TANISHA GRIMES, MPH, CHES

"Health is a state of total mental, physical, spiritual, environmental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity."

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Doctoral Student, Health Promotion and Behavior

UGA College of Public Health

tgrimes@uga.edu

As a public health practitioner, teacher and research scholar I have a firm belief that public health is simply about making sure that the public is healthy. Health promotion is about the promotion of healthy lifestyles and behaviors. It’s about finding innovative ways to target populations and promote wellness that best meets that population's needs. As a researcher it is important to have the skills to be able to assess these needs, conduct inquiry into the scope of the problem, explore different approaches that have been used, design a program that helps to solve the problem, evaluate its impact, and then start all over again if necessary, or continue to implement the program within different populations.

As a teacher, it is my responsibility to inspire my students to want to improve the health in others, motivate them to embrace the concepts of promoting good health, and giving them the tools and passion to do so. If students are passionate about creating a healthier environment for others, and possess the skills to reach the population, they are going to be able to help improve the health of others.

The question then becomes how as a teacher do I translate this dream into my classroom? I desire for my students to be passionate about health, so I exude that passion and enthusiasm when I teach them. I also want to make sure that my students can apply what they are learning in my classroom is applicable to their lives outside of the classroom. I do this by not only giving them the material content, but by including interactive activities and discussions that will allow them to apply what they have learned to actual situations. This approach enables them to get “hands-on” experience and have the ability to translate the concepts they have learned in class with concrete experience. They’ve had classroom assignments when they go out into the community, and create their own health programs. I’ve found through my evaluations that my students valued this type of learning environment, and are able to better grasp the material, and apply it to their own areas of interest.

This approach also creates lifelong learning, which is what I want my students to walk away with. I want them to take what they have learned, and use it to continue to build a better, healthier future for others. I also aim to help them find their own interests by having different activities that help them explore what they are passionate about, so they can in turn be passionate about the promotion of good health for others.