On August 23rd through September 3rd all 72 of the incoming Master of Public Health (MPH) students in the School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan participated in a two-week intensive orientation course in Foundations of Public Health taught by Dr. Yelena Bird. The course was designed and implemented with two main goals in mind: 1) provide students with an introduction to and overview of the key areas of public health, and 2) build a sense of unity, identity and community within the cohort.
The course examined the major domains of the field of public health especially introducing the concepts of what is public health and how to potentially apply public health methods to dealing with health issues facing the province of Saskatchewan, Canada and our globe. The content focused on some basic material related to the five public health arenas including Health Administration/Services, Epidemiology, Social/Behavioral Science, Environmental Health and Biostatistics. Additionally, the course offered an introduction to cross-cutting areas of public health including: diversity and culture, leadership, professionalism, program planning, and systems thinking.
"The foundation to public health course gave me an overview of public health, its history and key areas which are cross cutting with a clear perception of the interaction of individuals and communities within this field. I gained knowledge on North American health care systems particularly Canadian (Saskatchewan) and the role of public health alongside medical care in prevention and control of diseases, hazards, injuries in addition to the reduction and elimination of health disparities," said Eisha Grant, MPH student. "The course was very interactive and students shared their past experiences, ideas with each other and also with the professors."
The course was also enriched by a diversified group of guest speakers that graciously volunteered their time to speak to this large incoming class. Speakers included such distinguished guests as:
Site visits to health care service providers (Borden Primary Health Center, Delisle Primary Health Centre, Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health Clinic, White Buffalo Youth Lodge, West Winds Primary Health Centre) were interspersed throughout the two-week course, as were ice-breaker activities, pizza gatherings and informal small-group sessions. These opportunities allowed students to get to know one another in a social setting and establish a sense of community within the SPH and the wider campus community.
"I was fortunate to be part of the intense two-week Foundations of Public Health orientation class which provided an excellent overview of the many past and current public health challenges. Dr. Bird and all the other professors were knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and engaging; the variety of speakers were interesting and challenging; and the many site visits provided tangible, real-world examples of public health practitioners in action," said Graham Addley, MPH student. "In addition, the unexpected positive outcome was the bonding and sharing of cultures between classmates from more than a dozen countries around the world. I strongly recommend this worthwhile class."
As an outcome of the Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health (SWITCH) Clinic visit, several MPH students have decided to volunteer their services. This establishes a new partnership between the SWITCH and the School of Public Health, in which Dr. Yelena Bird will serve as the faculty mentor for the school.
"Between August 23rd and September 3rd, I was afforded an opportunity to teach a two week intensive Foundations in Public Health course to all 72 incoming MPH students in the School of Public Health at the U of S. This group of students is diverse, very hard working, highly intelligent, and quite international with more 10 countries represented in the class" said Dr. Yelena Bird. "The experience was particularly rewarding for all involved as we had an occasion to consistently interact, learn much from and bond closely with each other. This is an amazing group of students and I am confident they will continue to make outstanding progress and contributions while in the MPH program and one day soon they will represent a cadre of capable, caring and dedicated practitioners in the field of public health; my ultimate reward as their professor."
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