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 Welcome Letter From the Department Chair Welcome From Tina Marie Meyer, MSHS, PA-CChair, Department of Health Sciences Welcome to the web pages for The Master of Science in Health Sciences here at Western University! I appreciate your time in reviewing my message and hope that you find the following information useful in your quest for graduate education. You have chosen wisely in considering the MSHS degree here at Western University – here are some of the reasons why! The MSHS degree at Western University of Health Sciences The MSHS degree here at Western University of Health Sciences was the first program added to the College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1986. Our mission has been to support the university and the health care needs of our world by attending to the need for top notch educators in the health professions. Responsible for generations of health care providers, our graduates have made substantial contributions to the wellbeing of our country. The Department of Health Sciences is poised to expand on the contributions that it will make to the health care needs of our people in the coming years. So, just what are some of the health care needs we must deal with in the coming years? Read on! Some 35 million people or 1 in 8 Americans live in the state of California! California is expected to grow at nearly twice the national average by 2025. Growth in LA County is expected to increase by 10% while growth in the Inland Empire is expected to increase by 40%. [i] The number of Californians aged 65 and over is already greater than any other state in the nation. By 2025 California is expected to have a 58% increase in people 65-74 years old and a 49% increase in those 85 years and older.[ii] More than 1 in 4 Californians are born outside of the US. The population is aging and increasing in diversity. By 2015 over half of the population will be of Hispanic or Asian descent.[iii] More than 1.5 million or 1 in 7 adults have diabetes. Nearly 3.9 million, or 1 in 8 adults and children have asthma. 3.4 million Californians have disabilities that limit daily activities and create a variety of health needs. Some 134,000 cumulative AIDS cases in 2003 ranked California second only to New York in the number of people affected by this disease. 23% of adults are obese; 30% of children are overweight and 40% are physically unfit. An estimated 1.9 million students 12 years and older use illicit drugs. In 2003, 23% of Californians between the ages of 19 and 65 lacked any form of health insurance. Our incidence rates of infectious disease are high and the need for preventive health services is known to be largely unmet.[iv] How will we address the enormous health care needs of our people in the very near future? Nationwide, the greatest demand among professional occupations is for public health professionals, environmental scientists, health educators, epidemiologists and administrators.[v] Health Professions Education The ongoing need to prepare faculty and others in the area of Health Professions Education remains paramount. At present, most health related programs are bursting at the seams with applicants – while the faculty pool is dwindling. Health Professions Education is integral to the production of quality providers. Historically, most of us come to health care education through our clinical disciplines. But just because one is a good clinician, it does not follow that one is a good educator! MSHS graduates excel in the art of adult education, program planning, implementation and educational research. To meet the growing health care needs of the United States, the health workforce must change in size, distribution, and preparation. The health workforce does not reflect the diversity of the population.[vi] Increasing student and faculty diversity in the health services is critical to the success of any healthcare delivery strategy. Improving efforts to recruit and retain health sciences faculty is central to the production of a competent, compassionate, qualified health workforce. Diverse, innovative and quality educators in health professions programs will produce the health workforce necessary to care for the populous in the coming generations. Health Care Systems Management Nationwide, the greatest demand for professional health care occupations is for public health professionals, environmental scientists, health educators, epidemiologists and administrators.[vii] The Department of Health Sciences is developing a concentration of study in the Management of Health Care Delivery Systems. Our students will prepare to tackle the enormous administrative task of increasing access to quality health care for the citizenry in the face of increasing diversity, rapidly growing populations, failed systems, and budgetary constraints. A disconnect exists between social scientists, administrators and the actual clinical environment. Intelligent and well meaning professionals have long been making recommendations for how health care should be delivered. While most policies are sound in principle, in fact, the practicalities of the clinical environment render many otherwise good plans useless. Western University of Health Sciences is in a unique and invaluable position to marry the educational experience of Health Care Systems Managers with clinicians. We believe that by participating in real world, interdisciplinary learning environments, our student administrators will gain the practical perspectives that will allow them to fill the need for savvy, compassionate, creative, solutions to the problems of health care access and delivery. Community Health Promotion The public health workforce is said to be grossly inadequate in numbers and resources in its attempts to promote health, prevent disease, prolong life and improve the quality of life for the general population.[viii] The Department of Health Sciences is designing a graduate curriculum for students who will specialize in Community Health Promotion. Utilizing the teaming opportunities here at Western University of Health Sciences, students will gain the multidisciplinary education that will allow them to supplement the public health workforce in the areas of health promotion and disease prevention. Borrowing on the existing expertise in the areas of program design and implementation, graduates will be prepared to enact community based educational programs to effect positive change in health promotion and disease prevention. You are welcome to contact me for more information concerning the MSHS degree. Monthly information sessions here on campus are scheduled as follows: Wednesday, May 21 5:00 – 6:30pm Tuesday, June 24 5:00 – 6:30pm Thursday, August 21 12:00 – 1:00pm Wednesday, September 24 5:00 – 6:30pm Thursday, November 20 12:00 – 1:00pm I look forward to meeting you and discussing plans for your future in the health care industry. Best wishes to you in your quest for a healthy, happy and productive future.
[i][i] Health Science Education Workforce Needs and Enrollment Planning Report. Division of Health Affairs,
[ii][ii] California Department of Aging. Statistics and Demographics: Facts About
[iii][iii] State of
[iv][iv] US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions,
[v][v] Association of Schools of Public Health. 2002 Annual Data Report. Available at: http://www.asph.org/uploads/adr2002.pdf
[vi][vi] The California State University, The California Community Colleges, the University of California, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. (June 2000) Educating
[vii][vii] Association of Schools of Public Health. 2002 Annual Data Report. Available at: http://www.asph.org/uploads/adr2002.pdf
[viii][viii] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2004. Office of Workforce Policy and Planning. The Public Health Workforce Development Initiative.
Bibliography 1. Association of Schools of Public Health. 2002 Annual Data Report. Available at: http://www.asph.org/uploads/adr2002.pdf 2. California Department of Aging. Statistics and Demographics: Facts About
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