UNE Bachelor of Science in Public Health

11/04/2025

Greetings from APHA!

11/04/2025

04/09/2022

Public health senior Olivia Rando and Associate Clinical Professor Bethany Fortier enjoyed meeting students and families at Accepted Students Day!

12/17/2021

All the ways public health protects and promotes health

09/27/2021

Great resource from ASPPH!

Most of us have been incorporating these practices into our lives since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it might seem like second nature by now. Keeping these simple healthy habits as a part of your daily routine continues to be extremely important in keeping yourself and those around you healthy, especially as we head into flu season. Learn more from the CDC about protecting yourself and others from getting sick: https://bit.ly/3m27dQj

05/15/2021

Congratulations public health graduates Ani, Morgan, Nicole, Mackenzie, Josh, Adriana, and Jordan!!

04/20/2021

Check out this event happening this Friday- a few undergraduate public health students will be presenting!

04/10/2021

SPOTLIGHT: Marie Johnson

What is your favorite thing about working at UNE?

-Marie enjoys the people that she works with and how everyone works together. She loves college-age students and the morals and ethics that UNE provides.

What is your favorite thing about working with students?

-Marie loves the age group of the students that she gets to work with, and enjoys being able to guide students.

How/in what ways has your position been impacted by the covid-19 pandemic?

-Because of the circumstances, Marie now works mostly from home and comes into the office less, and she misses the face-to-face communication and interaction. Though, it has brought her closer to coworkers now that zoom is used more often.

What are some of your hobbies?

-Marie likes walking and exercising. It’s been difficult with covid, but she enjoys the outdoors and loves sports.

Do you have any advice for incoming students?

-Marie says to be patient and open to meeting new people who have a different way of doing things. Give yourself the time to adjust because it can be quite different from your life at home. Don’t procrastinate! It catches up to you much quicker than in high school. Enjoy the time you have here and don’t be shy about trying new courses. Try something new because you might find out that you enjoy it.

04/09/2021

Building resilience is key to moving forward. Urge Congress to invest in , promote sound public health practices and take action based on science. www.NPHW.org

For science: The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that when governments fail to act before and during a public health crisis the public’s health suffers tremendous consequences. By January 2021, the U.S. had nearly 24 million reported cases of COVID-19 and almost 400,000 deaths. When the response to the pandemic has been slow, other parts of life in the U.S. have suffered: Millions of people lost their jobs, and more than half of the people who were laid off at the beginning of the pandemic are still unemployed. More than half of U.S. adults say their mental health has been negatively affected by the pandemic. The U.S. is suffering, and without action, things are likely to get worse.

For action: Share facts and science about COVID-19 to battle misinformation. Send an Action Alert to Congress in support of investment in public health infrastructure and expanded paid sick leave. We need to better equip our public health system to respond to future public health emergencies. Get a flu shot to protect yourself, your family and your community and to reduce the burden on our health care systems fighting COVID-19, and get the COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available to you.

For health: Non-medical mask-wearing by 75% of the population reduced infections, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID-19 by 37.7%.7 States and local counties that enforced stay-at-home orders saw significantly decreased COVID-19 incidence and death rates. When people’s basic needs are met – when they are safely housed, have enough food to eat, enough money to survive, access to health care, and other essentials – they have reduced stress and are more likely to have better physical health as a result.

For justice: We know racism contributes to negative health outcomes, and that’s true with COVID-19, too. Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Assuring equitable access to vaccines and treatment should be a top priority for public health professionals and state and federal governments. We must continue to strive for health equity in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

04/08/2021

Student Spotlight- Mackenzie Dooley, Public Health Student, Class of 2021

What have been your favorite classes to take as part of the public health program?

That is a hard question! I really enjoyed Global Health, especially taking the course during a world wide pandemic as it gave us an opportunity to explore concepts discussed in class to a real life situation. I also enjoyed Foundations of Public Health, Health, Wellness and Aging Society, and Principles of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Each of those courses provided me with a solid foundation in health science concepts.

Why did you chose UNE and the public health major?

Initially, when I started to apply to schools, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in. I knew I wanted to be in a health related field, but was torn between pharmacy, nursing, and public health. I applied to UNE because of their rich focus on the health professions. As a first semester freshman, I majored in pharmacy, then switched to nursing. As I progressed through classes, I realized that working with patients in health care settings wasn’t for me, so I made the switch to public health. I am so glad I did!

What are your plans post graduation?

I am currently not planning to go to graduate school right away. I am eager to get into the workforce and apply my knowledge and skills. I am particularly interested in working in public health emergency preparedness and response.

Tell us about your internship experience

My internship has been focused on examining UNE’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the internship, I have been working with Student Health Services to interview administrators on the Onward Plan, most notably the implementation of the plan. I have conducted focus groups and semi-structured interviews with students leaders and resident advisors on their perspectives and have completed trainings in contact tracing and disease surveillance. Through the experience, I feel I have gained valuable knowledge and skills that will hopefully be an added benefit as I enter the workforce

What advice would you give to incoming students?

Be mindful of your courses- be sure to progress through all required classes in a manner that works for you and for your program.

04/08/2021

Galvanizing climate justice to address social inequities and improve our health must be part of ongoing efforts to prepare for and respond to climate change. www.NPHW.org

For science: Climate change creates a series of interconnected impacts on human health. As global temperatures rise, heat waves become more frequent and increase the risk of heatstroke and make cardiovascular illnesses worse. Increased greenhouse gas emissions make air quality worse by trapping pollution and increasing allergens that aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. Drought causes more frequent and intense wildfires, whose smoke further reduces air quality. Flooding from intense storms leads to property and infrastructure damage, mold growth, food scarcity, and water contamination.

For action: Personal stories from trusted sources make the health effects of climate change relatable, so it’s important to share your story and be a climate communicator! Urge lawmakers to help public health and medical communities prepare for and respond to health threats caused by climate change. To address social inequities and improve our health, we need to strengthen partnerships with communities most impacted by climate change, support community-directed solutions, and improve access to health care.

For health: Building strong communities makes them more resilient, and communities with greater cohesion have better health outcomes after climate-related disasters. Addressing climate change alongside other inequities, like racial injustice, helps improve the health of communities. If we can keep climate change to below 2 degrees Celsius, we can dramatically improve the health of children born today, for their entire lives

For justice: While climate change affects everyone, not everyone is affected to the same degree. Structural racism has pushed lower-income communities and many people of color to areas that have fewer resources and more climate vulnerability, such as flood zones and urban heat islands. The growth of climate change is an environmental injustice.

source: http://www.nphw.org/NPHW-2021/Climate-Justice

04/07/2021

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Morgan Bates

What have been your favorite classes to take as part of the public health program?

-Right now, Morgan’s favorite class is Substance Misuse & Prevention with Professor Fortier. She also enjoyed taking Global Health since no other course we took talked about public health on a global scale. Theories of Health Education is another class that Morgan enjoyed because she was able to learn about different health models and how to apply them.

Why did you choose UNE and the public health major?

-Morgan chose UNE because she likes the area, how it’s surrounded by a lot of hospitals that would create opportunities for jobs and internships. Public health was the perfect fit for Morgan because she wanted to do something in the health field, but did not know what. Public health is something very flexible and provides many opportunities to choose from, which is what Morgan likes about this major the most.

What are your plans post-graduation?

-After graduating, Morgan is going to get her certificate in Emergency Management from UNE and then go onto get her Master’s in Public Health. Morgan wants to work as an Emergency Planner in Hospitals for underserved communities

Tell us about your internship experience this semester

-Morgan is creating a community needs and assets assessment for Kennebunkport. She likes getting this experience as an undergrad and be able to reach out to community members where she is able to compare their concerns to the concerns of town officials

What advice would you give to incoming students?

-Don’t be scared to get involved! Talk to your advisors about classes you could take and internship opportunities. Ask questions and take courses that you are interested in early on to find your niche.