Educating Outside the Box
Empowering Change Through Education
When Thet Nwe Myo Khin, M.P.H. ‘22, began her undergraduate studies in global disease biology, she envisioned a career in medicine, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, her path shifted.
“I was pre-med, but the pandemic was a turning point. I became deeply interested in how public health systems respond to global crises,” said Khin.
That curiosity led her to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in health policy from the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego.
Khin saw the complexity and importance of translating science into actionable policy. Her capstone project, required of all master’s degree students, focused on Proposition 56 — a 2016 California measure that increased tobacco taxes — and its impact on the LGBTQIA+ community. Today, she is a Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health policy analyst, working on future Prop. 56 evaluations under a contract with the California Department of Public Health.
“The support I received from faculty, staff and my peers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health was absolutely foundational,” Khin said. “Faculty know your name. They care. That level of dedication and passion really matters. I leaned on my classmates for support, and that sense of community made all the difference.”
Thet Nwe Myo Khin, M.P.H. ‘22
“Faculty know your name. They care. That level of dedication and passion really matters.”
– Thet Nwe Myo Khin, M.P.H.
H er overall experience has inspired her to pursue a doctorate. Khin will be part of the inaugural class of the school’s Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health with a concentration in health services research and implementation science, launching in fall 2025.
UC San Diego has built a strong public health curriculum over the decades, starting with the UC San Diego-San Diego State University General Preventive Medicine Residency program in 1983 and the Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health in 1990. The Bachelor of Science in Public Health was introduced in 2013 — the first undergraduate degree within UC San Diego Health Sciences and one of the first in the nation positioned at the critical intersection of primary care and public health. It remains the only undergraduate degree in Health Sciences; all other programs are graduate-level.
Designed to address global health challenges and a national shortage in the public health workforce, the bachelor’s program prepares students to promote and protect population health with a foundation in biological sciences, behavioral sciences, quantitative methods and more.
“A Bachelor of Science in Public Health is pretty unique. Most schools only offer public health as a graduate degree. That sets us apart from many other schools,” said Britta Larsen, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the bachelor’s program. “This degree is useful for anything a student would want to do after college. Most fields are related to public health in one way or another.”
The undergraduate health policy and management sciences concentration equips students with foundational training in health care delivery, policy, legislation and business administration. It is ideal for those interested in administration or government roles and encourages participation in opportunities like the UC Washington Center, which allows UC students to take classes while interning in Washington D.C.
Britta Larsen, Ph.D.
Sara McMenamin, Ph.D., M.P.H.
T he Bachelor of Science in Public Health has grown significantly since its inception. Originally designed for 500 students, it enrolled 851 learners in the 2024-2025 academic year, making it one of the fastest growing and most diverse majors at UC San Diego, according to Larsen. It also has the highest proportion of first-generation college students on campus, reflecting the communities that public health professionals aim to serve.
Graduates go on to work at top employers including the California Department of Public Health, Genentech, Illumina and many others. Their careers span a wide range, from behavioral interventionist and health coach to clinical informatics specialist and global public health project assistant.
At the graduate level, students in the MPH program (launched in 2018) also benefit from a rich and flexible curriculum. The program offers small class sizes and a variety of concentrations, including health policy, which is led by Sara McMenamin, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor.
“Health policy is now more important than ever,” McMenamin said. “The skills our students will acquire in health care delivery, policy, legislation and business administration will prepare them to successfully advocate for public health policy changes at the local, state and federal levels.”
In spring 2025, the school introduced a new course designed for students like Khin who want to influence policy and decision-makers. Titled “FMPH 491: Public Health Advocacy: Skills for Impact and Change,” the course was developed by Samantha Hurst, Ph.D., professor, to address the growing need for public health professionals to communicate effectively in a politically charged environment.
Hurst was inspired in part by a list of roughly 300 words that could disqualify a federal funding application. Terms like “all-inclusive,” “breastfeed,” “female,” and “person-centered care” made the list. Her exploration led her to Boston University’s Public Health Activist Lab, where students engage in advocacy that meets the moment.
“Public health is about ensuring access to care,” Hurst said. “This course is about learning how to engage and communicate with decision-makers at all levels to ensure that fairness exists. Our university is committed to empowering students to become advocates for the transformative power of public health.”
Students in the class will gain tangible skills such as writing persuasive public health messages, crafting policy briefs and legislative testimonies, designing advocacy campaigns and building coalitions.
Khin sees courses like this as essential. “Advocacy helps us learn how to speak up for the issues we care about. It trains us to communicate why public health research matters — not just to academics, but to everyday people and the policymakers who serve them. My ultimate goal is to become a researcher and also be the bridge between research and policy, to make things more efficient and understandable.”
Student-driven research is also impacting how UC San Diego supports the campus community.
“Public health is about ensuring access to care.”
– Samantha Hurst, Ph.D.
N ancy Binkin, M.D., M.P.H., has been leading the bachelor of science honors practicum program for eight years. In recent years, enrolled students conducted a campus survey that showed that food insecurity was associated with decreased physical health, mental well-being and academic performance. The research conducted by students was part of a campuswide effort to combat this challenge.
Students in the practicum program have followed up on this work with a new focus on financial security.
“It became clear from the food insecurity — and the housing insecurity work that my students conducted in previous years — that much of the problem was driven by financial insecurity,” said Binkin. “We received a $100,000 grant to do more in-depth work looking at causes and consequences of financial insecurity and put together a potential strategy for improving financial literacy on campus.”
With new strategic educational priorities established in the school’s first five years, the school is preparing the next generation to respond to today’s health challenges and lead the way toward a healthier, more just tomorrow.
Nancy Binkin, M.D., M.P.H.
I n fact, in 2025 the school celebrated the largest graduating class and was awarded $5 million in state funding to pilot the launch of a new Bachelor of Science in Public Health program at Southwestern College, an exciting milestone that will expand access to public health in our region.
The new expansion of a bachelor’s program in San Diego’s South Bay region, expands the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health’s degree offerings which also includes a Master of Science in Biostatistics (launched in 2019) and Doctor of Philosophy in Biostatistics (2016).
A s public health challenges grow more complex — from global pandemics to climate-driven crises — the need for visionary leaders has never been greater. At the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, students are not just studying public health, they are shaping its future.
