Public Health
A WORLD OF WELLNESS
Become the health leaders of tomorrow.
Solving the world’s public health challenges takes leaders with insight, compassion and broad critical thinking skills. At Whitman College, you can weave together your interests in health, research and policy through an interdisciplinary Public Health concentration that can complement any major. And you’ll gain hands-on experience that will prepare you to make a difference in your community and the world.
3 Reasons To Study Public Health at Whitman
Now More Than Ever
The world needs public health experts with a liberal arts education grounded in rigorous scientific principles, a nuanced understanding of the systems that affect public health, steadfast compassion and rigorous ethics. At Whitman, you’ll get a well-rounded education that will prepare you to take on the public health challenges of the future.
Hands-On Experience
At Whitman, you’ll have the opportunity to do real research alongside your professors, volunteer in community health settings, and build a resume of impactful internships that signal to employers and graduate programs your commitment to the field of public health.
Mentorship That Matters
With small classes and professors who know you by name, you won’t get lost in large lecture halls. At Whitman, you’ll have access to scholar-teachers who can help you confidently map out the steps to a public health career.
Interested in Public Health?
We’d love to send you information, including more on academic programs and student life at our beautiful campus in Walla Walla, Washington.
“Whitman taught me how to think critically, analyze how complex systems interact, conduct qualitative and quantitative research, and think creatively to find equitable solutions. All of these skills are required for public health and are adaptable skills that can be applied to almost any facet of the field. I can take the skills I learned at Whitman and apply them to other areas of public health as my career morphs.”
Paige Organick-Lee ’17, Operations and Policy Analyst, Oregon Department of Human Services, Office of Aging and People with Disabilities
Faculty
Courses in Public Health
See just a few of the fascinating courses you might take.
Introduction to Public Health
In this foundational introduction to the field of public health, you’ll examine how societies promote health, prevent disease and address health inequities at the population level. You’ll learn about research models, major causes of death and disease, common factors that affect health, and current challenges in the field.
Before Germs & Genetics: Wellness, Healing & Meaning in Early America
Before germ theory, before genetics, before x-rays—how did Americans experience and understand bodily change and disease? In this course, you’ll consider how ideas about wellness, illness and healing have varied across time—and encounter evidence left behind by people who understood their bodies in ways strikingly different from our own.
Social & Individual Determinants of Health
How do social, economic, environmental, cultural and political conditions—such as education, income, social and community context, and public policy—shape patterns of health, disease and longevity? We’ll draw from a variety of disciplines and real-world examples to answer those questions and explore strategies that can advance health equity and social justice in the U.S.
Health Literacy
Health literacy shapes people’s ability to find, understand and use health information. It plays a major role in how we make health decisions, navigate the healthcare system and experience health outcomes. In this course you’ll examine how health literacy affects health, learn plain-language communication strategies and design user-centered health messages.
Bioethics
Dig into current debates in bioethics! We’ll consider various ethical theories as we talk about topics like artificial reproductive technology, abortion, healthcare resource allocation, disability accommodation, genetic testing, end-of-life care, physician-assisted suicide and clinical research.
Environmental Health
How do the natural, built and social environments we live in impact our health? In this course, we’ll draw on fields like toxicology, environmental chemistry, epidemiology, sociology, history, policy studies, and even fiction to explore how science is used to develop regulations, the role of social movements in identifying environmental health problems, and the inequalities associated with environmental exposures.
What Our Graduates Are Doing Now
Paige Organick-Lee ’17
Operations and Policy Analyst, Oregon Department of Human Services, Office of Aging and People With Disabilities
Tessa Fairfortune ’11
Viral Hepatitis Epidemiologist, Washington State Department of Health
Michele Roberts ’98
Assistant Secretary for Prevention and Community Health, Washington State Department of Health
Jane Strachan ’95
Emergency Specialist, UNICEF
Amazing Experiences You Can Pursue
Connect with like-minded students. In student-run clubs like the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students, Pre-Health Society, SOS Volunteer Club, and Whitman First Responders you’ll meet other students who care about positively impacting community health.
Secure meaningful internships. Whitman students intern at health clinics, hospitals, research labs and policy centers around the world. A Whitman Internship Grant can help make your dream internship a reality.
Research and publish with your professors. Whitman faculty are doing cutting-edge research in areas like neuroscience, environmental health, traffic safety and drug design. You can work alongside and even publish with them as an undergraduate.
Connect With the Director of Whitman’s Public Health Program
Questions? Reach out to Alissa Cordner, Professor of Sociology and Director of Public Health. She and fellow faculty members will work together to ensure that your unique academic journey at Whitman is easy to navigate and prepares you to be a leader in the field of public health.
Your Questions Answered
A major is designed to provide in-depth understanding of a single subject. A concentration draws from many subjects and allows students to place their own academic interests in a wider context. A concentration doesn’t replace a major, but their course content can overlap.
Studying public health can help prepare you for a wide range of careers—from health education to policymaking to research to healthcare administration. It will give you the tools to understand both the biology of health and the social systems that drive health disparities—and what we can do about them.
Whether you’re dreaming of becoming a doctor, a researcher or a community health leader, a public health degree can build both the scientific knowledge and broader understanding that will serve you throughout your career.
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