Howard Community College

shortage of 10,000 nurses by 2016. The U.S. services, aging services management, Ulman. "We can best prepare students for Department of Health and Human Services athletic training, health care management, these increased health services demands by says the current public health workforce is health education, nutrition, and a variety providing them with tools and resources in inadequate to meet the health needs of the of noncredit continuing education options classroom settings. The county is proud to U.S. population and projects shortages to designed for entry-level health care positions support HCC in offering these extensive reach 250,000 nationwide by 2020. and professional updates in the field. opportunities to students." As receipt of quality health care Numerous partnerships in the county Howard County General Hospital is continues to be of critical concern in the and throughout the state enable the a community resource that touches 50 U.S., HCC remains at the forefront of college to offer its students a high-quality percent of the families in the county each innovative health care training. The college health care education, which Howard year, according to its president and CEO has one of the largest nursing programs County Executive Ken Ulman identifies Vic Broccolino. "Many of our nurses and in the state; the first public health transfer as extremely important in today's other employees come to the hospital from program in the country; innovative and environment. "Central to the successful HCC," he says. "The college is ahead of the well-respected programs in cardiovascular implementation of the Affordable Care Act, curve in creativity and innovation and does technology, emergency medical services, when millions of additional individuals a wonderful job of training good people in radiologic technology, exercise science, will acquire health care, is a growing need many aspects of health care that benefit the health care for the professional, human to focus on health care education," says citizens of this county." First Public HealtH Graduate Pursues Personal Goals The Association of Schools of Public Health reports that the public health student graduation rate will need to triple over the next 12 years in order to meet projected shortages in our nation's workforce. Wayne liu, one of the first graduates of HCC's new public health program, plans to help fill that gap. "HCC is the first two-year college in the nation offering an arts and sciences associate of arts degree transfer program in public health," says Jeanette Jeffrey, program coordinator and professor of public health and nutrition. "Public health focuses on saving lives at a population level through disease and injury prevention strategies. Career opportunities in this field are growing." Liu has already gained valuable experience in the field. All of HCC's public health majors choose from more than 80 partnering sites for direct community involvement, and Liu chose to work with the Howard County Food Bank. After his first full year of classwork, he participated in the Summer institute for Biostatistics at North Carolina State and Duke University's Clinical Research institute. liu spent last summer working at the National institutes of Health (NiH), researching thyroid cancer, especially in children, and the effects of radiation and chemotherapy. liu has transferred into the public health program at The Johns Hopkins University, and he hopes to return to NiH through its fellowship program and continue working on cancer research. "My long-term goal is to get a Ph.D. in epidemiology and i might consider getting an M.D. so i can treat patients in addition to conducting research." Howard Community College Spring 2011 | Pathways Howard Community College Fall 3 5

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