Twenty-eight students from six Nebraska colleges and universities spent last week learning about public health career opportunities.
Students attending the fifth annual Undergraduate Public Health Workshop were from Peru and Chadron State colleges, Creighton University, and the Lincoln, Kearney and Omaha campuses of the University of Nebraska. The workshop was sponsored by the Rural Health Education Network.
Ali S. Khan, M.D., M.P.H., dean of the College of Public Health, opened the workshop with an overview of public health, what it is, and why it matters locally and globally. Katie Brandert, director of the Great Plains Public Health Leadership Institute, then reviewed the students’ Myers-Briggs Type Indicator results to help them better understand their personality and leadership styles.
Throughout the week, students were introduced to the essential role of public health data in bringing about improved health outcomes, research methodology, and the vast range of career and educational opportunities in public health. Students learned how public health affects all areas of life, from food and water, to mental health, emergency preparedness and global warming
Students then formed six research teams and worked with College of Public Health graduate students, who served as content advisors. The teams chose a topic from a range of public health concentration areas, conducted a comprehensive literature review developed scientific posters and the presented their findings to each other this morning.
The workshop also featured a trip to the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department in Wayne, Neb., where students learned about the many hats rural public health professionals wear. Topics explored included such environmental population health challenges as radon exposure, tornados and emergency preparedness, health education and the role of community health workers and rural health disparities.
Sonja Russell, education and outreach program manager, said: “We were thrilled to have such a highly energetic and curious group of students attend again this year. We truly need passionate and driven public health change-makers to address population health challenges across Nebraska and beyond.”