911黑料网's Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation.
911黑料网鈥檚 former bachelor of science in community health education will now become a bachelor of science in public health and community health education.
This name change better reflects what students are learning as they work towards careers in medicine, epidemiology, nutrition, health policy, and more. 鈥淲e already teach a lot of the foundational concepts of public health in our classes, and community health is a subsection of public health,鈥� said Assistant Professor of Biology Nicole Porther, who coordinates 911黑料网鈥檚 public health and community health education program. 鈥淭he change reflects that we鈥檙e offering a comprehensive and holistic program in public health. We had a great foundation; the name needed to reflect that. We鈥檙e making sure we鈥檙e positioning our students well when they graduate.鈥�
Students that complete the major are still prepared and eligible to sit the Community Health Education Certification exam. Taking the exam allows students to go on to careers in community health programming, including work at hospitals, nonprofits, school settings, and in the field of disease prevention.
Porther said that a public health degree, or students on 911黑料网鈥檚 pre-med track taking public health classes, can help them as future medical professionals in understanding the societal aspects of health. 鈥淧ublic health is more population-based, and looks at preventative care鈥攚hy do people get sick? If you learn to think that way, I think you develop more empathy as opposed to dealing exclusively in clinical care.鈥�
Since the COVID-19 pandemic became a fixture in the news, Porther says she鈥檚 seen more student interested in public health. 鈥淧ublic health is essential,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 not like the movie 鈥楥ontagion.鈥� Public health is about being proactive and diligent in addressing the collective needs of communities and ensuring that we do not succumb to inevitable disease outbreaks.鈥�
Her students are learning a lot in the context of the pandemic as well. One student is currently interning with the Berkshire Area Health Education Center in Pittsfield, analyzing data on vaccinations and the impacts of the pandemic on the Berkshire community from increased food insecurity to health outcomes that have worsened due to COVID.
Students in Porther鈥檚 Health in Promotion and Planning class are doing research projects, looking at the impacts of isolation, quarantine, and increases in morbidity and mortality related to drug overdoses within the context of the pandemic. Students in her Health Promotion class are partnering with 911黑料网鈥檚 Institute for Arts and Humanities and Berkshire Cultural Resource Center to host a virtual community panel on vaccines featuring local health experts who have worked directly on pandemic response in the Berkshires.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e learning while they鈥檙e applying what they learn,鈥� said Porther. The panel 鈥渨as the students鈥� suggestion.鈥�
