Upstate professor appointed as chair of new HSHP Department of Health and Wellness

Upstate professor appointed as chair of new HSHP Department of Health and WellnessSeptember 29, 2005Carol K. Masiclatclkim@syr.edu

The College of Human Services and Health Professions (HSHP) at Syracuse University has announced the establishment of a degree program in Health and Wellness, to be offered beginning in Fall 2006. Sandy Lane, research professor with the SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will serve as department chair. Lane will also hold an SU faculty appointment in social work and maintain a joint appointment with Upstate.

The 123-credit program will lead to a bachelor of science degree in Health and Wellness and prepare students to pursue a career or graduate study in the areas of community health education, health promotion or other health-related fields.

“In addition to being the newest degree program at Syracuse University and the newest major in the College of Human Services and Health Professions, this program will allow the college to become the health and wellness hub on campus,” says HSHP Dean Diane Lyden Murphy. “It will be the college’s most transdisciplinary degree, drawing from areas across campus-policy, education, disability studies, psychology, women’s studies, management, communications, student affairs and others. As part of the college, it will contribute to our mission to educate professionals who will provide the services that focus on the emotional and physical well being of individuals, families and communities across the lifespan.”

Lane is a medical anthropologist and epidemiologist. Her research focuses on the impact of racial, ethnic and gender disadvantages on maternal, child and family health in urban areas of the United States and the Middle East. She holds an R.N. diploma from the New England Baptist Hospital School of Nursing; a bachelor’s degree in North African Studies, a master’s degree in anthropology,and a master of public health in epidemiology, all from the University of California-Berkeley; and a Ph.D in medical anthropology from University of California-San Francisco the University of California-Berkeley.

“Sandy Lane will provide brilliant leadership in the formation of our new Department of Health and Wellness-in the college and across the University,” says Murphy. “She brings a very accomplished body of scholarship and practice in various areas of public health, in the private and public sectors both nationally and globally. She is a visionary, interdisciplinary health researcher with an established and impressive record of funded research, while at the same time being committed to community initiatives.

Says Lane, “I am absolutely delighted to join the faculty of the College of Human Services and Health Professions. I have collaborated on research projects and community outreach with many faculty members in the college and look forward to working more closely with them in this new position. The Department of Health and Wellness can link with many academic and professional programs throughout the University to maximize our resources in serving our students.”

After a period of intensive research and planning led by Nursing Director Maureen Thompson, HSHP faculty and staff created plans for the Health and Wellness degree program that were then presented to the SU Senate, the Board of Trustees and the New York State Department of Education, all of which subsequently approved the program.

The curriculum combines program-specific courses with professional role coursework and liberal arts requirements, covering such areas as health issues among diverse populations; factors influencing the health of individuals, families, and communities; community-based participatory research; health literacy; and cultural competence, with a predominant focus on health promotion. Elective credits will allow students to hone their interests in professional areas like health communications, fitness, maternal-child health, or health of the elderly. The curriculum also prepares students to take the national exam to become licensed as community health educators.

Service learning will be integrated throughout the program, allowing students to serve the community while receiving hands-on professional experience. A minor in Health and Wellness also will be offered.

For more information about Health and Wellness, contact Eileen Lantier at (315) 443-9824or elantier@syr.edu.