Applying for college, Noa Blumenthal was unsure if she wanted to take the pre-med track. She knew she wanted a major that provided flexibility to gain essential skills to keep the option of a medical degree or other health career open. Blumenthal found her answer in the School of Public Health’s Public Health Science major.
“I am only halfway through the major where the public health classes are starting and I’m already learning so much, so I know I'm going to learn and enjoy my classes a lot more,” Blumenthal said.
Her major, public health science, provides a curriculum rooted in science and public health. The interdisciplinary degree is designed to prepare students for careers in public health, medicine, disease prevention, environmental protection, health policy and other health-related fields.
Within the major, Blumenthal - like other public health science students – has been able to be involved in and contribute to areas across the School of Public Health. Now on the pre-med track, Blumenthal, 20, is pursuing her passions for topics such as maternal and child health, physical activity and mental health. She has been an active member of Public Health Beyond Borders and traveled to Peru in the summer to help implement workshops about maternal and child health, environmental health and food safety.
Blumenthal was a research assistant last year for the Exercise for the Brain Health Lab, led by SPH Professor J. Carson Smith, where she served as a workout instructor, collecting data from the volunteers in the study. She is currently a research assistant for a study examining the role of emotions relating to attitudes about race and racism. As well, she is a Public Health Science student ambassador, where she helps assist prospective students with the enrollment process.
“I didn't realize how much you could get involved in the School of Public Health when it comes to not just the coursework, but the extracurriculars,” Blumenthal said. “There are so many different opportunities.”
Her contributions in and outside of classes has made her a standout.
“Noa is an exceptional student ambassador for the Public Health Science major,” said Jessica Moore-Solórzano, an undergraduate program advisor for Public Health Science. “Her warmth, intelligence and kind nature make her a wonderful representative of our program. She is an excellent leader and mentor to first-year students, consistently going above and beyond to ensure their success.”
With a background growing up learning Spanish, Blumenthal is also a Spanish minor, a helpful asset in the medical field, she said. “I want to connect to different populations and communities, and that's one way to do so if you are able to speak their language.”
Blumenthal plans on attending medical school after she graduates. But first, she hopes to take a gap year to volunteer in a Spanish-speaking country.
“My background with public health science and having that Spanish minor will be useful tools to help me really treat patients in the most beneficial way,” she said.
-Sumaya Abdel-Motagaly