University of Bradford course will train next generation of managers and leaders in health and social care
Public Health course never been so relevant, due to Covid-19
“Not a lot of people knew what Public Health was until recently” says Nilam Prinjha, Programme Leader for the BSc (Hons) Public Health and Community Wellbeing degree at the University of Bradford.
“The Covid-19 situation has shown just how crucial Public Health is to keeping people safe and protecting lives, and we are seeing a sharp increase in enquiries about our unique degree programme.
“There has never been such high demand for the skills and knowledge that this degree provides. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of prevention strategies to protect the health of populations. It's highlighted social and health inequalities in society. And it's made us all more aware of how politicians and policies impact on our ways of life and on our health and social care services.
“The need for graduates who can understand such complexities has never been greater.”
Nilam works with a team of academics and researchers in the Faculty of Health Studies with backgrounds in nursing, social work, sociology, epidemiology, community development, psychology and counselling.
“Not only do we prepare people for handling the kind of public health crisis we are now seeing unfold, we equip people to work with communities to tackle the broad range of factors that affect health and wellbeing. These factors can include unemployment, housing and homelessness, income inequalities and debt, as well as environmental factors like air pollution.”
It is unclear how people have been affected by lockdown but there is already some indication that mental health and health inequalities are key areas that will require support and intervention over the coming years from workers with specialised skills.
To prepare students for future employment, all students complete a work based placement during the 2nd year of the course. The placement takes place in Semester 1 of the 2nd year. Each placement is 100 hours, which is around 14 days.
“There is such a variety of careers that follow on from our course: we have had graduates who become health researchers, work with Public Health England, with destitute asylum seekers, supporting people with mental health issues, diverse communities, and who go on to form the next generation of managers and leaders in health and social care. The consequences of Covid-19 will be with us for years to come and there has never been a greater demand for the skills and knowledge that this degree provides.”
You can read more about our programme at: https://www.bradford.ac.uk/courses/ug/public-health-community-wellbeing-bsc/
For an informal chat about the course, contact Nilam Prinjha (Programme Leader) or Andrew Hart (Admissions Tutor) via email: n.prinjha@bradford.ac.uk or a.hart1@bradford.ac.uk