Since the College of Community Health Sciences launched its master’s degree in population health sciences in 2018 with just two students, a total of 51 students have graduated from the program.
That number will grow to 57 when six students graduate from the program during The University of Alabama fall commencement Dec. 14.
Population health sciences is an interdisciplinary field that integrates clinical care with public health practices to reduce, manage and prevent disease. Dr. Mercedes Morales-Aleman, director of the master’s degree program, said students are taught to understand the needs of different population groups, with a particular focus on health disparities.
“In clinical settings, whether private practices or hospitals, population health is used to analyze electronic medical records, engage with community and patient populations and leverage data, research and evidence-based practices to improve health outcomes for specific communities,” said Morales-Aleman, associate professor of community medicine and population health with CCHS.
Graduates of the 30 credit-hour program are educated and trained to address the health needs of diverse communities and are equipped with data-driven strategies to help transform health care. The master’s program is designed for health-care professionals and administrators as well as researchers.
“Our program can help these students gain knowledge of the healthcare system and understand health research fundamentals,” Morales-Aleman said.
She said many of the program’s graduates are working as health-care professionals – nurses, doctors, administrators, health educators, dentists and physical therapists. “Our students are pursuing this degree because it will open up job promotions for them or allow for a new direction in their career.”
Morales-Aleman said several new courses will be added to the master’s degree program for the 2025 spring semester. One is a cultural competency course that will be taught by Dr. Joy Bradley, assistant professor of community medicine and population health with CCHS. This course is designed to address a range of theoretical, research and clinical issues related to cultural competency in health care. The seminar class will emphasize the role of ethnicity, class, culture, gender, sexual orientation and disability in public health and the impact of these factors on assessment, diagnosis and treatment.
Under development is a course in secondary data analysis in health care that will be taught by Dr. Maryam Bidgoli, assistant professor of community medicine and population health with CCHS and a health economist. This course will be designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to analyze secondary data sources in health care and
introduce them to national health-care databases and basic data analysis techniques. Students will learn to manage, analyze and interpret data to address important population health questions.
Students can complete the master’s in population health sciences in three semesters. Classes are offered in person and online and are taught by CCHS faculty with expertise and experience in medicine, nursing, public health, psychology, health education, economics and health policy.
“I have applied so much of what I learned through course readings and activities to my daily tasks. The curriculum of the program thoroughly prepared me for my public health roles,” said Dawn Hollinger, a 2023 graduate of the master’s program who is now bureau chief of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Delaware Division of Public Health. Hollinger oversees three components of the National Comprehensive Cancer Control program and the WISEWOMAN grant funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She also manages the State of Delaware’s Screening for Life and Health Care Connection programs and the Delaware Cancer Treatment Program.