The Bachelor of Science in Public Well being, set to start out fall 2024, will look at environmental well being points which are outstanding in Imperial Valley.

Miguel Zavala, affiliate professor within the Faculty of Public Well being at SDSU Imperial Valley, noticed harm to native agricultural landscapes in his hometown close to Guanajuato, Mexico, from what he mentioned had been a results of actions by manufacturing industries. The consequences had been so profound, he mentioned, that a lot of his shut family had been beginning to have well being points.

“Once you’re in a small, tight-knit group who work each day in agriculture or manufacturing industries, your motivation is to supply for your loved ones and transfer ahead with work duties,” mentioned Zavala. “But, whenever you see individuals round you beginning to get sick to the purpose of hospitalization, it opens your eyes to the long-term disparities {that a} damaging setting has on people of all ages.”

On the time, Zavala had little consciousness of environmental well being because it pertains to the research of public well being. Pulling from his private experiences, Zavala’s present analysis focuses on air air pollution. 

Zavala, alongside assistant professors of environmental well being Linda Lara-Jacobo and Kai-Chung Cheng, might be launching SDSU Imperial Valley’s new Bachelor of Science in Public Well being diploma program to bolster the variety of native public well being professionals inside the area. This system is predicted to be provided fall 2024. 

“We now have passionate, devoted college students who see the impacts of water and air air pollution in our area and need to make an enduring change in our group,” mentioned Guillermina Gina Nunez-Mchiri, dean of SDSU Imperial Valley. “Our new public well being main will develop profession alternatives and enhance a mighty group of native consultants to extend advocacy, assist and analysis that we’d like within the Imperial Valley.”

The work of public well being professionals entails ongoing analysis to develop, implement and assess packages to cut back threats to people’ well being. In line with Zavala, public well being professionals are additionally closely concerned in connecting with group members by way of advocacy, schooling, and creating countywide sources that may enhance their high quality of life.

“Public well being is all about group,” mentioned Zavala. “You ingrain your self into the socio-economic well being disparities that individuals expertise and you discover action-based options that may make a distinction within the lives of these you care about. For me, it has been a really rewarding journey.”

The brand new Bachelor of Science in Public Well being diploma program will concentrate on disciplines of epidemiology, environmental well being, occupational well being, well being providers administration and behavioral well being. Via this program, college students can have internship alternatives with regional organizations to acquire jobs in hospitals, authorities businesses, worldwide packages, non-public/volunteer businesses and clinics. College students may pursue a Grasp of Public Well being diploma at SDSU. 

SDSU Imperial Valley’s new public well being program builds on the college’s work to proceed to develop its diploma choices and scholar assist providers. In Could 2022, the college introduced the creation of a brand new, accelerated pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The SDSU Imperial Valley BSN program supplies freshman entry college students the chance to finish their BSN in three years and switch eligible college students in two years.