THURS-055 - Building the Next Workforce: Innovative Curriculum on Environmental Determinants of Public Health

Brief Abstract Summary: Highlight the development of Environmental Determinants of Public Health, a series of innovative undergraduate courses designed to prepare the next workforce for complex environmental health challenges. Courses focused on Coastal Communities, the American West, Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Health, and Seasonal Shifts and Southern Health immerse students in applied issues such as rural disparities, sea-level rise, climate-driven migration, and seasonal exposures. Use tools like the NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer, CDC Social Vulnerability Index, and digital collaboration platforms to build competencies in health communication, equity analysis, and advocacy. Integrate experiential learning with public health frameworks to mentor students into future leaders who understand how environment and social determinants intersect with health, while offering replicable strategies that strengthen workforce readiness, advance health equity, and inspire action.

Detailed abstract description: Engage in a dynamic session that demonstrates how innovative teaching approaches can prepare the next public health workforce to address environmental determinants of health. Discover how a series of undergraduate special topics courses—Environmental Determinants of Public Health—immerses students in applied, equity-focused learning experiences that build the competencies future professionals need to thrive in public health practice, research, and leadership.

Attendees will see how courses such as Coastal Communities, the American West, Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Health, and Seasonal Shifts and Southern Health connect real-world environmental challenges with core public health frameworks. These courses engage students in analyzing rural disparities, sea-level rise, climate-driven migration, and seasonal health exposures while equipping them to critically examine the social determinants of health that shape vulnerability.

Learn how to apply tools such as the NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer, the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, and interactive digital platforms to actively mentor students in data interpretation, health communication, and advocacy. Explore how case studies and collaborative assignments create meaningful opportunities for students to practice skills in program planning, risk communication, and equity analysis.

Participants should attend this session to gain replicable strategies for designing thematic courses that build workforce readiness by fostering critical thinking and applied problem-solving, integrate health equity and environmental justice into curriculum design, strengthen student competencies in communication, leadership, and advocacy, and mentor students to see themselves as future public health leaders.
This session offers attendees more than a case study—it provides actionable tools and inspiration to design or adapt similar learning experiences in their own institutions. Whether participants teach undergraduates, graduate students, or continuing education professionals, they will leave with concrete strategies to connect classroom learning to real-world public health issues, foster a culture of continuous learning, and inspire the next generation to lead with equity, resilience, and purpose.