Professional Services

The Public Health Institute continues to expand to meet the demand for professional training.

By Andrew Bacskai

Claire Bender is a Mayo School of Health Sciences dean working towards a second career through the School of Public Health’s Executive Program in Public Health Practice. “Shouldn’t I be thinking about retirement and sitting on the front step of my cabin?” says Bender, who’s been at Mayo 25 years. “No, there’s so much more to do.” A radiologist enrolled in leadership courses through the Public Health Institute, she aspires to help educate the public on radiology safety and its appropriate uses, including X-rays, CAT scans, and mammograms. “It’s an area of real need that hasn’t yet been touched by a lot of people.”

Bender and Timothy Wiedrich were among the more than 280 students and professionals who attended the 2004 Public Health Institute. While Bender, a diagnostic radiologist at Mayo, craved information and ideas she could use tomorrow, Wiedrich, a public health professional from North Dakota, came looking for new skills and knowledge he could employ today. That both found what they sought illustrates the distinct way in which the School of Public Health is helping to educate and empower the professionals entrusted with the task of safeguarding the health of the nation.

“The Public Health Institute provides access to education in a manner that’s flexible enough to meet the learner at whatever stage they happen to be and in a way that fits with peoples’ lifestyles and abilities over time,” says Debra Olson, associate dean for Public Health Practice Education and an institute founder.

The annual three-week institute, held this year from May 24 through June 11, offers courses in an array of interest areas, including food safety and biosecurity, infectious disease epidemiology, and public health preparedness, response, and recovery. Institute participants can apply the coursework to their specific professional, educational, or personal goals. Graduate students, for example, can earn degree credits. Public health workers can obtain professional certificates, while those with insatiable intellects can feed their hunger for lifelong learning. “People often think of the credential they earn as the end point,” Olson says. “But learning continues—the credential is just a stop along the way.”

Launched in 2002, the Public Health Institute has expanded from nine courses and 39 students its inaugural year to 27 courses and nearly 300 students in 2004. Institute organizers predict enrollment could double again next year. Wiedrich, who heads the North Dakota Department of Health’s emergency preparedness and response section, offers one explanation for the program’s exponential growth.

“Since September 11, 2001, there’s been an increased emphasis across the country on the role public health plays, both in terms of emergency preparedness and response for intentional acts like terrorism, as well as the role we’ve always played in dealing with unintentional acts, including large-scale disasters like flooding or chemical spills. So with this new role comes a need for us to have additional knowledge and skill sets,” says Wiedrich, who earned a public health certificate in preparedness, response, and recovery. “The summer institute is a really useful, efficient way to acquire the skills and knowledge we need to meet the demands that are being placed on us now.”

For her part, Bender is eager to continue her training at the 2005 institute, scheduled for May 23 through June 10. “What the institute has done for my emotional state is extraordinary. I feel a sense of renewal and energy, and I’m excited about the opportunity to continue to learn,” she says. “This program is an absolute gem.”