Before graduating, all undergraduates in this major complete an academic project (or "capstone") to demonstrate their research, communication and critical thinking skills.
The Public Health Field Experience and Capstone provides students with opportunities to apply public health knowledge and skills outside of a typical classroom setting and build on their public health coursework. Students will typically spend 6 hours per week for the first 10 to 12 weeks of their final semester in this endeavor.
The capstone comprises reflections of field placement experiences during the final semester and a poster presentation at the end, which is evaluated by faculty.
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American Red Cross.
During Nicole’s placement at the American Red Cross office in Morgantown, she gained exposure to the organization’s disaster response services including assessment, policy development, and assurance.
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Girls on the Run.
Alexandra spent her final semester working with the Morgantown office of Girls on the Run, a transformational learning program for 8- to 13-year-old girls that teaches life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games.
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Monongalia County Health Department.
Through her field experience with the Monongalia County Health Department, Maya was able to assist the Quick Response Team in developing an overdose fatality review program to bring community partners together to identify gaps in substance use disorders services and prevention opportunities.
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West Virginia Perinatal Partnership.
During her capstone experience with the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership, Corinne was able to help survey prenatal providers on current screening practices, analyze data collected, and make recommendations for how to improve the screenings for substance use disorder.
