FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2020
PULASKI, Tenn. – Martin Methodist College (now the University of Tennessee Southern) is excited to offer a new, timely Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree in Public Health Education beginning fall 2020.
As the only four-year institution in the 18-county region along the Tennessee-Alabama line, UTS (formerly MMC) seeks to serve the larger area, especially in light of the current pandemic, with pressing economic, educational, and wellness data suggesting that the region’s needs are quickly and constantly changing. Based on extensive research, the new Public Health Education major will address critical shortages in the College’s geographic region, especially with the lack of access to health care, the abundant geriatric population and the current state of the nation.
“Individuals in the geriatric population are more susceptible to infection through multiple admissions and exposure to the hospital setting,” said Dr. Gennifer Baker, Assistant Professor of Nursing. “Public Health Education majors are utilized to assist with maintaining the health of the geriatric population by ensuring proper education and optimizing healthcare resource utilization.”
Comprised of 120 semester credit hours, the Public Health Education major includes courses from nursing and STEM fields, such as Immunology and Microbiology, but also 24 credit hours in Public Health courses like Principles of Epidemiology, Human Sexuality, Environmental Health Issues, and Principles of Public Health Education. A hallmark of the program is the field and clinical experiences in the greater community. The Public Health Education degree will be housed in the Jeanette M. Travis School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
“The public arena is being inundated with information related to health from a lot of angles; there is a clear need of the public health professional to decipher that information: what is good, what is helpful, what is balanced, what isn’t,” said UTS (formerly MMC) Nursing and Public Health advisor and Program Coordinator Felicia Dailey. “People are confused right now, and they need a professional to help clear up that confusion.”
“The average citizen hears about public health issues every minute of the day,” said UTS (formerly MMC) Nursing Division Chair Dr. Michelle Decker, “but we need trained professionals informing the public on what to do not only during a global pandemic, but at any point in time.”
“We are delighted to receive this approval to expand our program offering in a significant area of focus for the school with the expansion of our excellent nursing program into an expanded allied health program,” said UTS (formerly MMC) Board of Trustees Chair Mr. Richard Warren. “We know how important this area of study is to the southern middle Tennessee region that we serve, and we look forward to continued growth in this program.”
The University of Tennessee Southern, formerly Martin Methodist College, is the newest member of the University of Tennessee System. Founded in 1870 , UTS offers (number of degrees) associate, baccalaureate and graduate degrees. UTS is located on an historic campus in Pulaski, among the beautiful rolling hills of southern Middle Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Southern is convenient to both Nashville (70 miles north) and Huntsville, Alabama (40 miles south).
Martin Methodist College
Susan Carlisle
Director of Publications and Website Development
scarlisle@martinmethodist.edu
(931) 424-4063/fax (931) 363-9867