|
Read graduate comments
Graduates of the Core Concepts Certificate Program are asked to
complete a graduate survey and this is what they have said about the
program...
Interaction with Faculty
 | Quality of Core Certificate Program
 | Program Recommendation
 |
Was Program Worth It?
 |
David Borasky, CIP
Director
Office of International Research Ethics
Family Health International
dborasky@fhi.org
I began the Certificate program more than 10 years after completing
my
undergraduate degree. The program offered an excellent opportunity to
"test the waters" of graduate school while still working full time.
It fit perfectly into my work and home schedules. My early reservations
about
online learning were quickly dismissed, and the medium proved very
effective. I
travel a lot for work, and was able to do coursework while in various
parts of Africa and Asia! One of my favorite things about the program
was my
fellow students. In each class there was a dynamic mix of
personalities,
backgrounds and experiences, which truly added to the quality of my
learning
experience. All of the professors and teaching assistants were
wonderful as
well. The skills I acquired in the program have already proven useful
in my
work, and they will provide a solid academic foundation as I enter the
online
MPH program in the fall.
Alison Tytell Brenner
Research Assistant, Decision Support Lab
Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Study
atytell@email.unc.edu
I entered into the Core Concepts program, like many, as a predecessor
to an MPH or doctoral program. I was able to complete the program
quickly while continuing to work full time. It helped me to focus my
interest areas in Public Health, and added to a growing resume, which
will be invaluable in applying for graduate degree programs and in my career. I was extremely
pleased with the program as a whole. I really enjoyed being able to
complete the courses online--in addition to the convenience, the
students in my classes were living all over the world, and were,
therefore, able to provide extremely diverse public health current
events insights in the discussions. I would recommend this program to
anyone who is interested in further study of public health!
Linda Shealey Cook, B.A.
Consultant
Springfield, VA
The Certificate Program allowed me to prove to myself and others that I can
successfully complete graduate level work. When I applied to the Certificate
program, it was 15 years since I completed a bachelor's degree. I was out of
"practice" in taking exams and writing papers. I worked in the public
health field for over 5 years and wanted an advanced degree to further my
career. With the Certificate program, I completed core public health compentencies
and was able to successfully apply to a masters program, where my credits were
transfered. The Certificate program was an avenue towards my entering the
masters program. There are many online degree programs out there, but I believe
this program offered by UNC is far superior. The staff and professors have been
great and very accessible. The technology is superior but very easy to work
with. My experience as a student has been nothing but positive.
Jana Hofer
Integrated Health Programs with Food for the Hungry International
Bolivia
The certificate program at UNC-Chapel Hill has helped me to improve our
Integrated Health Programs with Food for the Hungry International (FHI) in Bolivia. Taking the public health courses while
simultaneously working with FHI-Bolivia allowed me to directly and immediately
apply the knowledge I learned. Our health programs work in rural communities
with the Quechua people and the courses applied to our work with them in many
ways: from epidemiology concepts and measurement of indicators to behavior
change communication strategies and education techniques. Since completing the
certificate program, I have changed positions and am now heading up FHI's
behavior change communication team on a national level and have a support role
with our epidemiologist.
Lisa Powell
Regional Epidemiology
Emergency Preparedness, Local Health Department
Since graduating the certificate program, I
have taken a position in our local health department as a regional
epidemiologist for emergency preparedness. Having the basics of public health
was a great help in preparing me for this new and exciting adventure. I am
helping 5 counties with emergency preparedness planning, specific to
bioterrorism. Some of that planning entails use of core competencies in public health
and the 10 essential services. Many of the smaller public health nursing
agencies have not had a chance to learn much about this and I am doing a lot of
training. In addition, I am working on our MAPP committee, currently doing a
community health assessment, which we will be analyzing in the next few weeks
and then doing focus groups on target audiences to get further info about our
community's health status. Needless to say, I would be lost without the great
background the certificate program has provided to me and I reference the
materials often.
|
Centers & Institutes 
