When School of Public Health undergraduate student Alejandro Kulick, pictured above, was a freshman at the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, he was introduced to epidemiology through a video game. He doesn’t remember much about the game itself, but started thinking about epidemiology as a potential career choice. “I knew I wanted to do something related to the medical field, but I wasn’t sure what. It introduced me to the idea that epidemiology could be a career, because I didn’t even think of that before,” he shares.
A couple of years later, as a junior, one of his teachers provided information about a summer program at the School of Public Health – the Public Health Science Academy (PHSA) – to immerse high school students in science and the field of public health. Kulick knew he wanted to apply. “I was trying to find something to do over the summer related to epidemiology,” he recalls, since that was still all he knew about public health at the time.
Launched in summer 2022, the academy is a month-long academic experience in which 10th and 11th graders from local high schools participate in public health in action across campus and the city. Founded by Dean Maureen Lichtveld, and co-directed by faculty members Hannah Covert, Toni Deslouches and Beth Hoffman, the academy strives to increase access to and awareness of public health for younger generations and to create pathways into academic degree programs. Academy students are matched with faculty mentors to introduce them to a variety of topics through research projects, group work and field trips. At the end of their experience, students showcase their research projects during a symposium or poster session.
Participating in the academy broadened Kulick’s definition of public health, illustrating the breadth of interdisciplinary work happening at the School of Public Health. While he chose to do the majority of his work on a project related to bacteria resisting certain medications, his cohort visited Pitt’s Community Engagement Center in Homewood, met with first responders at the Mayor’s Office and worked on case studies and inquiry-based research projects.
“In the academy, I learned that public health is broad. I thought it was more specific – mostly epidemiology – but it’s actually pretty much everything,” Kulick says about his experience. “My mom is a social worker and my dad is a doctor, so I grew up with the mindset that health care has to be individual. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that one-on-one interaction.”
Kulick’s interests continued to expand during his senior year in high school, specifically as he got more interested in politics and health equity. By then, he’d already applied to the school’s Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) degree program. Knowing he wanted to pursue public health, he also knew that he could broaden his interests and still find a fit. “The academy indulged my interest in public health and gave me a better understanding of the subject,” he says. Now, with his first year of college finished, Kulick is glad to have so many options to concentrate his bachelor’s degree. “I’m still leaning toward health equity, but I can change knowing that my interests will continue to change.”
“This program truly expanded my horizons,” agrees Zahara El Samahy, part of the academy’s first cohort in 2022. “Learning about what public health was and the many fields that it contains really helped me to broaden my perspective on topics like health equity, climate change and disease control and prevention."
Covert knows firsthand how meaningful these programs are to students and the community. “Summer enrichment programs are a bridge between Pitt Public Health and the Pittsburgh community,” she shares. “Through the Public Health Science Academy, students learn and get excited about public health. And, like Alejandro, we hope that they continue to study public health in college. It’s a win-win for both our school and students.”
The PHSA is one of many programs conducted during the summer months at the school. Others include Bridging the Gaps, Pitt Public Health Undergraduate Scholars Program and the Pittsburgh Summer Institute.
For those interested in attending, the following events are open to our school community:
• The PHUSP Poster Presentation will take place Thursday, July 25, 3-5 p.m. in the Connolly Ballroom, Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Avenue.
• The Pittsburgh Summer Institute will showcase student presentations on July 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in G23 Public Health, followed by a reception in the Commons.
-Caitlin McCullough and Amber Curtaccio