College of Public Health Brochure

www.kent.edu/publichealth @KentCPH

Purpose.

Driving us.

Uniting us.

Making our communities healthier places.

From preparing leaders and assisting local governments, to identifying community needs and innovating to address these opportunities, the College of Public Health impacts Northeast Ohio and beyond.

SINCE WE BEGAN IN 2009:

317

975

MPH degrees

BSPH degrees

17 PhD degrees

Kent State University College of Public Health Alumni work in diverse settings

22% 37% 16% 16%

9%

furthering their education government organizations health-care organizations other non-profit organizations in industry

Experiential Learning

Since 2012, 50 practicums annually of 300 hours each equals 15,000 hours of community service each year.

Entrepreneurs in Training Former MPH student Shanice Cheatham launched Endemic Solutions, a biotechnology company that has developed a portable handwashing system. Her inspiration came after her father’s life was threatened by an infection he contracted from a health-care worker’s contaminated hands.

Neighborhood Outreach

“The College is committed to assisting rural health departments that may not have access to in-house epidemiological resources.

Our faculty and students can fill that need.�

Dr. Madhav Bhatta

Identifying Community Needs for Health Services The College assisted Akron Children’s Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Akron General Health System, and Summa Health System to identify community health needs and establish priorities for action.

Making Discoveries that Improve Health Tara Smith, Ph.D. & Chris Woolverton, Ph.D. train and engage students in cutting edge research to better understand and prevent the spread of infectious diseases like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Identifying Needs for Mental Health Services Dr. Deric Kenne and his team received a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to train individuals how to administer first aid to someone facing a mental health or substance use challenge. The Mental Health First Aid program has trained over 700 faculty, staff and students to identify individuals experiencing a crisis, intervene and connect those individuals with needed behavioral health services.

Onward & Upward Over 200 Northeast Ohio high school students annually engage with College of Public Health initiatives in their communities, thanks to a partnership with Upward Bound.

“Upward Bound has really helped me put purpose behind my plan for college.�

Cyd Marie Ortiz Lugo, 2016 Graduate of Lorain High School, BSPH Sophomore

Crime as a Public Health Concern Funded by a $472,000 National Institute of Justice grant awarded to the College of Public Health, Dr. Eric Jefferis uses geographic information system (GIS)-encoded videos to work with police and community members to target interventions aimed at reducing crime. The study shows how and why crime hotspots develop.

Assisting Local Government The Center for Public Policy and Health, led by Dr. John Hoornbeek, offers technical assistance to local governments across Ohio on vital health policy issues. The Center helped the Ravenna City and the Portage County health departments successfully merge in 2015 that resulted in cost savings and improved services for residents.

Pearls of Wisdom Retired health commissioners-turned-Public-HealthAmbassadors, Matt Stefanak (retired Mahoning County Health Commissioner), Bill Franks (retired Stark County Health Commissioner), and Bob Howard (retired Vice President, Akron Children’s Hospital), provide career counseling and open doors for students at public and private health organizations locally and nationally.

Access To Public Health Education

“I want to thank you for the feedback and guidance. As an online only student it has been invaluable. The courses resulted in a tangible job market result.�

Jason Zibart, BSPH Senior, Patient Coordinator, Tucson Medical Center

“My practicum experience was invaluable in helping me identify career options in the public health field.”

Summa Health System’s Research Associate, Rose Penix, MPH ’14, paved the way for her new career with her practicum project.