Featured Post from Georgia Southern University

Public health education soars in wake of pandemic

Apr 7, 2021

2 min

Gulzar Shah

Maybe a silver lining can be found from the COVID-19 pandemic, as interest in public health education is soaring at U.S. colleges and universities, says a nationally prominent public health professor.


Public health education has become a logical choice for students when looking at changing public health practice trends and their implications for public health education, explained Gulzar Shah, Ph.D., who authored an invited editorial in the March issue of the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH).



Shah is department chair and professor of health policy and community health in Georgia Southern University’s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health. His editorial is titled “Public Health Education and Changing Public Health Realities in the Public Health 3.0 Era.”


“For many of the 19 million college students enrolling annually in public and private colleges in the United States, public health is becoming a logical choice,” he said. “Because of COVID-19, interest in public health careers is soaring, evident from the 20% increase nationwide in Master of Public Health applicants.”


The editorial also drew insights from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health’s national-level data from schools and programs of public health about the first employment destinations of public health graduates.


“The emphasis on aligning public health practice and policy with the Public Health 3.0 framework, in which leaders partner across various sectors to address social, environmental and economic factors that affect population health and health inequity, has attracted the spotlight on generalist, behavioral education and health policy degrees,” Shah noted. “The Public Health 3.0 framework has also underscored the desirability of adopting the Health in All Policies approach and encouraging public health leaders to act as chief health strategists in influencing policies in other sectors affecting population health. Increasing focus on Health in All Policies and higher salary positions in health care may further explain the popularity of health policy and management and health law programs.”



If you are a journalist looking to know more about Dr. Shah’s work, and the importance public health education in America of the programs Georgia Southern is offering – then let us help.


Dr. Gulzar H. Shah is a Professor and Department Chair, Health Policy and Community Health at the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health (JPHCOPH), Georgia Southern University. He is available to speak with media regarding this important topic - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.

Connect with:
Gulzar Shah

Gulzar Shah

Department Chair & Professor, Health Policy and Behavior

Gulzar Shah works to explore the fields of health informatics.

Social Determinants of HealthPublic Workforce Needs and InterestsCommunity HealthHealth Policy and BehaviorHealth Informatics
Powered by

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Georgia Southern University

World Cup 2026: Georgia Southern University Experts on the Game Behind the Game featured image

2 min

World Cup 2026: Georgia Southern University Experts on the Game Behind the Game

Atlanta is one of the World Cup's biggest host cities. Georgia Southern faculty across economics, health sciences and international studies are ready to speak to the stories behind the tournament. Featured Topic The Atlanta Advantage: Regional Economics of Hosting the World Cup What it means for local businesses, tourism, and the long-term economic legacy of a host city Atlanta's World Cup moment is as much an economic story as a sporting one. Georgia Southern University economics professors Michael Toma, Ph.D., and Anthony Barilla, Ph.D., can speak to tourism revenue, infrastructure investment and what host cities actually gain — and manage —- when the world comes to town. Experts Michael Toma, Ph.D. - Regional Economics and Development Anthony Barilla, Ph.D. - Economics and Public Policy Featured Topic Playing Across a Continent: The Physical Demands of a 48-Team Tournament What elite athletes face competing across climates, time zones and a month-long schedule 48 teams. Multiple cities. Almost no recovery time. Georgia Southern health sciences and kinesiology professor Samuel Wilson, Ph.D., and sports psychologist Brandonn Harris, Ph.D., can explain how a World Cup schedule affects the human body and how elite teams prepare for it. Experts Samuel Wilson, Ph.D. - Health Sciences and Athletic Performance Brandonn Harris, Ph.D. - Kinesiology and Exercise Science Featured Topic More Than a Match: The World Cup as Cultural and Political Exchange How the world's biggest sporting event becomes a stage for diplomacy, identity, and soft power When 48 nations converge on American soil, the game is only part of the story. Political science and international studies expert Christopher M. Brown, Ph.D., can speak to the geopolitical dimensions — national identity, soft power and what it means for the U.S. to host global soccer for the first time in a generation. Experts Christopher M. Brown, Ph.D. - Political Science and International Studies

National Tick Collection Provides Front-Line Defense Against Emerging Health Threats featured image

2 min

National Tick Collection Provides Front-Line Defense Against Emerging Health Threats

A recently published article in Grice Connect highlighted the national importance of the U.S. National Tick Collection, housed at Georgia Southern University's Statesboro Campus. Home to more than one million specimens representing nearly every known tick species, the collection serves as a critical resource for researchers, public health agencies, and disease surveillance efforts studying the spread of tick-borne illnesses. The collection, owned by the Smithsonian Institution and curated at Georgia Southern University, is one of the largest and most comprehensive tick collections in the world. Researchers use it to identify emerging threats, track changes in tick populations, and better understand the diseases these parasites can carry. As concerns about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses continue to grow, the collection provides scientists with an invaluable resource for monitoring species distribution, studying disease vectors, and supporting public health preparedness. It also plays an important role in training future researchers in a field where specialized expertise is increasingly needed. Lorenza Beati, Ph.D., is curator of the U.S. National Tick Collection and associate professor at Georgia Southern University.  Her research focuses on tick taxonomy, genetics, evolutionary relationships, and the role ticks play in transmitting diseases that affect both humans and animals. View her profile The article underscores the collection's growing importance as researchers work to better understand the complex relationships between ticks, pathogens, wildlife, and human health. As environmental conditions change and tick populations expand into new regions, resources like the U.S. National Tick Collection are helping scientists stay ahead of emerging public health challenges. The collection has been entrusted to Georgia Southern since 1990 and includes more than 1 million specimens and more than 125,000 accessioned lots. Beati said the collection is probably the largest curated tick collection in the world. While she said there may be a larger collection elsewhere, she said Georgia Southern’s collection remains especially important because it is active, used for research, and supported by curatorial work. “By having two curators here, we really keep the collection very active,” Beati said. “We publish a lot, we do a lot of research on our samples. We have visitors coming from all over the world to work with us.”  June 13 - Grice Connect Covering? We can help! Lorenza Beati is available to speak with media about tick-borne diseases, tick identification, vector ecology, disease surveillance and the critical role scientific collections play in protecting public health. Her expertise can help audiences better understand the growing impact of ticks on human and animal health, as well as the research efforts underway to address these challenges.

Georgia Southern University expert available for interviews about Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday and her enduring legacy featured image

1 min

Georgia Southern University expert available for interviews about Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday and her enduring legacy

June 1 marks Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday. Despite her death in 1962, Monroe remains an icon of American pop culture. Amanda Konkle, Ph.D., researches film history, stardom and celebrity prominence. Konkle is an expert in Monroe’s rise to fame and her lasting relevance in modern style. She published the book “Some Kind of Mirror: Creating Marilyn Monroe,” along with several research papers detailing Monroe’s unique status in American history. Konkle can speak to how Monroe connected with audiences during her life by creating a new ideal of feminine power that defined an era. She can explore how Monroe’s acting methods mirrored society’s anxieties and desires, and why they still resonate today. Konkle is available virtually or for in-person interviews at the Armstrong Campus. Simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.

View all posts
Powered by