The College of Public Health has welcomed ten new faculty this fall who we want to introduce to the wider CPH community. Up this week is Suhang Song, Ph.D., who has joined the Department of Health Policy & Management as an assistant professor.
What brought you to the field of public health?
The term “Public Health” first came to my mind when severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) appeared and spread worldwide in 2002-2003. Experts in public health played an extremely important role in overcoming the SARS pandemic, and from then on, I decided to join the public health community when I got the opportunity. Besides, public health focuses on disease prevention, which helps people delay the onset of diseases, extends healthy life expectancy, and reduces the burden of disease. I am grateful that I am able to contribute to this field.
What excites you or motivates you about being in the classroom (and your research, if you’re conducting any research)?
Based on my previous research, we know that the health workforce is an important factor to improving health outcomes, so my long-term goal is to attract more people and future decision-makers to be interested in public health – specifically health policy and management – by disseminating knowledge in the classroom and conducting research regarding actionable health policies. I believe, with the growing number of public health researchers and decision-makers, the health system will be strengthened, specific health policies will be tailored to the populations who have the most need and health disparities will be eliminated in the near future.
How have you partnered with communities to improve health? Is there service or outreach work you’d like to do in Athens or Georgia?
In my previous positions, I have been fortunate to be involved in some projects which center on assessing the effectiveness of various health policies in improving health among specific populations across the country. Since one of my research interests focuses on the impact of lifestyle factors on cognitive aging, I would welcome any opportunities to partner with communities in Georgia to promote adherence to healthy behaviors which could delay or prevent cognitive decline.
What are you looking forward to this Fall semester?
I am looking forward to developing and conducting some new research projects on addressing the disparities in non-communicable diseases and cognitive aging. I would love to collaborate with faculty and students within and across the Department of Health Policy and Management and the College of Public Health as well as the researchers in other colleges, since I believe multidisciplinary studies will assist in better understanding and solving public health issues.
Last one – what do you do for fun?
I enjoy watching movies, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Posted on September 20, 2022.
