With demand boosted by COVID-19, SVSU Master of Public Health program educators to host informational sessions online

Public health professionals are on the front lines of battling COVID-19 pandemic, and Saginaw Valley State University educators anticipate both demand and interest in public health professions will skyrocket in the coming years. Responding to the call for that demand and interest, SVSU is hosting two online-based informational sessions this month for individuals interested in enrolling in the university's Master of Public Health program, which is taught online. 

 

“Public health professionals serve in a variety of roles and settings along the public health and U.S. healthcare continuum, including health promotion, epidemiology, public health policy, regulation and leadership,” said Chris Noller, SVSU assistant professor of health science. 

 

“This is especially important in times of public health crisis, as evidenced by the current COVID-19 pandemic.” 

 

Noller and her colleague, Meghan Baruth, associate professor of health science, will lead the online informational sessions at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, and noon on Wednesday, April 8. Participating in the virtual session is free. 

 

Those interested can attend the meetings by clicking on the following link: https://zoom.us/j/506908710?status=success. 

 

The two helped launch the 30-credit Master of Public Health program at SVSU in fall 2018. Today, 75 students are enrolled in the initiative. 

 

Employees with a public health education are the second-largest sector of the health care industry, behind clinical practitioners — a category that includes doctors and nurses who work 1-on-1 with patients. Public health-educated workers deal in the administration, analysis, education and policy-making of health care. More and more employers in more and more industries are hiring workers with those skillsets. 

 

The national opioid epidemic, Flint water crisis, the implementation of Affordable Care Act policies, and the impact of climate change on infectious diseases all have contributed to a rising demand for public health-trained professionals in all types of professions. The COVID-19 virus will create an even larger need for workers in the public health industry for years to come, experts say. 

 

If you have questions about SVSU’s Master of Public Health program or are unable to attend these informational sessions, please contact Noller at cnoller@svsu.edu.