The year was 2022, and we were still living in the shadow of COVID-19. Like many of our colleagues, we were cautiously gathering for the first time (masked) after virtual classrooms, remote work, and daily headlines that had suddenly made “public health” a household phrase. For many, the term felt new. But for us, it had long been central to our work.

It would be easy to say Arts & Sciences’ new Program in Public Health & Society emerged in response to the pandemic. But as researchers in this field, we know that public health isn’t just about tracking outbreaks. It’s about how people live, how systems function (or don’t), and how inequality shows up in bodies and communities. That’s a story that long predates any virus.

“We’re preparing students not just for the jobs they might hold, but for the questions they’ll face and the people they’ll serve.”

So, when we were asked to co-develop and direct Arts & Sciences’ new undergraduate program, we didn’t say yes lightly. We understood the challenge. Building something new meant saying no to other things, pulling back from research and service work, and carving out time for something that didn’t yet exist. Lindsay and I had never met before, but it was clear we had a shared vision and a willingness to tackle uncertainty.

Lindsay and I bring a range of experiences that speak to the mission of this program. As an anthropologist, I’ve spent much of my career studying how long-term historical and environmental changes affect human societies. My work is grounded in understanding how people adapt to social and ecological upheaval, questions at the heart of public health. Lindsay is a globally recognized social epidemiologist whose work focuses on preventing violence and supporting the mental health and well-being of women, children, and displaced populations. She has led landmark studies in some of the world’s most complex humanitarian settings and helped shape global policy around child protection and gender-based violence. She is fearless and loves a challenge.

Together, we’ve taken the hallmarks of an Arts & Sciences education, our extensive field experience, and our passions for interdisciplinary research and mentorship, and created a program that prepares students to transform the systems that shape human health.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Public health is about people and the systems around them. We can’t separate health outcomes from the structural issues that shape them: racism, poverty, environmental injustice, political violence. Public health is “health for everybody,” but that doesn’t mean everyone experiences health equally. By rooting this program in Arts & Sciences, we give students tools to think critically about ethics, inequality, and the broader forces that define well-being.

Collaboration isn’t a feature, it’s a foundation. We’ve built the curriculum around cross-campus collaboration. Students hear from epidemiologists and anthropologists, medical professionals and historians. They see how the best solutions come from shared insight.

There’s no single path — and that’s the point. Students in this program can go on to pursue medicine, policy, nonprofit leadership, research, business, or roles we haven’t even imagined. That’s why we’ve designed a flexible, individualized structure that allows students to follow their interests while gaining foundational skills.

Learning happens in the community, not just in the classroom. We’re fortunate to be in St. Louis, a thriving medical environment that also faces many public health challenges. Our students partner with local organizations, clinics, and community health leaders. They’re doing fieldwork, service learning, and hands-on research that helps connect theory to practice and shapes their sense of purpose.

The first cohort of students began taking foundational courses last fall, and their energy has been contagious. They are tackling everything from housing policy to reproductive health, conducting research in labs and interning with local health departments. In short: They’re off and running.

Since that first meeting in 2022, the world has continued to change. But through it all, our belief in this program and in the students who power it has only grown stronger. These difficult moments have demonstrated the true value of what we are building. Every day, we’re preparing students not just for the jobs they might hold, but for the questions they’ll face and the people they’ll serve. We are helping shape a generation of future-ready leaders ready to build a healthier, more equitable world.

T.R. Kidder is the Edward S. and Tedi Macias Professor in the Department of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences and co-director of the Program in Public Health & Society.

Lindsay Stark is a professor and director of undergraduate public health education in the School of Public Health and co-director of the Program in Public Health & Society.