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Program will increase access for students pursuing public health careers
April 22, 2009
The University of South Carolina and Claflin University signed an agreement Tuesday to establish a partnership that will develop a diverse public-health workforce.
The agreement, signed by USC Dr. Harris Pastides and Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, Claflin University president, at the second annual James E. Clyburn Health Disparities Lecture, creates a dual-degree program called the “4 + 1 Program.”
Claflin undergraduates who participate in the program will earn bachelor’s degrees in biology from Claflin and master’s degrees in public health from the Arnold School of Public Health.
The 4 + 1 Program was announced at the beginning of the Clyburn lecture, which featured Dr. Adewale Troutman, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness.
Dr. Henry Tisdale, Claflin University president, left, and USC President
Dr. Harris Pastides prepare to sign an agreement to help develop a
diverse public-health workforce. Others at the April 21 ceremony include,
second row, from left: Dr. Greg Hand, associate dean for research and
practice, Arnold School of Public Health; Dr. Thomas Chandler, interim
dean, Arnold School; Dr. Verlie Tisdale, dean of School of Natural Sciences
and Mathematics, Claflin University; and Dr. Saundra Glover, Arnold School
professor and director of the USC Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate
Health Disparities.
Pastides said the partnership is a good fit between the university’s Arnold School and Claflin, an historically black institution in Orangeburg.
“This new five-year, dual-degree program joins the talents and commitment of faculty and researchers at our university and Claflin University to produce the best minds for public-health careers,” said Pastides, former dean of the Arnold School.
The partnership between the two institutions will increase access for students pursuing public-health careers. “All of us will be stronger for it,” Pastides said.
Claflin biology majors will declare their intent to enter the 4 + 1 Program at the end of their sophomore year. They will take the Graduate Record Examination in their junior or senior year and take master’s-level, public-health classes at the Arnold School as seniors. These classes will count toward an MPH degree.
Once they are accepted into the university’s Graduate School, they will enter the MPH program in general public health.
Tisdale said the timing for this program has never been greater.
“We must have sufficient resources and expertise not only now but in the future,” Tisdale said. “We believe that the 4+1 Program is a tremendous step in that direction.”
The University of South Carolina and Claflin University have strong connections in education, research and outreach. They are partners on a $7.5-million grant from the National Institutes of Health to eliminate health disparities in HIV/AIDS and cancer in the Palmetto State. The grant also funds undergraduate research with scientists at both institutions.
The Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities at the Arnold School includes Claflin as a partner. A $17.3-million grant from NIH, which bolsters biomedical research and expands educational opportunities for undergraduates, connects the University of South Carolina and Claflin with five other colleges and universities around the state.
“Today is just the beginning of a very successful journey,” Tisdale said.
Visit http://www.sph.sc.edu/health_disparities/ to learn more about the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities and http://www.claflin.edu/ to learn more about Claflin University.
