The Bachelor of Science in Public Well being, set to start out fall 2024, will look at environmental well being points which might be outstanding in Imperial Valley.
Miguel Zavala, affiliate professor within the Faculty of Public Well being at SDSU Imperial Valley, noticed harm to native agricultural landscapes in his hometown close to Guanajuato, Mexico, from what he mentioned had been a results of actions by manufacturing industries. The consequences had been so profound, he mentioned, that a lot of his shut family had been beginning to have well being points.
“Whenever you’re in a small, tight-knit neighborhood who work day-after-day in agriculture or manufacturing industries, your motivation is to supply for your loved ones and transfer ahead with work duties,” mentioned Zavala. “But, whenever you see individuals round you beginning to get sick to the purpose of hospitalization, it opens your eyes to the long-term disparities {that a} damaging setting has on people of all ages.”
On the time, Zavala had little consciousness of environmental well being because it pertains to the research of public well being. Pulling from his private experiences, Zavala’s present analysis focuses on air air pollution.
Zavala, alongside assistant professors of environmental well being Linda Lara-Jacobo and Kai-Chung Cheng, will probably be launching SDSU Imperial Valley’s new Bachelor of Science in Public Well being diploma program to bolster the variety of native public well being professionals inside the area. This system is predicted to be supplied fall 2024.
“We have now passionate, devoted college students who see the impacts of water and air air pollution in our area and need to make a long-lasting change in our neighborhood,” mentioned Guillermina Gina Nunez-Mchiri, dean of SDSU Imperial Valley. “Our new public well being main will increase profession alternatives and enhance a mighty group of native specialists to extend advocacy, help and analysis that we want within the Imperial Valley.”
The work of public well being professionals entails ongoing analysis to develop, implement and assess applications to scale back threats to people’ well being. Based on Zavala, public well being professionals are additionally closely concerned in connecting with neighborhood members by advocacy, training, and creating countywide sources that can enhance their high quality of life.
“Public well being is all about neighborhood,” mentioned Zavala. “You ingrain your self into the socio-economic well being disparities that folks expertise and you discover action-based options that can make a distinction within the lives of these you care about. For me, it has been a really rewarding journey.”
The brand new Bachelor of Science in Public Well being diploma program will specialise in disciplines of epidemiology, environmental well being, occupational well being, well being providers administration and behavioral well being. By this program, college students could have internship alternatives with regional organizations to acquire jobs in hospitals, authorities businesses, worldwide applications, non-public/volunteer businesses and clinics. College students may also pursue a Grasp of Public Well being diploma at SDSU.
SDSU Imperial Valley’s new public well being program builds on the college’s work to proceed to increase its diploma choices and scholar help providers. In Could 2022, the college introduced the creation of a brand new, accelerated pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The SDSU Imperial Valley BSN program gives freshman entry college students the chance to finish their BSN in three years and switch eligible college students in two years.