A new partnership between historically Black Spelman College in Atlanta and the University of Michigan School of Public Health will offer an accelerated pathway to earn a master’s degree in three public health disciplines. In the five-year accelerated study program, students will earn a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan.
“This short timeframe will allow us to meet the global demand for diverse biostatisticians, environmental health scientists, and nutrition specialists,” said Rosalind Gregory-Bass, director of the Health Careers Program and associate professor in the Environmental and Health Sciences Program at the University of Michigan. “Spelman College and the University of Michigan will have a unique mutually beneficial partnership, not only focused on the career development of students, but that of faculty, as well.”
“In public health, we strive to improve the well-being of communities, and that means our workforce must broadly reflect all of the communities we serve. This past year has demonstrated the critical importance of educating a diverse array of highly skilled and adaptable public health professionals who can help us respond to the most pressing challenges,” added DuBois Bowman, dean of Michigan Public Health.
“We are excited to partner with the University of Michigan to help our students gain access to a program that will accelerate their ability to address public health issues in the African American community and beyond,” said Mary Schmidt Campbell, president of Spelman College. “Through this program, our students will graduate with a highly competitive degree and enter their careers poised to address the social and medical inequities that lead to health disparities in the nation’s most vulnerable communities.”
