PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Sept. 5, 2023) – From an early age, Cydni Miller knew she wanted to become a specialty pharmacist. She watched her mother, a nurse, prepare medications for her older sister, who has epilepsy.
Cydni Miller
Despite being four years younger, she readily took over her sister’s pill duty while their parents worked. “It feels good to be able to help and take care of my sister,” Miller said. “Now I want to help other people.”
One of seven children, Maya Simien paid for her own braces – monthly payments totaling $4,600 – as a sophomore in high school while working as a manager at a Dairy Queen. Inspired by her orthodontist, who was patient and understanding, she aspires to be a dentist. “It boosted my confidence and made me want to help people with similar problems with their teeth,” she said.
Miller and Simien are both first-year students part of the inaugural class of Prairie View A&M University’s new School of Public and Allied Health. The School officially opened its doors on Sept. 1 with the goal of training a new generation of health workers in a world increasingly in need of care.
Dr. Angela Branch-Vital, executive director of the new School, emphasized the profound significance of establishing a public health school at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, underlining its transformative potential. “It provides an opportunity to address health disparities disproportionately affecting all communities. HBCUs have a long history of serving minority populations, and having a public health school at such institutions can lead to targeted research, interventions and policies aimed at improving the health outcomes of marginalized communities.”
The new School houses growing programs in the Divisions of Kinesiology and Physical Education and Public Health and Health. When the BS/BA degree in Public Heath was established earlier this year, programs in the remaining areas were among the fastest-growing departments and sets of majors on campus. In fact, behavioral aspects of health and public health constitute the fastest-growing bachelor’s fields across the nation.
Angela Branch-Vital, Ph.D.
“I am immensely excited about the numerous opportunities the School of Public and Allied Health will offer to our students, institution and targeted populations,” said Dr. Branch-Vital. “Our School will be committed to academic excellence and top-tier research to promote a holistic quality of life.
Within the School, the allied health side encompasses a diverse range of professions that stand apart from traditional medical, nursing and pharmacy roles. They hold crucial positions in the health care sector, delivering a wide range of services from diagnostic procedures to therapeutic interventions and conducting research to managing health information. This category includes roles such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, sports nutritionists, sports management, respiratory therapists, strength and conditioning coaches, chiropractors and athletic trainers.
“Both the health care and sports sectors benefit immensely from the specialized expertise of these professionals in diagnosing, treating injuries and optimizing performance,” Branch-Vital said.
The new School also offers students courses on disease prevention, health promotion, epidemiology, biomechanics and biostatistics to produce changemakers who lead and empower healthier communities.
Simien, who landed an internship at a dentist’s office her senior year of high school, knows how health care costs can hinder access to care. She remembers patients leaving the dental practice after hearing the price of a procedure.
Maya Simien
This is what motivates her to open her own dental clinic – one that offers affordable oral care so anyone can feel that same confidence boost of a healthy smile.
Miller is a legacy who comes from a family of professionals in public and allied health: her mom, who is a nurse, and her maternal grandmother, who is a laboratory technician. She grew up watching her mom come and go in her blue scrubs, always helping others.
She endeavors to do the same: take care of people and make a difference.
To learn more about PVAMU’s School of Public and Allied Health, visit www.pvamu.edu/spah.
By Christine Won
-PVAMU-