Lehigh participated in National Public Health Week during the week of April 3 through several events that encouraged students to pursue public health careers.
Public Health Week is a nationally recognized event started by the American Public Health Association. Universities around the country host lectures and panels to educate students about prevention strategies, advocacy for fair healthcare policies and future career options. APHA hopes to push the United States toward being the healthiest nation by 2030.
Two speeches and a panel of career specialists consisting of Lehigh alumni and individuals from the Lehigh Valley aimed to show students which careers will be available to them and what problems they might be trying to solve as members of the health field.
“We use the week to not only bring in some great speakers that are talking about current health topics, but also the panel that we had for careers in health, which is usually really helpful to our students as they’re trying to navigate where they’re headed after Lehigh,” said Kelly Austin, the director of the health, medicine and society program at Lehigh.
The panelists said the public health field is in the midst of transformation, and the voices and ideas of the next generation will help it take on a new form.
“We know the system is broken and it has to change,” said Hasshan Batts, an employee of Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley. “All of this is through interdisciplinary work, and, essentially it’s all about communication.”
The panelists also emphasized their passion for public health and how it is crucial that students enjoy the fields they enter.
“My first day that I had carried a leg that was amputated was amazing,” Nishika Vidanage, ’07, said.
The speakers who graduated from Lehigh also said their education sparked their interest in public health and helped them make connections after college.
Panelist Hope Kincaid, ’10, said a class she took during her undergraduate education at Lehigh helped her switch from an interest in medicine to a focus on public health. She said two weeks into the class, her professor covered a chapter about preventing people from getting sick as opposed to treating them after contracting an illness. The idea was mind blowing to her.
Some students who attended the events of Public Health Week realized they have many options in the field.
“It was really nice for me to see the different options that I have,” Jenna Lefkowitz, ’20, said. “I liked how (the panelists) talked about how they got into the field because it’s something that I don’t know how to do yet.”
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