(Above): Public health students EJ Alexander, Keairra Fitzgerald and Maycie Massingill work in the Saluki Covid and Memorial Wellness Garden under the direction of instructor and program director Jenna Jamieson. (Photo by Russell Bailey) (Below, from left): Kylee McGlynn, Brittany Watson, Nicolette Boucher, Keairra Fitzgerald, Sami Liller, Lydia Viel, Lauren Shelburne and Jenna Jamieson from SIU Study Abroad interact with the Limerick Suicide Watch Team from Limerick City, Ireland. The Limerick Mental Health Association is a partner of the SIU public health program. (Provided photo)
March 04, 2025
SIU students make a difference in public health while still in school
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Students in Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s public health program aren’t waiting until they get their diplomas to make an impact. They are involved in a wide variety of community service and public outreach projects and internships – from working with local schools and emergency responders to studying systems in Ireland to self-care.
“We want to be proactive, preventative – this kind of care is what public health is all about,” said Jenna Jamieson, instructor and public health undergraduate program director. “Our public health students interact with so many organizations and units in the greater community. It gives them hands-on experiential learning, which is very important. And it’s equally important that it gets them out in the community, so they see what the real world is like and what is happening. It helps them understand what is really important in the public health arena.”
Public health is all-encompassing
The spotlight has been shining especially brightly on the public health arena in recent years, thanks to a wide array of issues, including COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS, which continue to be problematic, outbreaks of mpox (a viral disease related to smallpox) and other illnesses, high suicide rates and environmental problems such as climate change that impact health, Jamieson said. Issues such as excessive screen time/cellphone usage among children and youths, even in schools, and the effects they have on focus and health, as well as other social and mental health issues, including gun violence and substance abuse, are in the forefront as well.
Public health covers an extensive and diverse array of areas, including epidemiology (the study of how often diseases occur in different groups and why), health education, health policy and management, social and behavioral sciences, community health, infectious diseases and more.
“Public health is a vital part of our world, and when we can inform, educate and help people, it alleviates not only their physical and mental problems and concerns, but it helps lighten the financial stress on the health care system,” Jamieson said.
Jileesa Smith, a senior public health major from Chicago with a minor in health care management, plans to work in a clinic that supports the community after graduation. Her experiences in the classroom and the field have “been extremely helpful in preparing me for this path. Through my classes, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with various public service providers, including Jackson County ambulance employees, police officers and firefighters, all of which are essential parts of the community’s health system. SIU’s emphasis on community outreach aligns perfectly with my passion for making meaningful, long-term connections within the community.”
Among other opportunities on and off campus, Smith said she was fortunate to connect with a Carbondale High School Terrier Care nurse practitioner giving her valuable insights and practical experience job-shadowing as she has helped in the clinic.
“Many people overlook the profound impact public health has on communities,” Smith said. “These hands-on experiences have helped me grow as a student, preparing me to be a more empathetic, proactive and effective future public health professional.”
Diverse additional initiatives
The public health students also work extensively with SIU’s Wellness and Health Promotion Services at Student Health Services, assisting it with public health-related programs, events and initiatives. That includes helping set up and maintain the Student Health Services COVID and Memorial Wellness Garden, which promotes self-care and mental health awareness. One of the university’s stress management locations, it’s a spot outside the Student Health Center where people can rest, relax, reflect and de-stress surrounded by sensory-inspired nature features, beauty, a COVID-19 memorial mural and more.
Students also plan and coordinate maternal and oral/dental health services, helping others by being proactive and preventative, Jamieson said.
In addition, Eta Sigma Gamma, the campus public health registered student organization, is open to all majors, and its projects have included conducting a backpack drive with Carbondale High School, helping ensure children are safe around Halloween by partnering with the Carbondale Police Department on “pumpkin patrols,” assisting with the CPD open house and much more.
Jamieson said students in the program have a variety of interests, backgrounds and majors. They include pre-medicine, public health and dental hygiene, among other disciplines, and their career plans are as diverse as law enforcement officers, firefighters, social workers, dental hygienists and more.
“As we change the way we think about our health, we want to see people who can improve our overall health and well-being in a variety of ways,” Jamieson said. “This is the best way to reduce stress on the public health system, improve wait times for patients and lower costs for the health care system.”
Riding along
The public health students also have “ride-alongs” with emergency responders, including the Carbondale fire and police departments and the Jackson County Ambulance Service.
“These experiences allowed me to see firsthand the challenges and needs of the community while working alongside professionals in high-pressure environments,” Smith said. “It provided a real-world perspective on how public health extends beyond clinical settings and how crucial it is to collaborate with different public service sectors.”
Jamieson said it quickly became apparent during these ride-alongs that at times, and more often than people might think, mental health issues were involved. She noted that the Carbondale Police Department has two mental health advocates and seeing them at work firsthand had an impact on the students, showing them the importance of mental health care and a career option. In addition, before becoming program director at SIU three years ago, Jamieson was a Carbondale High School teacher and was saddened to see the community experience several teen suicides. She realized that many young people are struggling.
“Mental health is a bigger issue than we realize, but we’re just not talking about it,” Jamieson said.
In the United States, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14 and 20-34 and the 11th leading cause of death for all ages in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control National Center for Health Statistics. So under Jamieson’s direction, the undergraduate program focuses largely on mental health, reducing the stigma and emphasizing the need for people of all ages to obtain care.
“People are facing internal battles that we know nothing about,” Jamieson said. “I have students in crisis care, on suicide watch. I did an intervention with faculty and discovered that it’s not uncommon for young people to approach faculty or staff when they are in crisis, having mental health issues or even considering suicide, and often they aren’t sure how to respond. But if students have one trusted adult in their lives, whether it’s a family member, mentor, faculty or staff member or friend, that human-to-human interaction circles around and makes a huge difference.”
Likewise, she said, SIU offers a multitude of “amazing” resources, including Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the Dawg Lounge, the Peer HEROES Support Program and so much more.
“Many of today’s students may not be as self-assured and independent as some from previous generations,” Jamieson said. “We want to provide them with coping methods, preventative ways of providing themselves with self-care. We also want to teach and emphasize skills such as time management, organization and communication. Students in our program are equipped to go out into the community to help plan and execute mental health programming, too.”
From personal to global
Jamieson’s students begin by learning self-care and then learn to care for others.
Taryn Sauerbrunn, a senior public health major from Marion, Illinois, said open dialogue among the students and with Jamieson is central to the classes, and this gives them all a chance to bounce ideas off one another to grow their knowledge and enhance their critical thinking skills, which helps them make connections and draw conclusions.
“Ms. Jamieson’s classes are engaging and interactive and give us pause to reflect on ourselves and our world,” Sauerbrunn said.
She said a “pivotal” class project involved creating a self-care journal. She said people tend to think of self-care as something like enjoying a bubble bath with candles, but keeping a journal and the lessons she learned from doing so “changed the way I viewed self-care, mental health and preventative care.”
“Self-care also comes in the form of taking care of things we may not want to do but that will benefit us and our well-being in the long term, such as scheduling a doctor’s appointment,” she said. “Scheduling in self-care activities and times each week can make such an improvement in our mental and physical health. Self-care can have a direct tie to preventative care, which is important to public health. By taking a little time to care for ourselves and prioritizing our health, we are improving our outlook on life and setting ourselves up for a better future.”
Along with the journal, the students must complete six to eight self-care tasks each week such as getting adequate exercise, water and sleep.
Keairra Fitzgerald, a junior public health major from Mounds, Illinois, said her program mentor has been “an irreplaceable addition to my support system,” encouraging her to try new things and engage in new opportunities while pushing her to be her best, giving her networking opportunities and connecting her with student employment.
“This program encourages you to better yourself in a variety of ways, whether it’s striving toward personal goals set through self-care or the building hand of a mentor leading you to success,” Fitzgerald said. “Self-care is an important aspect of public health, because you can’t help other people if you don’t take care of yourself.”
As a Saluki, Jamieson participated in a study aboard experience under Tom Saville, now director of SIU’s Study Abroad Program, and was excited to add a study aboard trip component to her program in 2024 “to give students a unique experience focusing on global mental health.”
Jamieson and eight students spent two weeks in Ireland and Northern Ireland in June 2024. They saw how different communities handled a variety of public health concerns on differing scales, including homelessness, mental health and even flu vaccines.
Fitzgerald found the experience “eye-opening.” She said she got to meet with mental health organization leaders and learn about their methods for improving the mental health of Ireland’s people, including people in prison, the families of people who died by suicide and others. While immersing themselves in the Irish culture, the students also learned different forms of therapy to ease mental strain and explored the differences between the health care systems in the United States and the host countries.
Growing opportunities
Opportunities in public health are seemingly limitless, according to Jamieson and her students.
“This program has given me a great foundation in skills that are vital not just in public health or social work careers, but in all careers,” said Sauerbrunn, who plans to complete her Master of Social Work and then obtain employment in the field.
Fitzgerald plans to go on to complete her master’s degree in public health with an epidemiology focus after graduating in 2026. Her goal is to become an epidemiologist, studying health care disparities in rural and low-income communities. She said SIU’s program “is equipping me with the analytical skills, moral and ethical values and support I need to excel in my research career and make a meaningful contribution to public health. I have been given a multitude of opportunities to help achieve my career goals, enhance my skill set and grow as an individual.
“This program not only equips you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in your future career but also empowers you to make a meaningful difference in public health.”
SIU is also adding a public health minor beginning in fall 2025, adding yet another great option for students to take advantage of, Jamieson said.