Restructuring our college to meet the challenges of the university's strategic plan for healthy people
Our nation’s health is at risk. One-third of deaths are attributed to poor eating, lack of physical activity, and tobacco use. More than one in every three adults and one in five children ages 6 to 19 are obese. The physical and financial consequences are staggering. Rates of chronic disease are skyrocketing – heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis – as are the costs associated with treating these conditions. More than 75 percent of our health care spending is on people with chronic conditions, especially in our aging population. The good news is that the majority of these diseases are preventable. But these health threats require reasoned, evidence-based, best-practice responses that come from an understanding of human biology and the social, environmental, and behavioral factors that lead people to choose healthy lifestyles. And it requires building a qualified public health workforce for Oregon.
Long before national health care reform hit the spotlight, students, faculty, and researchers in the College of Health and Human Sciences were solving Oregon’s health challenges. Inspired by our land grant mission and the university’s strategic focus on improving human health and wellness, we are now transforming our college to respond to the public health challenges of the 21st century. We are finding solutions for optimal health across the lifespan.
In 2001, we took the bold step to merge the College of Health and Human Performance and the College of Home Economics. By the numbers, it was the right thing to do. Student enrollment has grown from 2,300 to 3,300, making us the fourth-largest of OSU’s 11 colleges. Research funding has increased from $3.2 million to $16 million as we seek solutions for what ails our nation. And our worldwide family of 22,000 Health and Human Sciences alumni have supported our progress by contributing more than $15 million during our Capital Campaign.
Today, we’re poised to make a difference in the health and vitality of individuals, families, and communities here in Oregon and around the world.
We are sharpening our vision to meet the pressing public health needs of the 21st century. Building on our strengths in teaching, research, and outreach, we are blending disciplines, updating curriculum, and evolving to become an accredited College of Public Health and Human Sciences. We are uniquely positioned to apply advances in public health and human sciences to innovations in nutrition, exercise sciences, human development, and family sciences to promote health across the lifespan and across socioeconomic and cultural boundaries.
We are building a collaborative structure that will enable new approaches to the crucial public health challenges facing our world. A new blending of public health and human science disciplines will be emphasized in our course work, our research, and our outreach. More than ten new public health faculty will join our current ranks of distinguished faculty and become affiliated with one of our two new schools – the School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences or the School of Biological and Population Health Sciences. New synergies will be created with our Hallie Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families and our Center for Healthy Aging Research. And a new Outreach Collaborative for a Healthy Oregon will encompass our Extension and outreach programs – Family and Community Health, 4-H Youth Development, KidSpirit, and programs for youth and adults with special needs – that translate evidence-based research into practice to promote healthy communities across the state.
This is a landmark opportunity to address our state’s need for a public health workforce and to help shape our health care system. We are proud to continue the legacy of Oregon’s pioneering spirit and OSU’s land grant mission by creating our state’s only College of Public Health and Human Sciences.
“We have a unique opportunity to transform our department for the future by creating a School of Design and Human Environment,” says chair Leslie Burns. “A school will provide new collaborations across disciplines, carry new prestige, and strengthen our curriculum.” While the new school will remain within the College of Health and Human Sciences, collaborations with the colleges of Business and Engineering will be enhanced. “This will provide new ties with industry and the design and merchandising communities in Portland,” explains Leslie, who was recently appointed to the board of directors the Portland Center for Design and Innovation.
