New Global Health major at Luther College looks at all the causes of disease

According to the Center for Disease Control, COVID-19 rates among non-Hispanic Blacks are roughly five times higher than COVID-19 rates among non-Hispanic Whites.

That difference is produced by a number of factors, not just the science of disease, but by society, culture, global health policy and economic factors.

A new interdisciplinary major at Luther College seeks to develop an understanding of all the factors which influence health.  The Global Health curriculum has been approved by professors at Luther and will begin this fall with a common core curriculum and several areas of concentration.

Luther College anthropology and women and gender studies associate professor Maryna Bazlevych, biology professor Scott Carlson, nursing associate professor Angela Kueny, Center for Global Learning Executive Jon Lund and anthropology professor Lori Stanley formed the committee that began working on the new major two years ago.

"There is increasing recognition that what happens in China affects us," says Bazlevych.  She tells decorahnews.com, "health is much bigger than biology."  She says the current pandemic highlights the inequalities in health among various populations.  But even prior to the pandemic, these ethnic groups have experienced higher rates of infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, and cardiovascular disease than White Americans, and substantial differences in disease incidence (new cases), severity, progression, and treatment.

There's strong interest from some Luther students in studying this issue.  The college in October is holding two sessions of the introductory classes in this new major and both sections are almost full.  The new major has a common core curriculum and then related classes in areas such as the science of disease and wellness; global health policy and systems; and society, culture, and human health.  That approach allows students to get a common foundation, then specialize in the field of their interest.

Bazlevych says many Luther students are looking for how they can be of service to the world and this new major would help them to do that.  She says several other students are interested in medicine and are thinking of working in such a field.  The statement written about the new major states, "Global Health students are aspiring global citizens interested in learning about the health challenges that people at home and abroad face, excited to address these challenges, and working to develop a nuanced understanding of these issues."

(For an essay by Bazlevych on why now is a critical time to focus on global health, click here)