Why study Community and Global Health at K?
Learn how you can advance health and human rights in our communities and around the world.
Public health is everywhere – it shapes and is shaped by history, cultures, economies, climate change, media, international and local policies, neighborhoods, and individual behaviors. As a student of community and global health (CGHL), you will explore the complex and interconnected issues that affect human health and gain the intellectual and practical skills to analyze, develop, and assess healthcare policies and programs using a health equity lens.
The concentration, like the practice of public health, is deeply interdisciplinary. We draw upon courses and programs in anthropology and sociology; mathematics and statistics; biology and chemistry; ethics; history; women, gender, and sexuality studies; psychology; political science; and economics, as well as specific CGHL courses, such as Contemporary Issues in Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics. In these courses, you will learn to use social determinants of health and social justice frameworks to examine the root causes of health and health inequities among people, communities, and nations.
Outside of the classroom, you will have opportunities to engage in experiential learning activities, including public-health-oriented internships, research, and programs on study abroad and within the Kalamazoo community.
Combining theory with action, you will be well prepared to transition into a career in public health or to continue your studies in graduate/professional school. Notably, our alumni have had successful careers in public health, health policy, medicine, social and psychological research, and advocacy.
What can you do with a Community and Global Health concentration?
Below are some of the careers, employers, and graduate schools of our global health alumni.
Careers
- Epidemiologist/doctor
- Policy analyst
- Social worker/psychologist
- Communications and marketing
- Hospital administrator
Employers
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- World Health Organization
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- County Health Departments
- Planned Parenthood
Graduate Schools
- University of Michigan
- Johns Hopkins University
- Western Michigan University
- Yale University
- University of Illinois Chicago
Program Spotlights
Learn about community and global health in Costa Rica
While you can choose from any of the College’s 50+ study abroad programs, you can deepen your knowledge of CGHL by studying health policy and practice in Costa Rica, a country with universal health care. In your term in San Jose, you will take an array of courses in public health, such as Health Care Systems in Latin America and Health and Vulnerable Populations. Outside of class, you will be able to take part in individual and group experiential opportunities in the city with local and national non-government organizations, clinical sites and more.
Take your learning out of the classroom and into the community
At K, you will learn directly from the people and organizations that promote community health in Kalamazoo. In partnership with the Center for Civic Engagement, you will have the chance to participate in community-based courses (in multiple departments), student-led programs and summer Community Building Internships with local groups that address health disparities. Our students have worked with the YWCA, fair housing advocates, Planned Parenthood, the County Health Department, Area Agency on Aging, Kalamazoo Public Schools, AACORN and the County Young Adult Program for people with disabilities, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, and many others.
Meet the Current Departmental Student Advisor
Sophie Haas (She/Her)
Major: Biology
Concentration: Community and Global Health, Psychology, and Neuroscience
What is the best thing about being part of this program?
We learn to view the world differently, noticing the “invisible” players of public health all around us.
What is your biggest piece of advice to first-years and sophomores about getting connected to this department?
Chat with the staff and faculty involved in the department! They are knowledgeable, kind, and will have your back. Further, if it fits into your schedule and interests, consider the CGH Costa Rica study abroad program. It is an incredible opportunity to expand your understanding of public health and its adjacent fields within a community that is excelling at its public health efforts.
What experiential education opportunities have you participated in?
I worked for the Office of Gender Equity and Access from 2020-2023 as a certified peer educator for S.P.E.A.K. Kalamazoo College. Alongside students and staff, I built and facilitated training and programming related to sexual assault prevention, healthy relationships, consent, and bystander intervention for students.
I am the founder and president of the student organization KC DREAM: Kalamazoo College Disability-Illness Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring. We spearhead efforts towards accessibility and equity for K College students and staff who are disabled and chronically ill.
What is your Senior Integrated Project [SIP]?
I am researching under Dr. Lisa Graves at WMed [Western Michigan School of Medicine] as they develop and implement their new behavioral and developmental pediatric Telehealth and travel medicine efforts to aid in barriers to healthcare amongst primarily Kalamazoo’s unhoused population. We are working to research if advancing Telehealth helps to widen both access to and use of healthcare services and if it begins to undo the impacts of systemic social and environmental determinants of health in the city.
What are your career aspirations/next steps after K?
I plan to go to medical school and continue to fight for health equity within the medical system.