Public Health and Health Sciences Department

Amy Nelson, Program Director- Health Sciences B.S.
Lee Med Building, Room 302
Phone: (605) 658-6362
Email: healthsciencesmajor@usd.edu
http://link.usd.edu/PublicHealthandHealthSciences

Whitney Lucas-Molitor, Program Director- Public Health B.S.
SCSC, Room 366
Phone (605) 658-6397
Email: publichealth@usd.edu

FACULTY

Assistant Professors:

Musheera AnisAbdell atif, PhD, Child Development & Educational Psychology
Whitney Lucas Molitor, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, BCG

Lecturer:

Amy Nelson, OTD, OTR/L, MLS (ASCP)

Instructors:

Jonelle Hook, MA, Adult and Higher Education
Wynette Mockler, RN, MSN
Kerri Muehler, MS, OTR/L
Jamie Turgeon-Drake, MA, Adult and Higher Education
Minga Vargas

Adjunct Instructors:

Abdullahi Farah Abdigaani, MPH
Melissa Allen, DPT
Hailey Bruggeman, MPH
Tara Burton
Corryn Gabbert, MPH
Amber Jansen, DPT
Sarah Siemonsma, MA, Education
Rexann Smith, RN, MSN
Anna Stach
Margaret Walker, EdD, MSN, RN, MBA
Ann Wilson, PhD

Academic Advisors:

Brittany Schultz, MS, Education

MAJORS:

Health Sciences, B.S.

OPTIONAL SPECIALIZATION:

Clinical Studies Specialization

Public Health, B.S.

OPTIONAL SPECIALIZATION: 

Health Education Specialization

MINORS:

Health Sciences
Public Health
Interprofessional Disabilities Services

CERTIFICATES:

Healthcare Analytics
Healthcare Leadership

ASSOCIATE DEGREE:

Applied Health Sciences, A.S.

Program Overviews:

Applied Health Sciences, A.S. The Associates of Applied Health Sciences is a stackable degree with a curriculum grounded in foundational science and health courses. The Associates of Applied Health Sciences is offered through the University of South Dakota at the Sioux Falls campus only. Students who complete the Associates of Applied Health Sciences at the University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls may be interested in continuing their education to achieve the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences.

Health Sciences, B.S.  The University of South Dakota is the only university in the Regental system to offer a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences. This dynamic degree provides flexible options that allow students to prepare for many health careers. This degree also provides the opportunity to explore the many opportunities in the field and to gain foundational knowledge, values and interpersonal skills necessary to work in today’s healthcare environment. The Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences will prepare students for:

Entry into graduate programs in a specific health profession.
Opportunities to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in combination with a technical degree in health care in four years.
Entry-level employment in health care or health care-related positions.
Career mobility and advancement for individuals with a healthcare background.

Public Health, B.S. The BS in Public Health provides students with the knowledge and practical skills required of a public health generalist. The curriculum provides a broad general education, a strong foundation in human health and disease, addressing the five core areas of public health: health communication, health disparities, legal and ethical issues, management of public health systems, and policy and research. Students develop the ability to apply core concepts to assess the health needs of diverse populations locally, nationally, and internationally as well as to plan and evaluate programs and communicate and advocate health promotion. Graduates will be prepared to impact the delivery of crucial public health services, thus improving the health, safety, and welfare of local, regional, national, and global communities.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Please contact the department for additional information about available scholarships and awards. Also see School of Health Sciences for school level scholarships.

Student Learning Outcomes for Applied Health Sciences (A.S.)

Students will be able to apply scientific critical thinking to analyzing health care situations.
Students will apply biological and chemical concepts to advanced coursework in health care and clinical practice.
Students will be able to understand, interpret and converse in scientific and healthcare language.

Student Learning Outcomes for Health Sciences (B.S.)

Students will be able to demonstrate the cultivation of knowledge, skills, values and motivation that will enable them to make a difference in the civic life of communities and promote the quality of life in a community and engage in activities of personal and public concern that are both individually life enriching and socially beneficial to the community.
Students will interact with other students and evaluate the effort put into team tasks, interactions with others, and the quantity and quality made to team discussions.
Students will design, evaluate, and implement a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal.
Students will be able to assess their own ethical values and the social context of problems, recognize ethical issues in a variety of settings, think about how different ethical perspectives might be applied to ethical dilemmas and consider the ramifications of alternative actions.
Students will intentionally engage in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions leading to opportunities for equal access to participation in educational and community programs for all members of society.
Students will connect ideas and experiences in order to synthesize and transfer learning to new, complex situations within and beyond the campus. 
Students will be able to communicate meaningfully with members of the health care community using appropriate oral, written and non-verbal skills.  
Students will be able to demonstrate professional behaviors when interacting with members of the health care community to serve others appropriately and enhance patient care/services and/or organizational management. 
Students will be able to complete self-assessments, outline the process for developing a vision, and develop a plan to influence change in health care.

Student Learning Outcomes for Public Health (B.S.)

Students will utilize the basic concepts of public health specific communication, including technical and professional writing and the use of mass media and electronic technology.
Students will compare the fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the US health systems well as the differences in systems in other countries.
Students will evaluate the socioeconomic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities.
Students will identify the underlying science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course.
Students will apply the concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches, and interventions that identify and address the major health-related needs and concerns of populations.
Students will describe the history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts and functions across the globe and in society.