Dr. Gen Meredith, a graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine (Occupational Therapy) and the University of Massachusetts’ School of Public Health (Master of Public Health), has come to Cornell to help design and lead the Master of Public Health program. Prior to this, Dr. Meredith spent eight years leading large international development projects with a focus on national public health systems development in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, and four years doing the same in the United States. Dr. Meredith’s work has centered primarily on institutional capacity development and growth specifically related to integrated disease surveillance and response systems, the routine collection and use of data, and effective public health leadership and management infrastructure to support population health access and accountability.
Course Overview
COVID-19 is one of the most serious public health crises the world has ever faced but one for which scientists had been warning us to prepare. Just as past public health crises have informed how we respond to COVID-19, we can look to lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic response to prepare for future public health emergencies. In this course, you will take a tour of public health history. You will then examine a series of case studies from public health history, including COVID-19, and apply the skills gained through those experiences. Finally, you will determine how to prepare yourself, your family, and your community for the next public health emergency.
You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:
- Public Health and COVID-19
- Public Health Foundations
- Assessing Community Health
- Supporting Public Health Behaviors
Key Course Takeaways
- Discover the lessons from past public health crises that inform response today
- Determine how public health professionals apply those lessons through a series of case studies
- Identify what you can do to better prepare yourself, your family, and your community for future public health emergencies
How It Works
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Course Authors
Dr. Alex Travis’s research explores a diverse set of subjects related to One Health, which is interdisciplinary work that links the functions and well-being of people, animals, and the environment. His interests include animal health and fertility as well as efforts to help alleviate poverty and hunger in developing countries, work that indirectly benefits local wildlife. Dr. Travis serves as Associate Dean of International Programs and Public Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and he is founding Director of Cornell’s Master of Public Health program.
Who Should Enroll
- Community health leaders
- Emerging public health leaders
- Public health volunteers
- Volunteers working with high-risk populations
- Outreach coordinators
- Anyone interested in personal and collective health and well-being, community development, preventing disease and injury, or leading change to support health equity