The Executive Public Health Administration & Policy MPH program’s newest class, Cohort 4, convened for their first on-campus visit Jan. 4, and were joined by Cohort 3 on Jan. 5. Of the thirteen students, seven (54%) are out-of-state (including California, Georgia, Arizona, and two from Virginia). Students come from a broad range of interesting backgrounds, including one who worked for the UN High Command for Refugees in Kenya, one who ran for state senator in Minnesota, and two who helped monitor Ebola-exposed travelers in Virginia. Four had never experienced below zero temperatures; Minnesota weather cooperated by hitting -9° (wind chill -20°) on Friday.

While they were on campus, each cohort completed most of a course (Cohort 4 studied “Setting Priorities and Framing Public Health Issues” with JP Leider, Ph.D, and Cohort 3 studied “Public Health Laws, Rules, and Regulations” with Anne Barry JD, MPH), heard from career services, the Center for Writing, and Associate Professor Katy Kozhimannil on how to translate lived experience and research into action and policy; participated in management case-based teaching with Administrative Director Tom Gilliam; and socialized in several venues, from the Campus Club to McNamara Center. As were each of the prior three cohorts, Cohort 4 was energetic, smart, experienced, and articulate. They are a terrific addition to the Executive PHAP program.

-Rebecca Wurtz, Director, Executive PHAP Program