Agricultural Safety & Health Training for Public Health Graduate Students (TPG)
In 2001, NIOSH funded a novel educational proposal by the Southeast Center to provide public health students at the University of Kentucky with specialized education and training in the health of agricultural populations. Students from any department within the College of Public Health -- biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, health behavior, health services management, or gerontology -- can opt for a special curriculum sequence within their degree program and graduate with a “Health of Agricultural Populations” (HAP) emphasis. The HAP curriculum sequence established in 2001 is not a training program grant and provides only fractional tuition and research support without stipends. As of 2005, however, the HAP emphasis area developed sufficient interest and student participation to move from the aegis of the Southeast Center to a separate training program grant (TPG). Through CDC/NIOSH Cooperative Agreement 5 T01 OH008846-03, the HAP-TPG as it is known, applies in-depth training in agricultural safety and health across traditional public health coursework, research projects, and field experiences. MPH students accepted to the HAP-TPG must complete 42-44 semester hours to graduate, of which 20 semester hours must be directly related to agricultural health and safety and injury research. DrPH students in the HAP-TPG must complete 74-78 semester hours to graduate, of which 23-29 semester hours must be HAP-TPG related.
Ellen Rasnake, MA (DrPH candidate) became the first NIOSH Fellow in the TPG program effective January 2007. Ms. Rasnake earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from Miami University of Ohio and a Master’s degree in counseling from West Virginia University. She is a former staff member of the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Control Program and currently a member of the Kentucky Cancer Consortium Steering Committee. Ms. Rasnake has been collaborating with professionals in the Jessamine County Health Department on community coalition-building and injury prevention and is involved in a national evaluation project regarding farm safety educational material for 4H youth.
Prospective students and other interested persons should complete the Declaration of Interest form and send to Robert H. McKnight, MPH, ScD Professor of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health University of Kentucky College of Public Health Director, Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention Suite 102, 1141 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504-9842, Phone: 8599-323-6836, Fax: 859-254-3760.