Mission and Goals

Mission Statement

The mission of Muhlenberg College’s Public Health program is to develop a strong academic community committed to the preservation, promotion, and improvement of the health and wellbeing of populations, communities, and individuals.  The program educates individuals for successful public health professional, research, and academic careers.  Our graduates will emerge with an understanding of the influence of psychosocial, economic, historical, and political factors on health and with the knowledge and skills necessary to address complex public health issues.

To fulfill its mission, the Muhlenberg Public Health program has the following goals:

 

Racism and Public Health

"We can be a country where the color of our skin does not determine our chance for a long and healthy life. The first step is acknowledging the impact of racism on health. The next step is antiracist public health practice."

-Mary T. Bassett and Jasmine D. Graves
 
It is essential to address systemic racism as a fundamental cause of health and illness. The Muhlenberg College Public Health program is committed to improving our understanding of the impact of racism and to developing more effective antiracist public health practices. Addressing racism is an ethical obligation of public health practitioners in order to prevent harmful health outcomes and promote health for all people. We must be just as vigilant in addressing racism as we are in addressing infectious disease outbreaks and other public health issues. Confronting, analyzing, and dismantling racism is crucial to public health research, education, and advocacy. To assist in these efforts, the American Public Health Association has compiled a list of resources on racism as an ongoing public health crisis: https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/health-equity/racism-and-health

 

Knowledge Goals

Students will understand the fundamental principles of public health including:

  • A historical perspective on the contributions and roles of public health professionals and the structure and functions of public health institutions

  • An introduction to epidemiological and biostatistical principles including concepts of rates, causation, and disease surveillance

  • Determinants of health from a global perspective including environmental, social, cultural, behavioral, biological, and accessibility to health services

  • An introduction to selected tools of disease control, health promotion, and communication including interventions such as vaccinations, screening, counseling and education, environmental/occupational, legal, and policy approaches

  • Issues of health care delivery addressed from a population perspective including such issues as quality, cost, access, organization structure and their relationship to public health service

 

Skills Goals

Students will acquire the skills in the following domains required for successful public health practice including:

  • Information literacy: Students can identify, locate, understand, and evaluate sources of public health information

  • Writing: Students can write about public health in a formal and/or informal manner
  • Oral: Students can effectively communicate public health information through speech both in formal presentations and informal conversations

  • Analysis: Students are able to recognize patterns and relationships in data, interpret the results from common data analyses, and integrate statistical findings to form coherent data analysis presentations

  • Application: Students can grow professionally and personally through participation in community-based and service learning programs, as well as internships, practicums, and research      

 



Contact Public Health

Chrysan Cronin

Director and Associate Professor
Email [email protected] Telephone 484-664-3524
Address Muhlenberg College Public Health 2400 Chew Street Allentown, PA 18104