The goal of the SCPHPSC is to increase access to an interdisciplinary, sustainable pipeline of culturally competent students suitable for emergency and public health response within local, state, and global communities. Undergraduates, from each of six program sites, are selected annually as project participants who typically major in public health, nursing, social work, communications, business administration, and information technology. Students can also receive a stipend and the opportunity to attend prominent public health or disaster management leadership conferences.
In 2019, the Coronavirus pandemic led to a once-in-a-lifetime crisis of suffering, death, upended economies, social inequalities, and a severely strained public health workforce. Eighteen years earlier, the United States experienced one of the worst man-made disasters in its history with the collapse of the World Trade Center. Aid to manage both disasters came from an overwhelming number of persons of all ages, backgrounds, and education levels and taught us the power of a trained and skilled volunteer workforce willing to bolster community resilience in times of crisis.
Hazard and Protective Actions Icons are used courtesy of FEMA and are available at https://community.fema.gov/ProtectiveActions/s/protective-actions-icons
Clemson University Center for Research on Health Disparities