Signal Tribune: “‘The future of public health’: CSULB and UCI reach minority students with informatics program”

The faces of public health and technology are changing to involve more diverse communities, more areas of study and more perspectives, and it’s starting at two California colleges.

Thanks to a $75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Cal State Long Beach and UC Irvine are two of 10 schools nationwide chosen to advance the Public Health Informatics & Technology (PHIT) Workforce Development Program.

For recent UCI graduate Letsy Cahue-Flores, it’s the “best of both worlds,” where she’s able to pursue a career in both technology and healthcare to make the public health sector more accessible for families like hers.

Kai Zheng, PHIT program director and professor at UCI, said by casting a wider net for students to pursue public health informatics, they are hoping to “create more representation in the public health workforce.”

Read the full article in the Signal Tribune.