Hello, my name is Jameson Pickel
and I am a sophomore Political Science major at Johns Hopkins from New York.
This blog is for the class Introduction to Public Health and will cover the
various topics discussed in both lectures and readings.
To be honest, I never really had
any specific interest in public health, however it is a very important topic
and affects our lives every single day. My curiosity for taking this class came
from my interest in political science, because the two are very closely related.
There are so many issues relevant to politics and public health alike that made
me want to gain a better understanding for the inner workings of public health
systems in America and around the world.
Public health is hard to define,
however it is easier to understand if one looks at the general goal of public
health, which is to promote health and quality of life by preventing and
controlling disease, injury, and disability. Even broader than the goal of
public health is the scope, which the field covers. Specific areas include
population, setting health policy in politics, environmental health, such as
clean water sewage and so on, economics, culture, and general health behaviors.
If one were to look hard enough they would be able to find public health projects
at work all around in their every day lives.
From these specific topics my
interests in public health mainly lies in relationship between public health
and our domestic and foreign policy. There is an increasing push for better
public health works to keep our country as health as possible and the better
understanding people have in the field of public health, the easier it will
correlate to seeing more legislation promoting a safer and healthier America.
From the first 3 classes I have not
necessarily learned a great deal about the inner workings of the many public
health systems in America, but I have gained a grasp on just how crucial these
projects are to our health in general. Similarly I have gained an understanding
of just how many areas of our lives are effected by public health works, making
the subject that much more interesting than I had though coming into this
class. I am looking forward to learning more each week.
I feel the same way about the first three classes. I think that they have laid the foundation for elaboration in the various areas of public health. Also, I find the political side of public health interesting as well. It would be exciting to work in public health during the health care reform process.
ReplyDeleteZach
Hello Jameson. Thank you for an interesting first blog! I think that you did a really great job of defining public in that you realized how broad of a field it is, and how many areas it covers - it's not just about disease, but also about injury and disability. This definition is inclusive of many things outside the realm of disease as we think of it, such as environmental toxins, disaster recovery and its effects on health, and preventive medicine.
ReplyDeleteThe overlap and relationship between public health and policy is crucial, as advances in public health would be near-impossible without good policy. We need more advocates and policy makers who are aware of the public health impact of their decisions - I'm very glad to hear that you are interested in learning more, and that the first three classes have whet your appetite for more. I look forward to hearing more.
As we learn more about the healthcare system, it will be interesting to see how you can relate this to your major. Like any public service, Public Health needs to advocate within the government. As a Political Science major you will probably find some very effective ways to help them receive funding. I can’t wait to see your opinions regarding the issues that we cover in class.
ReplyDeleteKat