As well as education, the Colorado School of Public Health at Colorado State University works in training, research and community service.

The Colorado School of Public Health, formed in 2008, includes three schools: Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado.

“We think about creating the environment and the conditions so all people can be healthy,” said Tracy Nelson, director of the Colorado School of Public Health at CSU. “So we tackle health disparities, and we think about health equity so all can access health. We consider where you work, where you live and where you play and how we can ensure all of those environments and conditions are safe and healthy.”

Nelson spoke about the program the school offers. The Colorado School of Public Health at CSU offers a Master of Public Health degree, which is a professional, graduate-level degree that includes 42 credits. Eighteen of those credits can be taken at UNC or the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Nelson said the Colorado School of Public Health at CSU also offers a program in which bachelor’s students can begin taking graduate courses and receive their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years.

“(The students) are really good human beings that care a lot about the world and want to make a difference — want to make our world better not just for themselves but for other people.” -Molly Gutilla, assistant professor at the Colorado School of Public Health at CSU

There are six core classes that all students in the master’s program take, Nelson said. Students can then choose a concentration to specialize in.

According to CSU’s Colorado School of Public Health website, these concentrations include animals, people and the environment; epidemiology; global health and health disparities; health communication; physical activity and healthy lifestyles; and public health nutrition. Students also complete a practicum and capstone project as part of the program.

“Students have many opportunities to do public health practice in the community,” Nelson said.

In addition to providing education, the Colorado School of Public Health conducts research and engages in community service. Nelson said the school has about 80 faculty who have an appointment in the Colorado School of Public Health at CSU. Those faculty members have research opportunities, and students can work with them through graduate research assistantships.

“We have some pilot grant funding for faculty to do public health research,” Nelson said. “The research then contributes to the classroom education for the students.”

The Colorado School of Public Health also works with the community. Nelson said they work and meet with the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment regularly. LCDHE also does presentations in some classes. During the pandemic, students assisted with tasks such as contact tracing.

“We’ve got a memorandum of understanding with the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment,” Nelson said.

Molly Gutilla, an assistant professor at the Colorado School of Public Health at CSU, said she chose to work there due to the meaningfulness of the work.

“I absolutely love being with students who study public health,” Gutilla said. “They are really good human beings that care a lot about the world and want to make a difference — want to make our world better not just for themselves but for other people. It has a component of selflessness to it.”

Reach Piper Russell at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @PiperRussell10.