Students of the School of Public Health’s Executive MPH Program have been discussing public health approaches and strategies for preventing gun violence among youth in Philadelphia.
That discussion came full circle on April 18 when three guest speakers – each with their own perspective on violence prevention – joined the class to analyze how violence prevention, including policy, programs and research, can be viewed through the broader lens of public health.
State Representative Dwight Evans, Farrah Samuels, MSEd, from Philadelphia Safe and Sound, and School of Public Health professor and department chair Dr. John Rich, gave presentations to the class about how they are working to analyze, treat and prevent violence across the region.
Each speaker gave a presentation and provided ample time for questions and answers with the students.
"Bringing three of the region’s leaders in violence prevention into class is truly a unique learning experience for the students," said Nancy Epstein, MPH, the organizing professor of the class. "Most of the students in the executive program are working professionals. Many have experienced and worked with the effects of violence firsthand, including one who is an emergency room nurse at a large Philadelphia trauma center. To be able to bring in experts and public officials that passionately care about this issue and are shaping leading edge anti-violence efforts is a great boost to the educational opportunities for our students."
Representative Evans, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, has been in the Pennsylvania State Legislature for nearly three decades and is the architect of the "Blueprint for a Safer Philadelphia." The blueprint outlines a long term comprehensive strategy that focuses on prevention methods to curb violence across Philadelphia. An important element of the program is bringing together public health officials and experts to bring about environmental and behavioral change in vulnerable areas. The program is currently being piloted in two locations. Representative Evans stressed to the class that these types of programs need sustainability to see results. He urged the class to take what they have learned and work towards long term preventative methods that address violence and other public health concerns.
Nancy Epstein, MPH introduces State Representative Dwight Evans
Ms. Samuels, who is a violence prevention project manager at Philadelphia Safe and Sound (PSS), was the next speaker. PSS is an organization that works with many different city stakeholders in order to improve the health and well-being of the city's children and prevent violence. Ms. Samuels described to the class how her organization collects and analyzes city-wide data, creates partnership programs and successful community engagement strategies, and provides needed statistical information to enhance anti-violence programs.
Dr. Rich then put a face to the numbers by talking about his experiences working with young men who have dealt with repeated trauma. He shared video clips of interviews with young men who have been victims of violence and encouraged students to see the world from the perspective of these young men. He spoke of how a number of these young men have subsequently trained to become violence prevention counselors.
Dr. Rich also spoke about his work establishing the Center for Nonviolence and Social Justice at Drexel. The Center will lead training and education programs for healthcare providers in emergency departments. A program called "Healing Hurt People" will be directed from the center and will work to treat people impacted by violence or trauma as if it were an injury, and help to provide social and emotional support, as well as medical treatment.
Dr. John Rich, with Nancy Epstein and Farrah Samuels, lectures on "Trauma,
Urban Violence and African-American Men"
"The programs outlined by these speakers show how a committed, community-level approach is critical to the prevention of violence and other forms of trauma," said Epstein. "Engaging students in public health practice is the hallmark of our education at Drexel. By leading research out in the field, and engaging with some of the foremost experts on campus and in the state legislature, students at Drexel not only learn public health, they experience it firsthand."
The School of Public Health’s executive program is designed to accelerate the careers of professionals already working in public health and for those considering a career change. The seventeen month part-time program is tailored for individuals to acquire the needed knowledge and tools for leadership roles in public health. The program builds on each individual's education, work experience and skills in a fast-paced and intensive learning environment.
For more information about the executive program, please contact William. J. Hickey, Ph.D. at william.hickey@drexel.edu, or visit the admissions page on the School of Public Health’s Web site at www.publichealth.drexel.edu.