Today’s students have an enhanced global perspective of public health given their exposure to infectious disease, disasters, tobacco, chronic disease, obesity, the expanding aging population, and the changing landscape of healthcare. This exposure has reinforced the need to create a competently-trained public health workforce. According to the U.S. Department of Labor- Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of health educators and community health workers is projected to grow 19-21 percent from 2012–22, higher than the average of other occupations. By 2020, the United States will need 250,000 additional public health professionals, according to estimates by the Association of Schools of Public Health.

In response to these demands and the realities of our changing health care environment, Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine is proud to announce the launch of its first undergraduate program. The Bachelor of Science in Public Health will provide students with a strong foundation of biology, population health, social and environmental determinants of health, and strategies related to disease prevention and health promotion – all critical to addressing health threats and strengthening the public health workforce. Public health’s interprofessional nature is ideally suited within an undergraduate curriculum, giving students an opportunity to apply core concepts to myriad fields, including public health, clinical practice, research, or a non-health profession such as business or engineering.
 
The program, launching in fall 2017, is the first in the nation to offer a seven-year Bachelor of Science in Public Health/Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. The accelerated option of pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree in seven years will support the increasing demands for a public health workforce while providing interested students with the opportunity to make an early commitment to a pre-medical and medical program that offers a competitive advantage, both in the quality of educational experience and in the expedience of degree attainment. Students who pursue the accelerated Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine will be actively mentored by designated faculty and will receive standardized MCAT examination preparation and the opportunity to participate in global medical outreach opportunities will be open to all NSU students.
 
The Bachelor of Science in Public Health program will be led by the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s esteemed faculty members with an integrated approach to instruction and opportunities for interprofessional engagement. Students will be guided through a blended health science core curriculum with progressive healthcare topics and later fully immersed into community-based public health settings during their practicum experiences. Each semester is slated to expand each student’s breadth of understanding public health through challenging activities, interactive lectures, local and global outreach opportunities, and guest speakers from the public health sector.