Public Health at Whitman
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COMING IN 2026–2027
Teaching the health leaders of tomorrow.
As one of the top liberal arts colleges in the Northwest, Whitman College has equipped generations of students with the skills to tackle the world’s most pressing public health challenges. Now, as we look to the future, the college is proposing an exciting new addition to Whitman’s curriculum: an interdisciplinary concentration in Public Health. Building on the expertise of Whitman’s faculty in the social sciences, natural sciences and humanities—alongside the search for a new professor of Public Health who will play a vital role in enhancing the curriculum and leading the program—the proposed concentration will tentatively launch in the 2026–2027 academic year.
3 Reasons for a Public Health Program at Whitman
Now More Than Ever
The world needs public health experts with an education grounded in rigorous scientific principles, a nuanced understanding of the systems that affect public health, steadfast compassion and rigorous ethics. Whitman is ready to prepare the next generation of public health leaders to take on the challenges of the future.
Advancing the Curriculum
The Public Health concentration will build on courses currently available to Whitman students—such as Environmental Health, Bioethics, Infectious Disease, and the Sociology of Health and Illness—while expanding the curriculum with new course offerings in epidemiology, health policy and other specialized public health topics.
Mentorship That Matters
Building off Whitman’s long history of successful Pre-Health advising, the new Public Health concentration will give students a clear academic pathway to careers in public health, focused mentorship and internship opportunities, and the chance to put their learning into action through an experiential capstone project.
Work at Whitman
Now Hiring Public Health Faculty
Whitman is currently hiring for a tenure-track faculty position in Public Health to start in August 2026. Learn more about the position, benefits and life in beautiful Walla Walla, Washington.
Faculty Highlight
“In 2024, Whitman faculty and staff came together in a focused collaboration to figure out what it would take to establish a Public Health curriculum at Whitman. With the support of Whitman students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and administration, we are excited to bring this vision into reality, starting with hiring a new professor of Public Health in the fall of 2025.”
Alissa Cordner, Professor of Sociology
Steering Committee
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