Richard F. Hamman, MD, DrPH, is the founding dean of the Colorado School of Public Health and is Professor in the Department of Epidemiology. Recognized as a national leader in diabetes research, Dr. Hamman is a recipient of the Kelly West Award, the highest award in diabetes epidemiology. His research interests focus on chronic disease epidemiology and prevention with specialties in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and aging in minority populations.
Creating a healthier Colorado isn’t only a matter of affordable insurance or access to primary care. Creating a healthier Colorado requires an attention to public health.
This week we celebrate National Public Health Week with the theme of “Creating a Healthier America, One Community at a Time.” In Colorado, we understand that a healthier community begins with a workforce trained to understand and prevent the factors contributing to disease and illness, with clean air and water, safe, healthy food and a healthy environment – all in addition to health care.
Throughout Colorado our current public health workforce is greying and many of our communities have insufficient numbers of trained health professionals. At the Colorado School of Public Health we are working actively to improve this situation, ensuring that all citizens have access to preventive care and services by ensuring that they have access to trained public health professionals.
In partnership with organizations like the Colorado Health Foundation, our school is committed to expanding the capacity of Colorado’s public health workforce. Whether increasing enrollment in our public health degree programs, providing workforce training or translating our research into improved programs and practices, we are building healthier communities, one professional at a time.
For our students, we begin this process with the practice-based learning program. Practice-based learning integrates classroom curriculum into field experiences. A specific component of this program is the master of public health (MPH) practicum. Each semester MPH students are placed in public health and other organizations across the state. Students work with on-site preceptors to apply the methods learned in the classroom to current public health programs managed by the host organization. During this process students translate academic experience into professional experience and, as a result, become future professionals.
Beyond the practicum, we look for additional opportunities to promote a culture of practice-based learning among our students – including voluntary community service. During National Public Health Week our students and faculty will volunteer more than 80 hours at the local food bank. Volunteer programs like the National Public Health Week activity highlight the importance that basic needs have on an individual’s health; needs like clean water, healthy food and a safe environment. And by volunteering at a local agency, our students build the attitudes, skills and networks necessary to pursue their future careers.
As our students leave the classrooms to pursue careers in the field, they leave with the understanding that they are a part of a larger workforce trained to improve the health of Colorado, one community at a time.
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