The Observer, September 2, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1
New Public Health Studies major offered
With the issues of bioterrorism, globalization, aging of the population, and health and healthcare disparities, people across the nation have begun to accept public health as a pressing concern.
In keeping with the trend and emphasizing the importance of public health, the College of Arts and Sciences, in conjunction with the School of Medicine, has introduced a bachelor of arts degree in public health. In addition, an integrated B.A./MPH for public health majors who wish to earn a Master of Public Health degree is also being offered.
In his inaugural address, President Hundert outlined his vision for a new educational environment that would "transform society by preparing our students to improve the human condition and by directing the benefits of discovery toward a better society." Hundert's vision is being made into a reality with the change in undergraduate programs which emphasize experiential learning and interdisciplinary programs.
The idea of enhancing public health education at Case began when selected members of the Case faculty and administrative staff were asked to evaluate and propose the structure of an interdisciplinary 5-year program that would give students the opportunity to earn an undergraduate degree combined with a Master of Public Health.
The Undergraduate Program was created specifically for undergraduates and embraces five content areas: Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Policy, Environmental Health, and Behavioral Health. For the purposes of accreditation, these topic matters are required by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH).
In emphasizing analytic assessment, policy development, planning, leadership, and communication, the curriculum is also able to integrate key elements from the Institute of Medicine and U.S. Public Health Services Reports.
Students can apply to the public health major in the spring of their sophomore year. However, the program can only accommodate 30 to 40 students and applicants are encouraged to have a second major in case they are not accepted. At the time of application, students are required to have completed the Foundation Components of the Public Health Studies Program.
Those students who wish to earn a Master of Public Health degree must have declared a major in Public Health Studies (PHS) in order to apply to the 4+1 Integrated B.A./MPH program. Students are eligible to apply in the spring of their junior year.
"We have been getting a lot of interest in this new program and I have been getting a lot of calls from students who would like to declare this as their major. However, it is too soon to obtain a count of students majoring in this," said Michelle Jaketic, Program Coordinator of the Public Health Studies major.
More information can be found at www.casepublichealthstudies.org.
