate applied best practices, standards and competencies implemented.
  • Understand how health policy and systems can be implemented to improve public health.
  • Review changes in educational standards and best practices.

Departmental Honors

A graduating senior in the department of Public Health can earn Department Honors based on either one of the following criteria:

  1. A cumulative GPA of 3.7 or above and successfully completed a thesis
  2. A cumulative GPA of 3.7 or above and undertaken significant engagement with service to public health, beyond the required credit-bearing service-learning courses and internships