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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Joan A. Engelhardt, BSN, MSEd, Family and Community Medicine/South Texas Environmental Education and Research, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, 956-728-8898, engelhardt@uthscsa.edu
The South Texas Environmental Education and Research (STEER) program of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio offers medical students and residents, public health students, and nursing students opportunities to learn about the environmental public health concerns along the U.S./Mexico border using a “hands-on” approach. Segments of the one-month elective include indoor and outdoor air quality, air sampling, water and wastewater pollution and treatment, river monitoring, food sanitation, exposure to heavy metals and pesticides, vector-borne diseases (e.g.) rabies and dengue fever, tuberculosis, herbal and folk medicine, and risk management. Located in Laredo Texas, STEER offers unique opportunities to learn about health care in an area where “standard patient protocol” takes on a whole new meaning. Public health challenges include the availability of potable water, inadequate access to medical care, cultural differences, and the influences on health care via the health policies and practices of our neighbor, Mexico. Faculty from the University of Texas Health Science Center, the University of Texas School of Public Health, local university and college professors, and health professionals from federal, state, and local agencies teach in the course. Students participate in service-learning opportunities – past examples have included programs to teach colonia residents about hygiene in preparing safe drinking water, an asthma prevalence study, environmental house calls, and a pesticide-exposure study in young children. Students study environmental medicine and public health in a unique setting, one that provides a community-based learning experience that cannot be found in any textbook.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to
Keywords: Community Participation, Environmental Health
Related Web page: steer.uthscsa.edu
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.