ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
Open Access
DIRECT FROM AEHAP
Environmental Health Academic Programs: Looking Back and Moving Forward
• The impact of the scientific rigor of envi- ronmental health major requirements on student recruitment. • Low awareness of the advantages of an envi- ronmental health degree as preparation for a variety of careers and further education. Environmental health academic programs across the country have been able to survive due to the dedication of passionate environ- mental health academics championing these programs for decades. In this column, we discuss two important groups—one reflect- ing on its past successes and one looking forward to additional impact. The support of environmental health working profes- sionals through these two organizations has been instrumental in ensuring the quality, relevance, and vitality of the environmental health degree education. First and foremost is the National Envi- ronmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC), which has established and maintained environmen- tal health accredited degree standards since 1967. EHAC will continue to recruit, man- age, and support high-quality academic pro- grams. The second group is the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP), which is phasing out as an inde- pendent organization and is looking back on its impact from the past 25 years. Michele Morrone, PhD, REHS Ohio University Carla Brown Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs Leslie Mitchell National Environmental Health Science and Accreditation Council Tania M. Busch Isaksen, MPH, PhD University of Washington
Editor’s Note: To promote the growth of the environmental health profession and the academic programs that fuel that growth, the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) teamed up with the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs (AEHAP) to publish two columns a year in the Journal . For years, AEHAP worked hand in hand with the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) to accredit, market, and promote environmental health degree programs. This column will be the last from AEHAP and EHAC will assume authorship in 2025. The column will continue to share current trends within undergraduate and graduate environmental health programs, as well as highlight available resources and the eorts to further the environmental health field. The conclusions of this column are of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views or ocial position of NEHA. Dr. Michele Morrone is a professor at Ohio University and was president of AEHAP from 2023–2024. Carla Brown is the administrator of AEHAP. Leslie Mitchell serves as executive director of EHAC. Dr. Tania Busch Isaksen is a teaching professor at the University of Washington and is the general chair of EHAC.
A s we prepare this column, there are varied and numerous challenges af- fecting environmental health degree education and higher education overall. For example, campuses across the country are grappling with student protests, state and fed- eral legislatures are focused on enhanced over- sight and control of public universities, incon- sistent enrollments are making faculty stang plans dicult, and the cost of university degree education keeps increasing. All these factors, and more, serve as the backdrop for conversa- tions and decisions about how best to promote, support, and sustain academic programs.
These conversations are even more dif- ficult in the realm of environmental health education due to the circumstances aecting these programs, including: • Diculty in hiring and retaining qualified faculty and program directors. • The need for succession plans to address retiring faculty. •Declining student enrollment in many places is threatening program closure from university administrators. • Limited on-campus admissions and recruit- ing assistance for environmental health degree programs.
A Look Back: AEHAP
From the 2023–2024 AEHAP Board In 1999, an ad hoc group of faculty mem- bers from schools accredited by EHAC, with support from the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) within the Center for Disease Control and Preven-
26
%olume • um(er
Powered by FlippingBook