The increase in international graduate students (IGSs) in the United States in recent years has created additional linguistic and cultural diversity in graduate programs, thus, spotlighting the existence of these students' unmet challenges. Although much research has been conducted on the experiences of international students in U.S. higher…

Concussions present a public health concern for school-aged children, prompting states to enact laws addressing their risk and management. Consequently, schools nationwide have established policies based on these laws. In 2010, the state of Virginia established the Code of Virginia outlining the proper policies and procedures related to…

STIs in youth in New Jersey is a growing concern. According to New Jersey' Public Health Data Resource (2020), the total number of STIs in youth from age 15-24 totals 19,698. The current STIs-related sex education programs vary widely in New Jersey in terms of scope, the accuracy of content, emphasis, and effectiveness (Thrive New Jersey…

Though the prevalence of smoking continues to decline overall each year, in segments of the population, such as those with low income or low education levels, the prevalence of smoking is almost double that of the general population. The slower rates of decline in these groups are possibly due to the unexpected ways that public health messages are…

Disaster debris management is critical to the success of disaster recovery systems. While there are multiple disaster mitigation strategies and post-disaster debris management plans, it is hard to implement because of: (i) the uniqueness of disaster incidents and randomness of its impacts; (ii) complexity of disaster debris removal operations,…

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…

This observational, quantitative longitudinal study examined the retention gap among students studying exclusively online and those studying on-campus and compared variables related to outcomes and the completion rates of students at one private, non-profit, four-year university Master of Public Health Program (MPH) in the Midwest. It was unknown…

This study sought to identify trends and incidence levels of college student depression, anxiety disorder, and suicide at United States colleges and universities. A public health approach was employed to ascertain if institutional and social determinants of mental illness are acting upon students. Once specific underlying factors were identified,…

The mental health of college students has become one of the top concerns in higher education. The number of students reporting psychological distress and seeking services has dramatically increased over the last two decades. Colleges are struggling to address longstanding mental health inequities such as those facing students of color (SOC) and…

The purpose of this capstone project is to provide an innovative solution to address major public health and social problems known on college campuses in relation to "Ensuring Healthy Development for All Youth," one of the 12 Grand Challenges of Social Work. This project uses conceptual socioecological frameworks of prevention and health…

This dissertation is comprised of three separate manuscripts. Each manuscript concerns questions of social structure in relation to health, morbidity, and mortality. The first examines the epidemiologic theories taught most frequently in core master of public health coursework and proposes curricular changes to better engage with the structural…

The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing reflexive photography as a means for a transformative community-based learning (CBL) experience. CBL is an experiential teaching pedagogy that helps prepare college students for a rapidly changing and diverse society that fosters social, health, and cultural…

Informal science education occurs in many settings, often without an explicit goal of teaching or learning science. Sometimes scientific content and practices are opportunistically encountered through daily activities. Such is the case with fish consumption advisories, which inform people who eat fish about their potential exposure to harmful…

Health inequities by race are ubiquitous and persistent in the U.S., and structural racism is understood to be the cause. However, there has been relatively little research on structural racism as an exposure. This dissertation will describe three ways to conceptualize and measure structural racism with the end goal of intervening to reduce health…

Drug overdose, especially from opioids, is a global problem which has stretched across all racial, generational, and socio-economical groups. Millions of people have been affected on a personal or professional basis by the emotional, physical, and financial impacts of this crisis. There is a critical need to provide support for public health…