{"id":229281,"date":"2026-02-10T14:39:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T00:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=229281"},"modified":"2026-02-11T09:53:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T19:53:15","slug":"kauai-cc-public-health-pathway-to-uh-manoa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/10\/kauai-cc-public-health-pathway-to-uh-manoa\/","title":{"rendered":"Kauaʻi CC<\/abbr> public health certificate offers pathway to UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\"Kauai<\/p>\n

Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> faces a significant public health workforce shortage<\/a> that far exceeds the national average, leaving rural communities especially affected by limited public health resources and academic pathways into the field.<\/p>\n

To help fill this gap, a three-course public health certificate offered by Kauaʻi<\/span> Community College <\/a>was developed and launched in fall 2020 in partnership with the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s Department of Public Health Studies<\/a> (DPHS<\/abbr>) and the Department of Health\u2019s Kauaʻi<\/span> District Health Office (KDHO<\/abbr>). Nearly six years later, 72 students—including high school early college participants—have completed the program, gaining foundational knowledge and credits transferable to a bachelor of arts in public health<\/a> at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n

Early college credits, pathway to a degree<\/h2>\n

The certificate introduces foundational concepts through PH201<\/abbr>: Introduction to Public Health, PH202<\/abbr>: Public Health in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, and PH203<\/abbr>: Introduction to Global Public Health. Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> students who complete the program get a head start on a four-year degree and strengthen a seamless UH<\/abbr> System pipeline.<\/p>\n

The program is also offered to students at Waimea High School and Kapaāa<\/span> High School through early college partnerships, allowing them to earn college credits that count toward both Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s so awesome to see high school students grapple with college material and make those important connections to public health,” said Yuka Polovina, a DPHS<\/abbr> faculty member who currently teaches PH201<\/abbr>. “This certificate and partnership with Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> is a fantastic model for other community colleges across our state and other campuses to follow.”<\/p>\n

This program is a wonderful showcase of the collaborative academic pathway across the university system…
—Tetine Sentell<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

KDHO<\/abbr> staff serve as guest lecturers, covering topics such as epidemiology, public health emergency preparedness, public health communications and outbreak control.<\/p>\n

“We love the opportunity for our staff to share real-world local examples and make the work of public health come alive for Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> students,” said Janet Berreman, KDHO<\/abbr> officer. “We get to see their excitement as they learn about the field.”<\/p>\n

By introducing students to the field earlier, the program aims to increase local capacity and cultivate a future public health workforce drawn from the communities it serves. The initiative also supports UH<\/abbr> President Wendy Hensel\u2019s efforts to strengthen connections across the UH<\/abbr> System.<\/p>\n

The certificate builds on work<\/a> by DPHS<\/abbr> faculty Denise Nelson-Hurwitz, Lisa Kehl and Michelle Tagorda-Kama, with Tammie Napoleon and others at Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr>. Yvette Amshoff, a DPHS<\/abbr> master’s of public health graduate, taught the first cohorts and helped develop the program.<\/p>\n

“This program is a wonderful showcase of the collaborative academic pathway across the university system, including our KDHO<\/abbr> partners and DOE<\/abbr> as well,” said Tetine Sentell, public health professor and DPHS<\/abbr> department chair. “We are working to build more pathways like this to support public health across our islands and beyond.”<\/p>\n

More information about the public health certificate program<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Launched in fall 2020, the program has prepared 72 students for college-level public health courses and careers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":203854,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[1047,64,241,449,596,9,603],"class_list":["post-229281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-early-college","tag-kauai-community-college","tag-public-health","tag-public-health-sciences","tag-myron-b-thompson-school-of-social-work","tag-uh-manoa","tag-workforce-development","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t