Department of Health Sciences

The Department Office is located on the 5th Floor of the Student and Faculty Support (SF) building, Room 502.

Open 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday.

Dept. Phone: (510) 885-3481

Faculty

Professor

Oscar Wambuguh, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Associate Professors

Chandrakala Ganesh, Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University

Nidhi Khosla, P.G.D.R.M. Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat, India; Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University

Arnab Mukherjea, Dr.P.H. University of California, Berkeley

Jason Smith (Chair), M.T.S., Harvard University, School of Divinity; J.D., Northeastern University, School of Law

Assistant Professors

Megan Cherewick, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University

Alina Engelman, Dr.P.H. University of California, Berkeley

Ryan Gamba, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley

Lindsey Grubbs, Ph.D. Emory University

Andrew Kelly, Ph.D. Northwestern University

Juleen Lam, Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University

Maria Livaudais, Ph.D. University of New Mexico

Michael Schmeltz, Dr.P.H. City University of New York, Graduate Center

Michael Stanton, Ph.D. Duke University

Department Statement

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of public health and healthcare has never been more clear. Given the pervasive and systemic health inequities that define the US healthcare and public health systems, the need to focus on health equity is also clear. The Department of Health Sciences is committed to training students to tackle the public health challenges of our time. The Department of Health Sciences welcomes students interested in careers in this fast-growing and critical area.

The Department focuses on the health effects of climate change and on health equity and views these two as interlinked. The climate crisis is currently affecting the health of communities and will continue to do so. One of the Department’s priorities is to understand human health from a population perspective and in the context of environmental health. The Department is committed to working with students to explore the role of health in climate adaptation and in mitigation policies and the opportunities to build a sustainable future.

Myriad social determinants influence the health and well-being of populations. Within a framework of social justice, it is imperative that disparities in preventable disease, disability, and death among vulnerable and disadvantaged populations be comprehensively understood and proactively addressed. The Department stresses a critical and progressive approach to identifying root causes of adverse health, and is committed to students engaging in the development of strategies to promote health equity from multiple levels and perspectives and understanding how the issues of health equity and climate are intertwined.

Mission

Working together to improve the health of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and beyond through teaching, research, and service.

Vision

We work for a future where:

The students of the Health Sciences program at Cal State East Bay are committed to tackling the health challenges facing the communities of the East Bay and California, to eliminating health disparities, and to creating climate-change resilient communities. The program students are change agents driving improvements in health across the East Bay.

The Health Sciences program emphasizes health policy, public health and environmental health. Rooted in principles of solidarity, health equity, and social justice, the program values an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes teamwork, problem solving, adaptability, ethics and strong evidence-based practice.

The Health Sciences program is an active and integral part of CSU and the East Bay communities with strong relationships to community organizations, hospitals, medical centers, and health departments. The program is a leader in the institutional focus of Cal State East Bay on health and health-related programs and is a critical part of the mission of Cal State East Bay. It is nationally-recognized for its innovations in pedagogy and curriculum, and its faculty are active in their respective fields of research with work appearing in a wide range of publications.

The Health Sciences alumni are leaders and pioneers in their fields and work across all sectors in health and public health. They are adaptable to the changing demands of their fields and are lifelong learners. They take pride in their alma mater and are active donors and volunteers to the program, helping to build a resilient program that is a key part of the health of the East Bay and California.

About the Department

Health Sciences faculty are committed scholars and teachers who are passionate about health and bringing current issues into the classroom. They value interdisciplinarity and have backgrounds in epidemiology, community health, law, political science, environmental health, biology, public health, ethics, literature, and the social sciences.

The program emphasizes teamwork, real-world problem-solving, addressing health inequities, and the health effects of climate change. Rooted in principles of solidarity, health equity, and social justice, the program values an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes teamwork, problem solving, adaptability, ethics and strong evidence-based practice

The program also emphasizes problem-based learning which is core to its approach. The Department’s goal is to help students develop strong critical thinking skills, team work, and strong problem-solving skills. rooted in a population perspective.

It also emphasizes the environmental factors that impact human health. The effects of climate change have an immediate and long-term effect on human health and the communities of California. By adopting this as a core program learning objective, the Health Sciences program focuses on helping students develop the skills to face some of these health challenges.

Visit the Health Sciences website for more detailed information about the Department and advising.

Programs

Bachelor of Science

Certificates

Data Technology Certificate

Courses

Health Sciences