New
course introduces public health field to students
by Kim Miller
A new Medical College of Georgia course will introduce undergraduates at MCG and three nearby universities, Paine College, Augusta State University and the University of South Carolina at Aiken, to emerging public health issues.
The course is made possible by a $10,000 award from the Association of Teachers of Preventative Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Innovations in Public Health Education Program, and will look at such topics as the avian flu epidemic, emergency response to terrorist attacks and information management in the 21st century.
“There are so many problems in health care – chronic problems – and we need to create more awareness,” said Dr. Genny Carrillo, assistant professor of public health and instructor of the new course. “The more people we educate, the more likely we can develop promotion and preventative measurements to diminish the amount of diseases or complications.”
The MCG Department of Health Informatics began a master of public health program last fall to help meet the increased demand for public health professionals. The program prepares students to improve public health by managing health organizations and health information systems in hospitals, HMOs, clinics, public health departments and other health-related institutions. Dr. Miguel Zuniga, director of the master of public health program, hopes the undergraduate course will encourage students from multiple fields to pursue careers in public health, then possibly enroll in the graduate program.
“The work force of public health professionals that is about to retire is so large that replacing them and keeping the public health system strong is going to take many years,” he said. “One way we can increase the pipeline of public health professions is by introducing public health concepts early in students’ undergraduate careers.”
The course explains major disciplines in public health, such as epidemiology, environmental health, health promotion, information administration and biostatistics. The instructors will introduce what Dr. Zuniga calls the “emerging disciplines of public health,” which include informatics, cultural competency, global health, genomics, policy and law.
Dr. Carrillo will teach most of the courses, with expert guests in each topic. The class will be upgraded to graduate level if there is a demand.
“These are issues everyone should know more about,” said Dr. Carrillo. “It teaches you about these new fields that public health is beginning to embrace. Learning more about this field can be advantageous for a wide range of health care professionals, from nurses to physician assistants to dentists and others in the social and life sciences.”
The first class from the master of public health program, which will soon begin its second year, experienced full enrollment this fall. The class of 10 includes physicians and graduates of the MCG health informatics program, as well as professionals from other fields.
“This program enhances job opportunities and increases diversity,” Dr. Zuniga said. “It provides opportunities to go into management and provide better care of your patients due to a population-based perspective. There also are opportunities to do research, take on leadership positions and become leaders in your community.”
For more information on the undergraduate course, Introduction to Public Health, contact Dr. Carrillo at ext.1-7017. For more information about the master of public health program, contact Dr. Zuniga at ext. 1-3436.