"It is no surprise that a worldwide pandemic created interest in the field of public health," said Paul Erwin, MD, DrPH, dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.

That new interest has resulted in record enrollment at the UAB School of Public Health. Enrollment in the UAB School of Public Health rose 61 percent in the 2020 academic year compared with 2019, including a 92 percent increase in enrollment in the school's graduate programs in epidemiology.

These students arrived just as the school launched a major revision of the core curriculum for its Master of Public Health programs. "The goal is to allow our graduates to immediately make an impact toward improving the public's health," Erwin said. "The new curriculum also lets those students witness firsthand how the research expertise of our faculty gets translated into cutting-edge programs and policies that support the health and well-being of our communities."