AAUW members were joined by Dr. Ellyn R. Mulcahy, Director of the Master in Public Health Program at Kansas State University.  She spoke about Educating the Next Generation of Public Health Providers.

In May of 2016 Dr. Mulcahy took her position at Kansas State University.  While her job consists of teaching, and doing research, her main job is finding jobs for her students.  We are fortunate that 75% of the students graduating in the Master in Public Health stay in Kansas.  Now there are 55% of the Public Health workers 65 years old and they will be retiring soon. This remains a good prospect for our young students graduating in the Master in Public Health program.

The Master in Public Health program at Kansas State includes the study of Infectious Disease and Zoonoses (diseases that can be transmitted to humans from animals), Food Safety and Biosecurity, Public Health Nutrition and Public Health Physical Activity.  The students will pick one of these areas as their study of emphasis. This Master program will include 42 credit hours with 15 or 17 hours of core course study, 20 – 22 credit hours in required courses and electives in area of emphasis, and with 6 or 9 hours of research/field experience.  The field or community project for the Masters program is done with a public health practitioner.  This field of experience will take the student beyond Kansas State into Kansas areas, different states and different countries. This community or field experience will help the student greatly as he or she applies for a job in the Public Health area.

Working within the Public Health area is going to require study of infectious diseases, chronic diseases, etc. in both the causes and prevention of these diseases.  As the students study the diseases, they will have to consider five areas. These areas are Economic Stability, Education, Neighborhood & Built Environment, Health and Health Care, and Social and Community Context.  Large amounts of data will have to be collected on whole populations in the state, in the country and around the globe with the goal of Public Health being creating better health for all. A great task is getting full commitment from everyone affected by the programs to participate wisely.

Our next meeting is October 9, 2017 at the First Congregational Church, 700 Poyntz Avenue, at 6:00 pm.  The speaker will be Karen Hawes, Consultant bringing us up to date on the Title X Family Planning Program: What You Need to Know.

Persons interested in learning more about AAUW in Manhattan may go to manhattan-ks.aauw.net or email manhattanksaauw@gmail.com.