It’s another year of firsts and breaking records for the colleges and programs at USF Health.  Both Pharmacy and SELECT welcomed their second group of students, each more than last year’s charter classes. And both Nursing and Public Health added programs that broadened their reach to more students.

The buzz of the first day is on!

The following are some of this year’s statistics for USF’s Health incoming students.

College of Nursing
Several milestones welcomed students joining the USF College of Nursing this fall: The school admitted 190 students to its revolutionary new RN to BS program, the highest number ever admitted in a single semester; this summer marked the College reaching a total of 8,000 degrees it has granted at all levels since opening in 1975; and the College has created a first-of-its-kind Introduction to Military and Veteran Health course open to interdisciplinary students in Fall 2012.

New and returning students take a break in a College of Nursing gathering space.

 As for the incoming group of students: there are 537 starting this fall, with 120 in its core bachelor’s degree program, 190 in the new RN to BS program, 180 in its master’s program, 30 in the nurse anesthesia program (based at USF Health’s highly innovative Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation), 5 in the PhD program, and 12 in the doctorate of nursing practice program.

New baccalaureate nursing students started classes with Go Bulls!

College of Pharmacy
 USF Health’s youngest college welcomed its second cohort of students, which boasts 13 more students than in last year’s charter class to the USF College of Pharmacy. This year’s group of 66 includes 48 percent men and 52 percent women.

College of Public Health
The USF College of Public Health welcomed nearly 700 students this fall: 254 in its undergraduate program, 404 to its masters programs and 38 to its doctoral programs.

This record-breaking increase is attributed mostly to the College’s innovative online courses. This fall boasts 75 online courses (seven of which are new), with 33 graduate-level courses and 42 undergraduate-level courses. In addition, nine of the College’s 23 graduate certificates are completely online, and some master’s degree programs are all online.

The increased reach means that USF’s College of Public Health now has more than 3,700 students enrolled in its online courses.

Read more…

College of Public Health students enjoy some fresh air between classes on their first day.

 Morsani College of Medicine
USF’s medical school has once again admitted its highest number of students, with 164 future physicians. Helping to push that total up is the second group of the school’s SELECT MD program, a partnership program of the USF Morsani College of Medicine and Lehigh Valley Health Network.  This year’s group includes 120 in USF’s core MD program and 44 in the SELECT MD program (last year’s SELECT charter class had 19 students). Of the total group, 57 percent are men and 43 percent are women.

First day also meant pizza for these medical students.

School of Biomedical Sciences
 The Morsani College of Medicine PhD program is also breaking some records. The USF School of Biomedical Sciences attracted its highest number of applicants – having increased by 40 percent in the past two years – and the 20 new students joining this fall boast the School’s highest average GRE score. In addition, the School was able to secure partial or complete external (to the MCOM through USF Presidential, University Graduate and National Science Foundation fellowships) funding for nearly half of this year’s group, again a record high. The students represent all four regions of the U.S. (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West) and five countries outside the U.S.

School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
 The USF School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences welcomed its Class of 2015, 40 students, with 28 women and 12 men. Seventy percent are from within Florida, while 30 percent are from throughout the Southeast and Midwest.

The first day has to include a run to the USF Health Bookstore.

The USF College of Public Health admitted nearly 700 students this fall—a record according to Todd Williams, MEd, academic services administrator in the college’s Office of Academic and Student Affairs. The new class includes 254 undergraduates, 404 graduate and 38 doctoral students.

New students await the start of orientation in the college’s auditorium last week.

An increase in demand for online courses is one driving force behind the rising enrollment.

The August issue of The Nation’s Health recently featured the college’s online programs in an article titled, “Online public health education growing in popularity in U.S.: More students forgoing classrooms.”

“At the University of South Florida College of Public Health, enrollment in online public health degree programs has more than doubled since the middle of the last decade. The university was one of the first to offer distance-based public health education,” said Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, associate dean for academic and student affairs at the College of Public Health.

Of the 75 online courses offered this fall, 33 are graduate level, 42 are undergraduate level, and seven of them are new.

Additionally, nine of the college’s 23 graduate certificates are completely online and students can earn a master of public health degree in epidemiology, global disaster management and humanitarian assistance, health administration, or public health practice in a virtual format.

“Online enrollment is up 15% from last fall and registration doesn’t close until August 31,” said Sandhya Srinivasan, MPH, MEd, director of the Office of Educational Technology and Assessment.  “When compared to fall 2011, we have a 50% increase in the number of undergraduate courses and 17% increase in graduate courses offered online.”

Currently, more than 3700 students are enrolled in online courses.

At orientation, students tried their hand at spinng a wheel that tests their public health knowledge

* * *

Fall orientation for new students was held on August 20 and 21. For the first time, the event expanded to include two days of workshops, information sessions, and a keynote speaker.

Retired Lt. Gen. Martin Steele dedicated his life to the U.S. Marine Corps.  Currently, he serves as associate vice-president for Veterans Research and executive director of Military Partnerships at USF.  However, on Monday, August 20, Gen. Steele had one task in mind—impressing upon students that “If we aren’t involved in the health of our community, then we aren’t citizens of the world.”

Lt. Gen. Martin Steele was the featured speaker for the College of Public Health’s orientation.

For 30  minutes the audience was completely silent, captivated by his story.  Born in Philadelphia, Steele was reared  in Fayetteville, Arkansas, witness to the pains of integration, holding his mother’s hand as she took her final breath, and  a 34-year combat veteran.

“As a Marine, I helped people who had no clean water and no sewage treatment. I helped them understand why their infants were dying because of their lack of resources,” Steele said.

“You are so important to the world right now. That’s why we have to learn to stop killing each other and learn to care for each other instead … that’s what public health is about—loving one another.”

In his closing remarks, Steele issued four marching orders to students.

Seize the day. You can’t bring back yesterday and can’t predict tomorrow. What will you do to make the most of every day?

Bloom where you are planted. You need to bloom while you’re a student and learn everything you can.

Subordinate yourself to the task at hand. Let go of your ego. Don’t let it (or anything) get in the way of learning.

Finally, make the most of each other’s strengths rather than focusing on each other’s weaknesses. We are all human with failures.

Gen. Steele asked for undergraduates to raise their hands, then graduate students, followed by graduate students who earned a bachelor’s degree from USF. “Look to your left and your right. Use their strengths to help you navigate the college and USF.”

In closing, Steele reminded students that “Learning to love and sustain each other is the first alternative, rather than learning to kill each other.”

“You’re the ones who will make a difference.”

 * * *

 The start of a new academic year would not be complete without new faculty.

This fall, the Departments of Community and Family Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Global Health, and Health Policy and Management welcomed six new faculty members to the college. They include Sheri Eisert, PhD, associate professor; Lianne Estefan, PhD, assistant professor; Ismael Hoare, PhD, assistant professor; Preston Mercer, PhD, professor; Jill Roberts, PhD assistant professor; and Lauri Wright, PhD, assistant professor.

Sheri Eisert, PhD

Lianne Estefan, PhD

Ismael Hoare, PhD

Preston Mercer, PhD

Jill Roberts, PhD

Lauri Wright, PhD

Likewise, the Department of Global Health begins the year with a new academic chair, Thomas Unnasch, PhD.  He joined the college as a State of Florida World Class Scholar in 2008 and his research interests include river blindness, filariasis, and arbovirus ecology in Florida. Unnasch serves as a scientific advisor for the World Health Organization, the Carter Center, and the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program in the Americas to name a few.

Thomas Unnasch, PhD

Incoming class stats:

• 700 admitted students—254 undergraduates, 404 graduate and 38 doctoral students
• 76% women and 24% men
• Students represent 39 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and eight countries (Canada, China, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Panama, Taiwan and the United States)

Source:  USF College of Public Health Office of Academic and Student Affairs

Story and public health wheel photo by Natalie D. Preston, College of Public Health