Boston university school of public health "spotlight series": An innovative, interdisciplinary approach to education, research, and practice

BUSPH has embarked on a new school-wide program to "spotlight” a timely and critical public health issue over the course of two years. The first topic for this series is obesity, which will be examined through an interdisciplinary series of education, research, and community engagement activities. This method has several benefits. Students will learn about obesity through the perspectives taught in the eight core concentrations at BUSPH, emphasizing the interconnectedness among the concentrations. It also allows students to apply the core functions of public health (assessment, policy, assurance) to the identified problem. Since the September launch of “Spotlight on Obesity,” BUSPH has presented interactive case studies, lectures, films, and student-centered projects to spur critical analysis and discussion through a public health lens. In addition to academic and research driven activities, “Spotlight” features a range of opportunities to apply public health principles and engage with the local community to address the problem of obesity. Through one of these community projects, students work in cross-disciplinary teams to conduct an assessment and design a survey tool to address the high rates of obesity in the area surrounding a local community center. Additional opportunities for experiential learning include practicum projects and obesity prevention activities with local public schools and agencies, including Mayor Menino's “Boston Move for Health” city-wide initiative. The Spotlight Series model represents an innovative approach to practice-based learning and academic/community partnerships. The proposed session will discuss the project and reveal the results of evaluation of the method.