As the institution currently offering the region’s largest number of academic health profession programs, Gannon recently announced the addition of a new program to its Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences.
In fall 2015, students can begin classes in a new public health program. Public health can be described as the science of protecting and improving the health of communities via promotion of healthy lifestyle choices, research into disease and injury prevention, and the detection and control of infectious diseases.
A profession on the rise, public health provides a way to be a health professional without directly being in contact with patients. Gannon’s program will focus on both community and global public health. “This major focuses on learning to better the health of people globally and focuses on the needs of tens of thousands of people across the world, rather than the needs of just one particular patient,” said Steven Mauro, Ph.D., Dean of the Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences.
Not only was this major implemented at Gannon to provide a new health profession route for students, or to focus on comprehensive health around the globe, but also to provide support to and collaboration with existing programs at the University. The public health program will provide support to all other health programs by teaching students to develop a “bigger-picture” mindset of the health field to guide the specific, focused duties of nurses, therapists and physicians.
Students in the new major will become vital liaisons for inter-professional, multi-disciplinary collaboration due to the three strategic tracks within the major: science, healthcare with management, and health education and communication.
"To be able to work one-on-one with professors to do research and complete an internship is what sets Gannon apart"
In the science track, students will focus on research and concepts that can address some of the world’s most complex health issues. In the healthcare with management track, students will also gain a minor in business while honing their management skills to move into administrative positions upon graduation. In the health education and communication track, students will evolve into health educators, designing, conducting and evaluating activities that improve the health of all people.
These three tracks were strategically structured with the insight of faculty members in the business, education, science and communication programs. This will allow students to easily and more readily transition into careers upon graduation and to continue their education at Gannon in graduate programs such as business administration or health communication.
“Students in the program are joining an institution where they’ll receive a strong inter-professional exposure,” said Mauro. “At a small institution, hands-on education combined with inter-professional opportunities is unique; to be able to work one-on-one with professors to do research and complete an internship is what sets Gannon apart.”