Bachelor of Science in Public and One Health

(B.S. PAOH)

Pending ACHE Approval for Official Launch in Fall 2024

The Public and One Health undergraduate degree program in the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine stands out as a unique public health program that utilizes One Health as its guiding principle.  This holistic approach prepares graduates of the program to proactively devise and implement solutions to pressing local and global health issues.

By highlighting the One Health concept throughout the curriculum, undergraduate students enrolled in the program will obtain a comprehensive public health education that emphasizes the interconnectedness and mutual interdependency of humans, animals, and the environment. Diverse faculty from multiple scientific fields within the College of Veterinary Medicine and across the Auburn University campus will provide expert instruction to foster deeper insight into organismal and environmental health and how various systems coexist and change together. The program will prepare undergraduate students for success in a variety of introductory public health positions or graduate or professional programs.

While public health focuses on population health and prevention of disease in humans, One Health more broadly incorporates the interconnectedness between human, animal and environmental health, recognizing that human health can only be improved if the health of animals and the ecosystem are concurrently addressed. One Health was founded as a strategy to develop and expand transdisciplinary collaborations across multiple sectors to address complex issues at the human-animal-ecosystem interface. These issues include (but are not limited to) zoonotic and vector-borne disease, food safety, biosecurity, pandemic preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, hunger, and global health issues relating to climate change. The recent introduction and spread of SARS CoV-2 is just one of many serious global health issues requiring immediate attention and is a direct result of environmental disturbance and human interaction with wild animal populations. The Public and One Health undergraduate degree program will educate future health professionals to take a transdisciplinary approach that establishes a conceptual framework of the complex web of factors affecting health. 

Students enrolled in the Public and One Health degree program will graduate with an understanding of basic concepts in the following fields: 

  • Core concepts of public health and population health
  • Public health policy and ethics  
  • Epidemiology and biostatistics 
  • Social and behavioral determinants of health 
  • Global health and comparative health systems 
  • Science of health and disease
  • Microbiology and infectious disease
  • Climate change impacts on health
  • Environmental health 
  • Human impacts on ecosystems and wildlife 
  • Emergencies and disasters

Career Opportunities for PAOH Graduates

There is strong demand for professionals with bachelor’s-level public health training and this employment demand is projected to increase both regionally and nationally. In the wake of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, federal funds have been budgeted for state, local and territorial public health departments and certain nonprofits to hire epidemiologists, disease intervention specialists, laboratory personnel, communication and health policy experts, community health workers, case investigators and other public health care workers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected change in job placement opportunities for public health professionals over the next decade is expected to grow faster than the national average for other professional fields.

PAOH Career Examples (some require advanced degrees)

  • Public health ethics professional
  • Emergency / disaster / disease intervention specialist
  • Public health educator / laboratory technician / specialist
  • Community health worker
  • Health services administrator
  • Perinatal educator
  • Public health nutritionist / environmentalist
  • Epidemiologist (after MPH)
  • Bioinformatician
  • Vital records professional
  • Public health research analyst
  • Data analyst / scientist
  • Emergency preparedness specialist
  • Occupational health specialist
  • Injury prevention specialist / hygienist
  • Employee wellness manager
  • Environmental health scientist
  • Toxicologist
  • Poisoning prevention coordinator
  • Environmental health specialist / protection technician
  • Disaster preparedness researcher
  • Biodefense (research / law enforcement / manager)
  • Global health program manager / project assistant / project manager
  • Nonprofit program officer / volunteer coordinator / director
  • Food security program manager
  • Food inspector / scientist
  • Consumer safety officer
  • Air Force public health officer
  • Army preventive medicine officer
  • Public health project manager/ research / policy analyst
  • Health economist
  • Infection prevention & control specialist
  • Patient safety specialist
  • Medical advocacy and outreach
  • Health promotion specialist
  • Prevention specialist
  • Risk Management specialist
  • Disability inclusion and accessibility manager
  • Behavioral scientist / health worker
  • Mental health researcher / worker
  • Disease ecologist
  • Medical scientist
  • Health teacher (K-12)
  • Instructor in public health (K-12 through college or beyond)
  • Physician
  • Veterinarian
  • Dentist
  • Pharmacist
  • Nurse
  • Nurse practitioner
  • Public health law (paralegal / lawyer)
  • Technical / medical writer

PAOH Curriculum

View Curriculum Sheet (PDF)

The PAOH curriculum is designed to meet all competencies required by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) to achieve accreditation and ensure the highest quality educational experiences. These competencies will be met through required coursework and electives from the College of Veterinary Medicine and other colleges across campus including Human Sciences, Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Science and Mathematics, Liberal Arts, Nursing, Education and Agriculture. Choice of elective courses offers opportunities for the curriculum to be customized to diverse career interests such as health disparities, social aspects of health, environmental health, animal/herd health or health care administration and economics.

PAOH Course Descriptions

PAOH 2100 Introduction to Public Health

Public Health is the science of prevention of disease and health problems in populations through research, proposal and application of policies, implementation of educational programs, provision of health services to communities, and detection of and response to disease outbreaks. In this course, guest lecturers with expertise in their respective fields will present on varying public health and One Health topics such as health disparities, public health policy, environmental health, global health security, behavioral health, disease ecology, access to health care, maternal/child health, animal health, and more.

PAOH 3010 Introduction to Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution, determinants, and dynamics of disease or health events in a population. This course introduces the basic principles and methods of epidemiology with an emphasis on prevention and control of diseases of humans and other animals.

PAOH 4830 Global and Comparative Health Systems

This course is designed as a study of the different national approaches in various locales such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, China, Turkey, Mexico, India, and more in their provision of health care for their respective populations as compared to the US health care system.

PAOH 4910 Observing Needs in Public Health

Through 40 hours of service to a local organization or public health agency, students will develop an understanding of the importance of volunteers and local organizations to support public health needs.  Class discussions will center on underserved populations and needs relating to both human and animal health. The volunteer service organization must be approved by the course instructor.

PAOH 5100 Zoonoses and Infectious Diseases

This course presents a comparative approach to infectious disease in humans and animals, while specifically highlighting zoonoses (diseases shared between humans and animals). Students will learn infectious disease epidemiologic concepts, as well as delve into foodborne, vaccine-preventable, sexually transmitted, and vector-transmitted pathogens, as well as common systems-associated infections in both animals and humans.

PAOH 5200 Program Planning and Theories of Health Promotion

This course provides the fundamentals of health promotion and behavior, including theories of change in health behavior and program implementation (planning, marketing, assessment, evaluation). By the end of the course, students should be equipped to initiate a program implementation aimed at improving health.

PAOH 5400 Environmental Health

Environmental Health serves as an introduction to the effects and regulation of chemical, physical and biological factors in the environment that affect the health of individuals, communities, and ecosystems.  

PAOH 5950 One Health Seminar

This course will explore public health topics relevant to populations of humans, animals, and the environment through guest seminars, large and small group discussion, and student presentations.

Contact

Email: paoh@auburn.edu