By Ashlyn Beck | Staff Writer
The Board of Regents has approved two new degree programs: bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology of global health and a master’s degree in physician assistant studies, which will become available in fall 2023 and fall 2025, respectively.
Dr. Joseph Taube, associate professor in the biology department, said the Biology of Global Health program is five years long, allowing students to earn a bachelor’s, master’s and certificate in tropical medicine and biotechnology. In their fifth year of study, students also have the opportunity to complete their master’s at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston or continue at Baylor University in Waco.
According to Taube, the program differs from other medical programs because of its concentration on diseases around the world.
“This track really helps to broaden students’ perspectives, to see those major needs in terms of health care around the world that are not the top priority for biotech industries and pharmaceutical companies,” Taube said. “They don’t necessarily drive their bottom lines very well, but they are unmet needs by many of the poorest countries around the world.”
Taube said the program is expected to be small and selective, admitting around 12 students per year.
“The opportunity inherent in the program to do research at the National School of Tropical Medicine and the Baylor College of Medicine is a pretty special opportunity,” Taube said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jason Carter, dean of Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, said the master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies targets the need for mid-level care in medicine.
“We are hitting massive shortages within the field of medicine, and the physician assistant route has become an important pathway, much like the nurse practitioner pathway,” Carter said.
Ripon, Calif., senior and pre-physician assistant studies major Gianna Brocchini said the profession is in high demand but differs from the traditional physician path.
“The job takes on a more holistic approach than a physician,” Brocchini said. “I love getting to know my patients and being able to help them through their difficulties.”
According to Carter, one of the draws of the master’s degree is its “hybrid nature.” Students are able to do coursework and clinical studies remotely from all over the country, while coming to Waco for “immersive experiences” with staff. He said the program ultimately allows physician assistants to serve in rural communities that might lack sufficient medical care.
“We are creating that level of care that can address areas that may not always have the medical care that they need,” Carter said.
Carter said the program anticipates admitting around 70 or 75 students per year, pending approval from the accrediting body.
“We have a very strong presence in the state of Texas and beyond as a great university for careers in health, and this is only going to expand that,” Carter said. “What this enables is for us to go one more notch upward in the kind of providers we can contribute to the greater communities throughout Texas and beyond.”
