Revolutionizing health and community education

Since the pandemic, there has been a surge in demand for specialized health education programs that cater to diverse needs and interests. The changing landscape of healthcare means that consumers and companies rely on innovative academic programs that focus on holistic wellness, alternative therapies and integrative medicine.

HCAP has developed four new programs to address the growing need for an educated workforce—with more on the way.

Bachelor of Science in Health, Aging and Society

Launched in the fall of 2022, this first-of-its-kind program is housed under HCAP’s Department of Sociology and is offered as a major or minor. Students learn critical skills to begin a career focused on managing and coordinating hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities. They will be well-positioned to research, design and share needed services with communities.

Undergraduate student Karime Hinojosa has added Health, Aging and Society as a minor to her studies in sociology. “Health, Aging and Society has courses that discuss important topics in all aspects of life, such as Gerontology, Health Disparities and Health in Adolescence and the Transition to Adulthood,” she said. “In just the past four months, I have been able to further my knowledge of all components of health.”

“The Health, Aging and Society program follows a recent international trend to integrate sociological perspectives into the study of health, health care, and aging,” said Terrence Hill, a professor in the Department of Sociology and founding director of the program. “Our new program is perfect for students who seek a balance between academic and applied approaches to health and aging.”

The need for leaders in the medical, health, social and community services has been increasing for several years, explained Hill. Meanwhile, the infectious disease pandemic only increased demands on health care systems and revealed how poorly equipped those systems are.

“We are seeing adjustments in the health care labor force, with certain segments resigning in higher rates,” said Hill, adding that many of those who are leaving are disillusioned by their experiences within these systems.

Students in the program will study four core areas:

• Sociological perspectives on health and aging: explores health, health care and aging as social and institutional problems

• Health professions, administration and management: to learn skills related to health care administration and systems management

• Data analytics : teaches students to analyze and read data in research studies

• Interdisciplinary perspectives on health and aging: exposes students to different ways of thinking about health, health care and aging

This unique blend of theoretical and professional training is designed to prepare students for the job market or for further graduate study in the areas of health and aging.

“This new program connects the classroom to careers for students with interests in social disparities that impact health and well-being across the life course, and who desire marketable skills to be able to make a difference in applied health care settings upon graduation,” said professor and chair of the Department of Sociology.

“Health, Aging and Society is the first of many new programs to be launched within the college,” said Dean Cossman. “We are creating interdisciplinary majors that provide students the skills necessary for growing areas of the workforce. With the aging of American society and the growing health care needs of the elderly, this community-engaged, interdisciplinary major is sure to attract diverse cohorts of majors and minors.”

Master of Science in Health, Community and Policy

The health of citizens is significantly influenced by their communities and the policies that govern them. The Master of Science in Health, Community and Policy addresses the need to examine the intersection of these three disciplines to prepare a workforce ready to achieve optimal health outcomes for all.

The Health, Community and Policy graduate program provides a strong focus on training individuals to move into community health, population health and health policy-related fields. Program graduates will enter a job market with opportunities in areas with growing demand, up to 31% anticipated job growth in the next 10 years.

Felisha Rios, who recently completed her undergraduate degree in Public Health, enrolled in the MS program because she felt the curriculum would help her gain experience and skills necessary for her future health career –and acceptance into medical school.

“This program gives ‘Runners to opportunity to pursue a difference path that will allow them to expand their knowledge,” she said. “In addition, they will receive guidance from experienced advisors and professors.”

“This is a unique program because it draws on multiple disciplines, including public health, demography, sociology and public administration,” said Jeffrey Howard, associate professor of public health. “It prepares graduates for careers in many different health-related settings, all within a large, diverse metropolitan environment.”

Students will examine the social determinants of health, such as poverty and education, and how they impact health outcomes in different communities. They will also explore how policy decisions can affect access to healthcare, the quality of care and overall health outcomes.

This unique interdisciplinary experience offers four specializations to choose from:

• Health Promotion: This pathway is focused on community-based health promotion efforts and trains students to develop health promotion programs/interventions, with an emphasis on nutrition and physical activity, program implementation and evaluation. This how to work with large, electronic health databases, including health surveys and Census and medical claims records, and how to analyze and transform this data into useful insights to inform health policy, intervention and decision-making.

“The College for Health, Community and Policy was designed to build programs just like the new interdisciplinary master’s degree,” said Cossman. “We are training a 21st century workforce who will look at health and health disparities from many perspectives rather than a singular perspective. That transdisciplinary lens always makes both the understanding of problems and development of solutions more creative.”

Bachelor of Science in Health and Nutrition

In San Antonio as across the country, families struggle daily with food insecurity and access to healthcare. Communities also struggle with growing and maintaining a sustainable food system, especially in the face of poverty.

The Bachelor of Science in Health and Nutrition, launching in fall 2023, seeks to train a workforce prepared to tackle these problems.

“Nutrition is the key factor to preventing many chronic illnesses,” said Liset Leal Vasquez, director of the program. “We're trying to grow a local capacity of nutrition health professionals to close the gaps in the workforce and improve health.” These gaps are particularly prevalent in rural communities.

What makes this degree program so unique is the dual-track offering: students can choose a specialization in Maternal Child Health and Nutrition or Sustainable Nutrition and Food Systems.

“These tracks will give students those specific skills to work with organizations like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, the Metropolitan Health District and more,” Vasquez said. “By joining forces, we can turn the tide and create sustainable food and nutrition practices while also addressing major gaps in healthcare.”

This degree is particularly important for students who wish to use the skills learned to improve their communities, because grand scale change often starts at the local level. Students in the program will be able to leverage

Bachelor of Social Work

UTSA’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program is ranked in the top 100 social work programs in the nation by US News and World Report. To create more building blocks to that success, HCAP has developed the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program.

Built as a companion and partner program to the graduate degree, the BSW provides students with skills and knowledge to effectively address challenges at the individual, family, community and policy levels, opening doors to a career focused on making a positive influence on the lives of those who are vulnerable or marginalized.

“The unique preparation of BSW students makes them extremely versatile, working in schools, non-profits, hospitals, child welfare, policy and advocacy settings, case management and crisis response and much more,” said Derek Plantenga, social work professor of practice. “We are excited to bring this program to UTSA!” their skills to teach families how to use the land to create local gardens and how to be sustainable in their own homes, as well as provide an emphasis on food safety.

There is a significant need for social workers in San Antonio. As the seventh-largest city in the United States, it faces problems like poverty, intimate partner violence, homelessness, mental health issues and substance abuse. A workforce trained in addressing these problems at individual, local and global levels will begin to solve these problems.

This unique program prepares and develops generalist social workers for culturally competent, transformative practice that promotes equity, social justice and well-being within a local-global context. It also provides a natural and excellent stepping stone into the MSW program, allowing students to potentially qualify for an abbreviated version of the MSW degree – saving students a significant amount of time and money.

As part of the degree program, students will also take cooking classes where they will learn the basics of cooking, food safety and ways to address food insecurity. This is particularly important in San Antonio, where roughly 28% of residents live in food deserts, according to SA Climate Ready.

Graduates of the program will be prepared to earn several certificates depending on the track they choose, including a lactation consultant certification and a dietary manager certification. They will be wellprepared to enter fields in public health, government nutrition programs, foodservice management and food agriculture.

“We are excited about the new nutrition and health major, which will open up the discipline to more students than we can currently handle,” said Lynne Cossman, dean of the college. “With diabetes being a major cause of morbidity and mortality in San Antonio and South Texas, this is a critical major for our emerging workforce.”

Students begin the program with a social work core, including courses across all disciplines for a well-rounded approach to theory and practice. Classes include Diversity and Social Justice, Policy, Human Behavior, Social Work Practice Skills and more. The program culminates with a 450-hour practicum in a community agency, giving students the handson skills that are often learned on the job – providing them with an edge for employment upon graduation. Graduates are entering a workforce where social workers are in demand, with their job outlook growing faster than average.

“We have a long-standing master’s in social work, but no means to train social workers at the undergraduate level,” said Cossman. “The addition of this major will let UTSA students choose their career path earlier than the current MSW. Importantly, this is the only Bachelor of Social Work in the greater San Antonio area offered in-person at a public institution.”

Social workers are essential to promoting social justice and equity, as well as improving the overall well-being of their communities. This degree program seeks to give more students the skills needed to begin tackling the largest problems at the local level.

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