Beginning in fall 2023, a public health pathway will be offered to high school students in Bulloch County. This three-course pathway will introduce students to the broad topic of health care. The first two courses, Introduction to Healthcare Science and Essentials of Healthcare, are currently offered to high school students in the county. The new course, Applications of Public Health, will introduce students to the knowledge and skills needed for a career in public health.
The public health course was developed by the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH) at Georgia Southern University. The course will be offered in an asynchronous online format, and will be facilitated by JPHCOPH Associate Dean Nandi A. Marshall, DrPH.
“It has been a dream of mine to work with the Bulloch County school system to bring the public health pathway to our high school students,” Marshall said. “We are beyond excited about the partnership, and I am thrilled to introduce the students to the amazing world of public health.”
“Public health is the prevention side of healthcare, and it affects everyone, everywhere, every day,” noted JPHCOPH Dean Stuart Tedders, Ph.D.
“The desire to improve health and quality of life is something that resonates broadly around the world,” he said. “As such, there are tremendous career opportunities for those interested in making a difference.”
JPHCOPH offers undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees in public health. Careers in public health are diverse and plentiful, yet many students are unaware of these opportunities.
“We hope this pathway opens the door for many students that might not have otherwise known about careers in public health,” said Marshall.
JPHCOPH began working with the Bulloch County school system last September to develop the public health pathway.
“We are so excited to partner with Bulloch County Schools to finally realize this initiative to begin training future public health practitioners,” said Tedders.
Bulloch County Schools Superintendent Charles Wilson is also excited to partner with Georgia Southern to offer this pathway.
“This is another example of how we can all work together in this community to expand our offerings for our students that are relevant and purposeful,” Wilson said. “We appreciate Georgia Southern University’s efforts, particularly those of the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health.”
