Is it better to treat a disease or to prevent people from getting sick in the first place? From both a health perspective and an economic perspective, disease prevention and health promotion are the way to go. A minor in public health provides a student the background to understand how disease affects a community and how structures can be implemented to improve the health of an entire population. This program allows students to consider how behavioral change, health education, environmental health and health care all contribute to a healthy community.

Curriculum
The overall goal of the program is to provide a basic understanding of community health. The 18-hour curriculum includes:

• Introduction to Global Health
• PPY 254 – Human Physiology, BIO 302 – Cell Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, or BIO 241 – Biological Basis of Health
• Contemporary Challenges in Health Care
• Contemporary Issues in Global Health
• Public Health and Social Justice
• Evidence-Based Public Health

A vital dimension to this program is service learning. Three of the six courses allow students to get involved with community health projects in the St. Louis area. By tying what we do in the classroom to the communities in need of our services our students are prepared to be effective agents of change.

Great Professional Preparation
This program is well-designed for students in a variety of majors:

• A pre-med student may find a background in prevention-based health care a good supplement to future clinical practice
• A physical therapy student may wish to understand how personal health is affected by systemic health factors
• An international studies major will find the emphasis on global health a great addition to other international courses
• A theology student will be interested in how health and health care are truly issues of social justice
• A social work student might be interested in how community can be used to improve health and opportunity
• An economics major may be interested how to promote a healthy workforce which leads to a more productive workforce
• Many other students will find the elements of community health applicable to their daily lives

For additional information about the program contact:
Michael Rozier
314-977-4028
mrozier1@slu.edu

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