Today's continuation of the New Major Blog Series is written by Emma Caldwell '13 of Webster, NY.
Health, Behavior and Society: A New Outlook at the University of Rochester
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” A question you hear thousands of times in your childhood. In your first decade of life you are encouraged to say anything and are told by those adults that love you that you can be anything you want to be. I wanted to be an actress, my little sister wanted to be a judge, my little cousin settled on being a germ. As you grow you are steered in more practical directions and in high school the careers I considered were your typical doctor, lawyer, teacher, nurse, policeman. I came to the University of Rochester undecided on my future and the open curriculum and emphasis on a liberal education were some of the main reasons I chose it.
My first semester I took a smorgasbord of classes and one of them happened to be Public Health 101. This class drastically changed the way I interpreted the world around me. I felt as though my perception of my surroundings drastically increased and I began to think critically about health and how it is related to environment, behavior and the fabric of the society one functions within. After that first class and my basic introduction to public health I was sold. My Professor Nancy Chin was so engaging and the subject matter was exactly what I had been searching for finally I was as passionate about an area of study as I was about acting. The Health, Behavior and Society major under the Public Health department is the perfect blend of policy, science, physiology, psychology, problem solving and creativity.
In high school I was very interested in biology-more specifically how it functioned within the human body. I also enjoyed learning about the environment and debating about politics and policy. However, I could never think of a career or a specific area of study that would incorporate all three aspects. Health, Behavior and Society does that and more. As an HBS major I am able to think critically about how a person’s biology, behavior and surroundings work together to determine that person’s health. I have been trained to think critically about the aspects of health that can be controlled by individual choices and facets that are outside of that person’s control. Through research and internship opportunities both in Rochester and abroad I have been able to apply the models and theories I learned in the classroom to real world problems and learn how to adapt accordingly. Not only do HBS classes train students on identifying key issues to maintaining a healthy population but they also encourage and equip them with the skills to develop multifaceted solutions to the problems.
Public Health deals with populations which plays into my strengths as I believe I am better at big-picture thinking than task oriented decision making. Just as a doctor deals with keeping an individual patient healthy public health aims to keep a population of people healthy. After two and a half years of working towards a Health, Behavior and Society major at the U of R I feel I am a more educated, more aware, and more compassionate person and I am very excited to pursue a career in the public health arena.