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What Course Residency Offers

Northeastern University in Charlotte’s Master of Public Health (MPH) is a hybrid program that includes one week of in-person learning. The course residency week allows students to connect with peers and faculty, learn more about public health in North Carolina, tour local facilities to gain knowledge from public health professionals working in the field and explore career opportunities. This year’s residency week focused on program planning and program evaluation in public health.

Local Partnerships and Field Trips

On day one, students dove in with a panel discussion on “Getting from A to Z in Public Health Programming” with representatives from the North Carolina Division of Public Health, Dionne Greenlee Jones, Keri Revens and Kimberly Scott. The discussion covered topics such as the latest Mecklenburg County community health assessment and the assessment process, prioritization of health issues for the county, social determinants of health, diversity, health equity and community involvement, along with examples of possible career paths with a public health degree.

“It’s been a pleasure initiating this exciting partnership between Northeastern University (in) Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Government – Division of Population Health; Office of Health Equity’s Community Engagement team,” said Jada Jackson, Northeastern University in Charlotte Community Engagement Manager. “Here’s to a future filled with impactful outreach, meaningful engagement, and enriching academic opportunities for all involved.”

Later in the week students toured Charlotte-area public health and outreach centers. At Camino Health Center, a bilingual and multicultural health center that provides affordable care to the underinsured and uninsured populations, MPH students learned how the Center reaches the community through primary care, behavioral health, health and wellness, and food security programs. At the United Way of Mecklenburg County, Jamese Ivy, Interim Chief Impact Officer at the United Way of Greater Charlotte, explained the connection between the United Neighborhoods grantmaking process and public health.

Students also learned how the United Way collaborates with local government agencies, businesses, faith communities, donors and volunteers to mobilize resources to ensure the most vulnerable populations can achieve economic mobility. “We attempted to select sites that took different approaches to planning and demonstrated how that planning resulted in programming in the community,” said Gibbie Harris, Northeastern University Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor in MPH and former Mecklenburg County Health Director. “Community engagement and involvement is a large part of this work which was clear in the visits.”

Student Hack-a-Thon Presentations

Students and faculty had check-ins after the field trips to discuss what they learned about program planning and community efforts and prepared for their Hack-a-Thons. “Students learned just how expansive the field of public health is,” Allyson Hudson, MPH program manager, added. “Students saw organizations that supported the homeless, other organizations that distribute grant funding, organizations that support immigrants, clinics that support chronic disease with a language barrier, and the importance of health communications being tailored to the audience it serves.” The Hack-a-Thons are student-lead projects that allow them to choose a community issue they observed during the week and come up with a potential plan to address it. Each student created a PowerPoint presentation and presented their ideas to the group. Some of the topics included food insecurity, dental care, behavioral health and maternal health.

Public Health, COVID-19 & County Emergency Operations

The takeaways from COVID-19 are still being examined and implemented across the country. Neil Maniar, professor of Public Health Practice, MPH program director, provided insights to the public health response to the pandemic. He explained to the soon-to-be graduates that response time matters, that plans don’t have to be perfect before getting started, and to rely on the expertise of others. Students visited the Mecklenburg County Emergency Operations Center where they learned about the role of emergency management in the community and how that intersects with public health issues, such as responding to a pandemic, shelters during severe weather, and more, from Wike Graham, Division Chief/Deputy Director CharMeck Emergency Management, Charlotte Fire Department.

Graham explained how important it was during COVID-19 to keep up with global news, to stay in communication for what’s coming down the pike, and all the different community partners that were important to Mecklenburg County’s response to the pandemic, including bringing in the National Guard for assistance. Hudson added that professors at Northeastern University in Charlotte are incorporating these takeaways into the MPH curriculum. “The instructors use their experience with responding to COVID to teach about relationship building, response time, how to engage with media, working across disciplines, and the importance of identifying how vulnerable populations will be impacted and preparing resources for them.”

The University Treatment

During the week students were treated to a dinner with the Northeastern University in Charlotte Dean, Associate Dean, and faculty. The week concluded with a graduate school reception and networking time for students, plus the Inaugural Community Engagement Roadhouse Roundup at the Valerie C. Woodard Center.

MPH Charlotte Program

The MPH program at Northeastern University in Charlotte is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health and is a member of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health. The Charlotte campus offers a hybrid program where students can choose full-time or part-time status, and the program takes 16 -24+ months to complete. To learn more, visit the MPH program page.

Shelley Stockton is a freelance writer and editor living in Charlotte, N.C. Contact her at [email protected] or through her website at shelleystockton.com.