News and Announcements - PBHL Newsletter August 19, 2022

Welcome everyone to August and the imminent beginning of the Fall Semester 2022!  There have been many changes afoot in the Department of Health & Behavioral Sciences (HBS) and I wanted to take this opportunity to detail them for you.  First, let me begin by introducing myself, Dr. David Tracer, your new Chair of the Department.  Although I began on August 1 as Chair of HBS, I am no stranger to the Department.  I arrived at CU Denver and HBS in the Fall of 1998 from the University of Washington as the very first externally hired Chair of the Department and served in that capacity for 5 years.  I was subsequently Chair of HBS once again from 2013-2016.  I was also one of the founders of the Undergraduate BA/BS in Public Health and served as the first Director of Undergraduate Studies from 2010-2012.  In short, HBS, its programs, and its people (students, faculty and staff) are dear to me and when I was asked last academic year if I would assume the Chair position, it was not a hard decision to leave my CLAS Associate Dean position and once again return to the department.  I want to wholeheartedly thank Dr. Sara Yeatman for her last 3 years of service as Chair of the Department, a period that was full of challenges, not least of which was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  I hope you will also join me in thanking Drs. Meng Li and Patrick Krueger for their tireless work and dedication to the roles of Director of Undergraduate Studies and Director of Graduate Studies, respectively.  Our new Director of Undergraduate Studies is Dr. Hyeyoung Oh Nelson and Director of Graduate Studies is Dr. jimi adams.  I know that they are absolutely committed to our department’s educational, research, service and diversity, equity and inclusion missions.  I wish everyone success in the coming academic year and please don’t hesitate to stop by my office and say hello!

Welcome to the Fall 2022 semester! I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Hyeyoung (pronounced “Hay Young”) Nelson and I am the new Director of Undergraduate Studies in Public Health in the Health and Behavioral Sciences Department at CU Denver. I am very excited to take on this role as I am deeply committed to undergraduate education and have had the privilege of teaching multiple undergraduate courses in Public Health here, including Introduction to Public Health, Health Policy, Capstone, and Ethnicity, Health and Social Justice. I just wanted to say hello and to wish you all a wonderful Fall semester. I also wanted to let you know that my door is always open and I welcome and ask that you reach out to meet with me in-person or virtually to simply say hello or to discuss your undergraduate experiences. I am here to support you all and look forward to the opportunity to continue to foster relationships with each of you. Cheers to a wonderful Fall 2022! 

Hello, I’m Ashlyn Lange, one of your PBHL advisors! I am starting my second year in the Health and Behavioral Sciences PhD program. Some of my research interests include food insecurity, childhood health, structural violence, and community engagement. As a new member of the advising team, I’m excited to get to know students in our department better and assist in whatever way I can. Having an accessible academic advisor, supportive environment, and planning process that I felt confident in was essential to my undergraduate success and I hope to provide that to others as well.

Monica is a 4th year Health and Behavioral Science PhD student at CU Denver and a first-generation college student. Her research interests include migrant health, discrimination, and the psychological and physiological effects of anti-immigrant rhetoric. She enjoys advising undergraduates and mentoring other first-generation college students by assisting them on their pathways to success.

Our department advisors are here to help you navigate registration for PBHL classes or any other questions you might have about completing your PBHL undergraduate degree. Monica and Ashlyn are available for both in-person drop in and Zoom meetings by appointment. Alternatively, you can email questions to advisors at PBHLAdvisors@ucdenver.edu. In all communication with advisors, please include your name, student ID, and question. 

Note: Fall Hours listed here effective from 08/22/2022-08/26/2022. For updated advising hours after 08/26/2022, please refer to the advising page on the department's website here.

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The JADE certificate provides students with sociological understandings of the production and reproduction of inequalities in society and equips certificate holders with both substantive knowledge and practical strategies and skills needed to foster social justice and human equity in a range of organizational settings within the business, human resources, legal, nonprofit, educational, and public administration sectors.

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This course surveys core issues contributing to racial or ethnic minority differences in health status. Historical and contemporary U.S. health and social policy, including the areas of environmental health, sexual and reproductive health, children and immigrants, are examined.

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I'm Dr. Virginia Visconti, the new Internship Coordinator for the undergraduate public health program and instructor for PBHL 3939 -- Internship (1-3 credits). I'm also an assistant professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health where I teach qualitative research methods and community health assessment courses for both MPH and DrPH students. My disciplinary training as a social-cultural anthropologist and educator shapes my approach to teaching, public health practice, and community engagement, and I encourage you to think about internships as marvelous opportunities to enhance not only your classroom learning but also your competitiveness for employment opportunities and graduate studies. I'm excited to work with you to complete an internship that aligns with your career aspirations.

Please feel free to reach out to me via email (virginia.visconti@cuanschutz.edu) to schedule a virtual chat. I look forward to meeting you and learning more about your interests!

Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:00-2:00pm

The Division of Healthcare Management and Occupational Safety and Health (DHMOSH) of the United Nations is seeking talented applicants to participate in our Fall/Winter 2022 Internship Programme. Click here to learn more!