Southeast Regional Center collaborates with Crockett High School and U of M School of Public Health

The Michigan AHEC Southeast Regional Center, in collaboration with the University of Michigan (U of M) School of Public Health and Crockett Midtown High School of Science and Medicine, recently engaged students in the "U of M Pathways to Public Health: M-SAPHIRE (Michigan Summer Academy for Public Health Immersion, Research & Exploration) program. With an aim to offer a fun and interactive educational experience, this program introduces students to the realm of Public Health, emphasizing its crucial role in addressing broad health concerns, especially through the perspectives of nutrition (targeting obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases) and environmental effects (e.g., climate change).

The program seeks to enlighten students about the relevance of public health in their personal lives, its applicability within their communities, and potential career paths in this field – a dual approach to both workforce development and educating the community on public health.

Held in January 2024 at Crockett Midtown High School, the program ran twice per week, for three weeks. The curriculum was developed by U of M faculty and predominantly delivered by Public Health students from the University of Michigan, from both undergraduate and graduate levels, with participation of program administrators as well.

The initiative afforded student participants with an enriched understanding of public health careers and the connection between health and environmental factors within neighborhoods. Quotes from student participants included “My favorite part was being able to learn more about public health and how it [affects] our everyday lives” and “Public health focuses on the health of whole populations and works to establish health equity, eliminate harmful components in a neighborhood like excessive fast-food places, and developing prevention techniques for various illnesses.”