Meeting Health Needs

Dr. Randy Wykoff is a data-driven dean. The leader of the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health since 2006, he knows that behind every number is a human story.

“Each time I meet with our faculty, I go over all of what we call our success metrics,” Wykoff tells ETSU Today. 

At the top of the list is the number 98. It represents the percentage of College of Public Health graduates over the last two years who would recommend the college to someone else. The college’s vision is to be the school of choice for students who want an exceptional educational experience in a world-class environment. The numbers clearly indicate that the vision is being fulfilled.

Wykoff says the job market for College of Public Health graduates in virtually every field remains strong. “We’re graduating professionals who have the knowledge, the skill, the adaptability, and the flexibility to be successful in the workforce.”

Wykoff provided weekly statistics to the public all through the COVID-19 pandemic. He believes the pandemic significantly raised the profile of public health professions.

“Public health is what we as a society do collectively to ensure the conditions for people to be healthy, so it’s really about populations and communities. Public health has become increasingly important as we have come to understand all of the societal factors that impact our health. Especially during the pandemic, people became more aware of why public health is important.”

The ETSU College of Public Health is organized into five departments. Community and Behavioral Health prepares health educators and others who often work for state and federal health agencies. Health Services Management and Policy prepares graduates for leadership positions in a variety of health settings. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Sciences graduates explore the interface between the environment and human health. Epidemiology graduates study diseases and how they spread. And the Department of Health Sciences, which is largely an undergraduate department, provides a solid foundation for graduate and professional programs. 

Indicative of the overall vigor of the college, the Department of Health Sciences has grown from 65 majors when Wykoff became dean to 450 today.

“One of the things that sets ETSU apart from other schools of public health is that we have a large undergraduate program, and we actually started with an undergraduate program, through the leadership of John P. Lamb Jr., the first dean of what was then known as the School of Health,” Wykoff says. “Because of the way we’ve grown, from undergraduate to master’s to doctoral programs, we’ve always had an eye to the job market.”

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”The World Health Organization

Another attribute that sets ETSU’s college apart is its emphasis on practicality, which is evident at the ETSU/Eastman Valleybrook campus, where students learn to make water filters and pumps and are taught how to work in low-resource settings.

“Our students know they have great professors, great advising, and great outcomes,” Wykoff says. “That’s the triumvirate of student success.”

And now, those experiences are enhanced by a beautifully renovated building with abundant natural light and plenty of open spaces for students.

“For the first time since I’ve been here, we can use Lamb Hall for student recruitment,” Wykoff adds. Still posted prominently on the wall just inside the original front entrance are words from the World Health Organization that have guided ETSU students since the college’s founding:

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."