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Prairie View A&M University will open the doors to its new School of Public and Allied Health on Sept. 1, following approval from the Texas A&M University System and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
James Palmer, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, told the Houston Business Journal the school is an opportunity for the university to continue its growth and preparation for its students joining the health care field. The school already has about 1,000 students enrolled in degree programs under it, he said.
“Our work and focus on aiding communities in need, positively impacting the social determinants of health, and increasing research efforts that address national health care issues are essential facets of improving global health care outcomes,” Palmer said in a statement to the HBJ. “The establishment of the School of Public and Allied Health is the first step of our vision and goal to advance this work, and we are fortunate to have existing space on campus to support this effort. As the school grows and partnerships and resources allow, considerations will be made for the creation of a building dedicated to the school. We have a number of partners interested in helping us achieve that next step and are seeking additional partners in support of this endeavor.”
Angela Branch-Vital will begin her role as the executive director for the School of Public and Allied Health on June 1. With the two different components of the school, the university is looking at the needs of the community, she told the HBJ in an interview.
The school encompasses various sectors across both public and allied health, Branch-Vital said. Within the Public Health sector, students can receive their Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in public health. The BS is designed for students interested in pursuing a career as a public health professional and/or a graduate program in public health. Meanwhile, the BA program is for those interested in seeking admission into professional schools such as medical school or dental school.
Under Allied Health, PVAMU offers a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology; Bachelor of Science, Master of Education and Master of Science in health; and a Master of Education and Master of science in physical education. PVAMU also has several other minors within the department as well, Branch-Vital said.
These areas of study are needed when looking at Covid-19 and the past several years, along with other diseases, from a public health perspective, Branch-Vital said. On the other hand, from an epidemiology perspective, there are other issues such as childhood obesity, renal failure, cancer, hypertension and other issues that impact a community that need to be addressed.
PVAMU expects the new school to help increase the university's visibility, and it will help establish health-related partners and support research in mission-driven areas. The school will identify and attract “highly qualified faculty and students from diverse perspectives, cultures, ethnicities and socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds,” Palmer said in a statement.
The school will also work to implement and develop strategies to address health and health care disparities across different groups in Texas and beyond, PVAMU said.
Branch-Vital's focus will be on establishing a solid public health program before moving onto other things. However, later down the line, she said she would like to see a master's in public health, followed by a doctorate and a Ph.D. in public health. She would also like to start offering certifications related to public health. On the Allied Health side, she said she would like to introduce a Master's of Science in sports management and build upon that.
“The overarching goal, I would say, is to be able to serve the students, the university, as well as the target and general population as an institute of excellence,” Branch-Vital said. “I would love — when you talk about public health — for us to be on the top edge of that and have solid researchers.”
Before leaving her role at PVAMU, former President Ruth Simmons helped bring the school to fruition through a $1 million donation from the Brown Foundation Inc. This money will be used toward a number of things, including the hiring of an associate director, program coordinators, an administrative associate and an assistant professor, among others, Branch-Vital said.
This comes as PVAMU continues to navigate its way to becoming the first HBCU to receive R1 status, the highest-tier classification for research from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. In January 2022, it was announced that the university is one of 10 HBCUs with an R2 status and one of only four Texas A&M University System members in this category.
PVAMU was also recently given $1.5 million from NASA to create a system that uses artificial intelligence to share interactive, instantaneous and user-relevant information in a manner that is easily accessible and discoverable for an audience beyond engineers and scientists.
