Editor's note: This summer five students from the School of Public Health are leading international work experiences in The Gambia. Follow their updates on the school's international travel blog.
The Drexel University School of Public Health has announced a new global health certificate program starting in September 2012.
The unique certificate program, which is part of the school’s new Global Health Initiative, is designed for current students and working professionals looking to acquire additional skills or to better impact the health of others on a global scale.
“Public health issues increasingly transcend the perspectives and concerns of individual nations and transcend geographic boundaries,” said Dr. Shannon Márquez, the director of the Global Health Initiative at the School of Public Health. “What was once thought of as a local public health issue is now something that could impact the health of communities around the world. There is a growing need for a better trained workforce that will have the knowledge and skills to collaborate and partner strengthen health systems and address pressing public health problems of such magnitude that they have a global political and economic impact.”
The curriculum for the global health certificate uniquely blends online courses, seminars and international field experiences. The program is designed to complement the coursework of current public health students, while also accommodating the schedules of working professionals.
“The program prepares students and practitioners to work in changing environments and with diverse populations,” said Márquez. “The global health certificate also provides a comprehensive understanding of global conditions, needs and solutions that cross borders in both developing and industrialized countries and regions.”
Márquez established the Global Health Initiative when she started at the School of Public Health earlier this year. The initiative was created to provide excellent opportunities for students to gain rich and meaningful experiences working on health issues that transcend national boundaries or that may be influenced by circumstances or experiences in other countries.
“Graduates of the global health certificate program will be better-positioned for improving the lives of vulnerable populations and more equipped for international engagement, including fostering capacity building, social justice, and collaborating and partnering with NGOs and institutions working in global health, as well as cross-cultural training and global health workforce development,” said Márquez.
The School of Public Health’s global health programs are aligned with the nationally-endorsed educational model of the Association of Schools of Public Health’s Global Health Competency Model.
Márquez is an accomplished educator, researcher, administrator and “public health engineer,” who has garnered local, national and international recognition for research and practice in the field of global environmental health. She has lead research on sustainable solutions to improve agricultural health, the environmental burden of disease and address global health disparities and environmental justice in developing countries of Africa, and has also worked in Asia, and Latin America and underserved communities in the United States.
Márquez holds a PhD in environmental sciences and engineering from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, a Masters in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University.
For more information about the Global Health Certificate or the Global Health Initiative, please contact:
Dr. Shannon Márquez
Interim Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Director, Global Health Initiatives
Drexel University School of Public Health
215-762-3940
spm326@drexel.edu
Colleen Baillie
Director, Student Recruitment and Retention
Drexel University School of Public Health
215-762-1224
cpb32@drexel.edu
Margaret Quinn
Enrollment Counselor
Drexel University Online
215-571-3870
mgq23@drexel.edu
Colleen Haggerty
Enrollment Counselor
Drexel University Online
215-895-6290
cmh384@drexel.edu