Public health involves the organized efforts of society to prevent disease, prolong life, and promote health. These efforts are exemplified through partnerships across various public and private sectors, including academia, which are crucial in addressing complex public health challenges. An academic health department (AHD) is a formal partnership…

In a polarized society, it is a university's responsibility to offer courses that explore highly controversial issues. Traditional forms of debate may create barriers to knowledge and entrenchment of perspectives, with students self-limiting their ability to develop informed opinions. We describe an active learning, double-blinded approach to…

Objectives: There are essentially three schools of thought regarding critical thinking--humanistic, cognitive, and behavioral. Given the disagreement among them, confusion continues about what critical thinking means, and how it can be taught to students. Methods: In this qualitative phenomenological study, researchers interviewed students and…

Objective: To identify predictors of meningococcal vaccine uptake among university and college students, the most common carriers of meningococcal disease. Participants: University or college students aged 18 to 25 years. Methods: Multiple databases, citations, and gray literature were systematically searched in April 2017 and January 2019, for…

This project focused on integrating an international component into the one-semester biochemistry course, a required course for biology, chemistry, and forensic science majors at the institution. A driving question was how to integrate the international component into the course while showing direct relevance to the course and students' lives.…

We describe an innovative, semester-long course in biology and communication skills for master's degree students in biostatistics. The primary goal of the course is to make the connection between biological science and statistics more explicit. The secondary goals are to teach oral and written communication skills in an appropriate context for…

The purpose of this study was to two-fold. First, it aimed to provide a description of the design process of a fully online public health course with a special emphasis on an authentic learning project. The authentic project in this course was designed in compliance with the competencies put forth by the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education…

Background: Local government (LG) is ideally placed to influence the determinants of public health (PH) and reduce inequalities, but opportunities are routinely missed. Aims and objectives: The aim of the Local Authority Champions of Research (LACoR) study was to explore ways to embed a culture of evidence use in LG. Methods: Five linked work…

Young adults are very socially active. During infectious disease outbreaks, their interpersonal interactions serve as a mode of viral transmission, especially to vulnerable populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised. A lack of compliance with recommended health behaviors among college students during the early months of the COVID-19…

Objective: To explore U.S. college students' experiences during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Students at a Northeastern public university. Methods: Participants were interviewed via videoconference between April 1 and May 31, 2020. Interviews were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed; analyzed using deductive and…

Rising rates of individuals with mental illness in the United States have policymakers, education officials, and medical professionals worried about the need for additional support for struggling college students--and the ability of higher education institutions to provide it. Many colleges have designed and implemented a variety of interventions…

Promoting staff well-being has been a challenge for many residence life departments long before the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease in the mental well-being of the general population as well as in residence life staff. The stressful work environment and demanding work hours in residence life have been linked to burnout and intentions to leave…

As we have seen from the current COVID-19 pandemic, misconceptions concerning viruses can lead to disease spread and panic. Therefore, it is imperative to determine misconceptions held concerning epidemics and pandemics. One virus that warrants study of misconceptions, albeit given limited attention in the West, is the Ebola virus. An assessment…

The purpose of the study was to identify the interventions used as approaches to cultivate healthy behaviours in undergraduate students and assess the effectiveness of those approaches. This was qualitative research. The design of the study was organised into three stages such as the search and selection stage, validation and assessment stage, and…

Purpose: The Internet is a key resource for college students seeking health information, but it is unclear how well students are trained to evaluate the quality of information accessed. This pilot study sought to determine the sources and critical appraisal of health information accessed by public health students enrolled in a midwestern…