Fordham University announced a new minor in Public Health program at the Student Life Council’s recent meeting on March 26. The new program is part of Fordham’s goal to realign towards STEM programming in response to a national rise in students applying for STEM programs.
Fordham recently received a donation of $100 million for the construction of a new STEM building, courtesy of Maurice Cunniffe, FCRH ’54, and his wife, Carolyn Dursi Cunniffe, Ph.D., GSAS ’71, which has helped to stimulate this realignment. Other aspects of the rearrangement program include the master’s program in Physician Assistant studies, which is set to begin in the spring of 2027.
Robert Beer, Ph.D., associate dean for STEM and pre-health education, worked on a development team with other faculty and staff at Fordham College, including Sophie Mitra, Ph.D., professor of economics, and Brendan Cahill, who holds a Master in Business Administration and is the executive director of the Institute for International Human Affairs. Beer is also an associate professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry.
“While the minor hasn’t been officially published yet, we’re very excited about its launch,” said Beer. “Based on the preliminary student survey we conducted before proposing the program, we anticipate a strong response from students.”
Beer noted that the trends towards STEM careers often fall into categories with administrative work, such as those related to public health. “There’s clearly a growing interest in public health nationwide, and we’re thrilled to see this offering start soon at Fordham,” he said.
Cahill also provided a statement on the advancement of the new program. “New programs have a long gestation period, and Dr. Mitra and I have been blessed by the enthusiasm and insights in the planning stage from faculty throughout the Arts and Sciences,” he said.
Cahill worked on a governance committee to assist in developing the program, including Jason Morris, Ph.D., professor of biology, Rachel Annunziato, Ph.D., professor of psychology, Ipsita Banerjee, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry, as well as Mitra and Beer.
“We see this interdisciplinary Minor as complementary to other STEM and non-STEM majors and minors — especially to Humanitarian Studies — and exciting to students,” Cahill said. He noted that once the program is released in September, students who take up the minor will be able to comment on their experiences.
This is a developing story.
